Democratic National Committee Interim Chair Donna Brazile encouraged ASU Young Democrats Friday to "fight and raise their voices" in a Donald Trump presidency.
The day before the Democratic National Convention Forum began at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Phoenix, Brazile spoke to students of the ASU chapter of Young Democrats at their first meeting of the year. Brazile discussed the recent campaign loss for the Democratic Party and the action that young Democrats need to take now.
“So we lost, I’m not going to sugar coat that,” Brazile said. “It’s up to us to decide if we want people to get involved in the Democrat Party.”
Although President-elect Trump will take office on Inauguration Day, the Democratic Party will continue to fight for important issues, Brazile said.
She said that the Democratic Party fought as hard as they could, but cautioned that one person can't lead the Democratic Party alone. Brazile encouraged members of the Young Democrats to begin advocating for the Democratic Party this year.
“Bring everyone to the table,” Brazile said, “Get Republicans and Independents involved, not just Democrats.”
Zakary Ghali, president of the Young Democrats and a senior political science student, said that the two main focuses for the organization this semester are building the member body and connecting students to their local legislative districts.
“We’re making sure that student voices are heard at the state capital,” Ghali said.
President-elect Trump’s policies are already taking shape with the recent first steps of repealing Obamacare, but Ghali said while the Trump presidency might change Democrats' focus, it won't change their outlook.
This year, Young Democrats will focus on mobilizing and organizing more than ever before, Ghali said.
Annie Mazzarella, a sophomore member of the Young Democrats majoring in political science and English literature, said a lot of people are misinformed or uninformed. The Young Democrats are combating that by spreading positive messages to build a positive environment, Mazzarella said.
“Even beyond 2020, I think we need to be doing work and activism," Mazzarella said. "I hope to continue to seeing organizations like the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union,) Planned Parenthood and the Human Rights Campaign afloat with our funding, donations and passions behind them."
Prospective members also shared their optimism for the future of their party.
“It’s not just the President that matters, there is also the House and the Senate,” said Pashmi Mehta, a sophomore management and sustainability major, attending her first Young Democrats meeting.
Mehta said that after the election she felt that she had to do something that mattered. She said educating and informing people about current issues is important today.
“We can do something and there are things that we can do, it’s not a hopeless thing that is happening,” Mehta said.
Reach the reporter at imani.stephens@asu.edu and follow @_imanis on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
