Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.

Bush support low at ASU partner university in Mexico


Editor's note:

Fourteen students from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication are in Monterrey, Mexico, this week working on a "Reporting in Mexico Project" on economic ties between Monterrey and Phoenix for an in-depth print reporting class and broadcast Newswatch reporting class.

MONTERREY, Mexico -- Students at ASU's counterpart university here are getting revved up for the Nov. 2 U.S. presidential election, and most students want to see President Bush out of office.

Although they can't vote in the election, Mexican students at Tecnologico de Monterrey, a top Mexican university with which ASU President Michael Crow has worked to establish educational partnerships, have expressed anti-Bush sentiment and said they can't understand why the race for the American presidency is so close.

"I don't know what will happen if Bush wins again," said first-year electronic communication engineering student Miguel Granados, 18. "He's quite popular, and I don't know why."

A poll last week conducted by El Norte showed 70 percent of Mexicans have a some-or-very unfavorable opinion of George Bush. Forty-two percent have a some-or-very favorable opinion of Sen. John Kerry.

"[Students] are really concerned about George Bush and how he has been affecting relations with the world and the job he's been doing," said Tomas Hopkins, an international relations professor at Tec.

Hopkins said his students, who are from all over the world but mainly from Mexico, have been paying close attention to the U.S. presidential election.

"They feel this is a critical time with the U.S. ... the majority of students want a Bush defeat," he said. "I don't see a lot of support for Kerry -- [students] just want George Bush out of there."

Monterrey, 140 miles south of Laredo, Texas, is not only close to the United States by distance, but economically, it has more than 1,700 foreign investors, 85 percent of which are from the United States. American culture also has moved in, evident from the many fast-food chains like Kentucky Fried Chicken and Carl's Jr. in the city.

Tec journalism and communication professor Alma Elena Gutierrez said Mexican media have dedicated a lot of space in newspapers to American politics.

"It's very important ... it's our closest neighbor," she said. "If the U.S. has economic problems or war problems, Mexico feels it."

ASU associate political science professor Roxanne Doty said she also believes students are keeping in mind Mexican-related issues, such as immigration.

"There is a difference in positions on this issue," she said, "which Mexico is probably paying attention to."

Reach the reporter at sarah.muench@asu.edu.


Continue supporting student journalism and donate to The State Press today.

Subscribe to Pressing Matters



×

Notice

This website uses cookies to make your experience better and easier. By using this website you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.