HAMPTON, Va. (HUNS) – With New Jersey’s gubernatorial election approaching, students from the Garden State studying here at Hampton University are keeping close tabs on the race, even from hundreds of miles away.
Earl Morton, a junior marketing major from Newark, said he’s paying attention to how candidates plan to tackle affordability and crime. “Every time I go home, I see how expensive things have gotten,” he said. “My family worries about property taxes and rent going up.
“Whoever wins needs to make the state more livable for working families.”
The candidates for governor are Mikie Sherrill, Democrat, and Jack Ciattarelli, Republican. The outgoing governor is Phil Murphy, Democrat, who served eight years and is term limited.
Meanwhile, Natijah Williams, a junior kinesiology major from Camden, said her focus is on education and youth involvement.
“A lot of people my age don’t think state politics affect them, but they do,” she said. “The governor decides how much funding schools get, what jobs come in and how affordable college is. I want to see candidates talk directly to young voters, not just older taxpayers.”
Both students said they are casting absentee ballots while they’re attending school out of state. They also agreed that social media has played a major role in how young voters like them stay informed.
As the race heats up, students like Morton and Williams represent a growing generation of engaged young voters eager to see how the next governor will address the challenges shaping their futures, both back home in New Jersey and the rest of the country as well.
Tyler Steinberg is a student in the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications at Hampton University. He wrote this article through a partnership with HUNewsService.com.
