With 45 days until the 2024 presidential election, the race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris divides the nation. Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative — the election continues to grab the attention of both faculty and students on campus.

Political science assistant professor Jennifer Dumas teaches Political Science 4026, which centers around parties, campaigns and elections. In her class, students examine the current state of U.S. politics, including polarization and the bipartisan system. Dumas wants her students to develop a well-rounded understanding of the election process, even as elections grow more controversial.

“This election is occurring during, and contributing to, an especially fraught time in our country — with assassination attempts against President Trump on the campaign trail, racist and misogynistic attacks against Vice President Harris, and fear of violent reactions regardless of the election outcome, many are concerned about the state of democracy in the U.S. currently,” Dumas said.

Students across campus have mixed reactions toward both candidates. Many openly express their dissatisfaction with both candidates going into election season. Senior political science major Wyatt Sage explained that he sees the election as a choice between two evils.

“I fully admit that Harris is the lesser evil of the two, but neither candidate is good. She says stuff like how climate change is an imminent threat, and then she supports fracking. She talks about how what’s going on in Gaza is terrible, but she refuses even to consider ending our arms agreement. With Trump, I think the quote about ‘immigrants’ eating dogs in Springfield is enough evidence for why he’s not great.”

Meanwhile, students, such as junior political science major Melanna Morris, look forward to voting in their first presidential election.

“I am very excited to vote in November. While I do not love either of the candidates personally, I believe we can do better,” Morris said. “With that, I also think there is a better candidate of the two that will put the country and our citizens in a better position than we are now.”