Members of GW College Democrats and GW College Republicans discussed the presidential candidates’ stances on free speech, reproductive rights and climate change at their biannual debate in the University Student Center Monday night. 

On the eve of the 2024 presidential election, members of GW College Democrats Dylan Hayden and Liz Stoddard debated members of GW College Republicans Kieran Laffey and Alvin Wright on renewable energy, abortion and first amendment rights. GW College Democrats President Ian Hoerr and GW College Republicans Chair Victoria Carlson moderated the hour-and-a-half-long debate, which more than 100 students attended.

The debate between the two student organizations is a long-standing biannual tradition. The groups initially slated the event for Oct. 29, but moved the date to Monday after the GW Democrats withdrew hours before the scheduled start time. Hoerr cited Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally on the National Mall last Tuesday as the reason for the last minute postponement.

The moderators kicked off the debate with a question about the economy, asking panelists how administrations should balance energy policy to ensure the country remains economically stable while moving towards renewable energy sources. The Democrats focused on the realities of climate change and Trump’s friendliness toward fossil fuels executives, while the Republicans boasted Trump’s move to make American energy independent and Harris’s comparative hostility to the industry. 

Although many political analysts have disputed this claim, Wright said the country became energy-independent under Trump and debated in favor of Trump’s energy policy. He argued that the cancellation of the Keystone pipeline under the Biden Administration showed Harris’ plan to target the fossil fuel industry. 

Wright said the Biden administration had begun an “all out assault” on key parts of the oil industry in the U.S. including a ban on new leases for drilling on federal lands. 

In Rebuttal, Hayden argued that Harris would bring more stability to the country’s energy industry, citing the Inflation Reduction Act in which the Biden administration invested in domestic energy production. 

The debate moved to a question on abortion rules, asking panelists if reproductive rights should be decided by individual states as opposed to a nationwide policy. Laffey said he thinks Republicans need to do a “better job” with the topic of abortion to “regain the trust” of voters.

“What do I think is the federal government’s role in abortion? I, along with Donald Trump, think that number should be zero. No role,” Laffey said.

Wright said he agrees abortion policies should be decided by states, because the text of the Constitution indicates “no right to abortion whatsoever.” He said Republicans’ stance on abortion is not an “anti-women sexist view” but the view that “all human life” is valuable.

Stoddard said the stance offered by GW Republicans was “not the view” and “not the actions” of Republicans nationally. She said abortion is a bipartisan issue, citing strong Republican-leaning states that recently voted to codify reproductive rights, like Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio.

“All of a sudden, I hear that this ‘well, we’ll just go back to the states. It was in the states,” Stoddard said. “It was an active decision to reverse Roe v. Wade and take abortion away.”

Moving to the topic of the first amendment and the government’s role in protecting freedom of speech, Laffey said the first amendment is of vital importance to Republicans in the upcoming election. 

“Conservative students on my own campus don’t feel either safe or comfortable,” Laffey said. 

Wright agreed there is a “stark contrast” between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on the issue, citing bans on social media platforms of hate speech and disinformation as evidence of first amendment violations. 

Stoddard said there is a difference between the federal government’s actions and those of private companies, like social media platforms, when it comes to first amendment issues. Stoddard said​ the Supreme Court agreed with the Biden and Harris administration by limiting the government’s ability to communicate with social media companies about content moderation.

Both Republicans and Democrats maintained that they were in favor of the first amendment and the protection of free speech. 

Both groups then had three minutes to make a closing statement, which each side used to pitch their party’s presidential candidate to the audience.

Wright said voters should decide who they want to vote for by asking themselves if they were better off four years ago than today.

“You’ve got borders wide open. You’ve got illegal aliens swarming American cities. You’ve got little mass murderers and terrorists roaming American communities,” Wright said. “You don’t have to live with this guys. I think the choice is very clear in this election.”

The Associated Press found “no evidence” of a spike in crime perpetrated by migrants in a fact check of the Trump campaign’s talking points. The National Institute of Justice published a report in September that found undocumented immigrants are arrested at “less than half” the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes.

Stoddard said she grew up in a conservative household that “put family values first” and chose leaders with “strong moral clarity.” She said when she looks at the Republican party today, she sees “a shell of a functioning party.”

“When it comes to leading this nation, to respecting our values, our laws, our freedoms, and standing up for every American, not disparaging them, let’s look at Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump,” Stoddard said. “I ask you, who would you rather select? Because for me, I’ll take the prosecutor over the narcissist, felon, habitual-liar con man every single time.”

In past years, the debate has ended with a less serious question for both sides. This year the two groups were asked what their walkout song for the debate would have been.

Laffey said he would have picked “My Way” by Frank Sinatra while Wright said “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood. Stoddard said “YA YA” by Beyonce or “Many Men” by 50 Cent.

“Probably Village People’s ‘YMCA’ or ‘Ave Maria,’” said Hayden, taking one final jab at Republicans, alluding to Trump’s impromptu 39-minute dance party at a rally earlier this month. “In all seriousness, ‘Rose-Colored Boy’ by Paramore. I love Paramore.”