Sitting in the dim lights of a taco restaurant on Philadelphia’s mainline, Noah Kaufman (BMC ’29) and Isabelle Gershaun (BMC ’29) discussed the upcoming midterm election with trepidation.
“I feel like there’s not a lot of hope,” Kaufman said. “I’m nervous. I’m trying to be cautious. I feel like there could be change, but I’m very scared.”
On Feb. 26, the Democratic Committee of Lower Merion and Narberth held a petition party at the local Bryn Mawr restaurant Xolo Tacos. Over forty Lower Merion residents were in attendance, including dozens of Bryn Mawr and Haverford students. Two local politicians were also present at the event: U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon and State Representative Tim Briggs. Both have announced their reelection campaign ahead of November’s elections.
Nearly two years into President Donald Trump’s second presidential term, the global world order has undergone substantial change, with the nation facing financial and social uncertainty. Students interviewed by the Bi-Co News discussed their anxiety surrounding U.S. immigration crackdowns, a growing affordability crisis, and the U.S.’s increasingly isolated position in the global world order.
For Megan Simon (BMC ’28), the past two years have solidified a belief in the necessity of local participation in elections.
“I am nervous, as I think everybody is, but I am hopeful that the last two years have helped some people learn some things and helped people clarify their viewpoints,” Simon told the Bi-Co News. “I feel a more direct connection to my representatives because of this presidency. It was the first election I was ever eligible to vote for … I expect more of my representatives now that I am aware they are working for me.”
Mary Gay Scanlon, the representative for Pennsylvania’s 5th district, was first sworn into Congress in 2018, having previously worked as a national pro bono counsel. Earlier this month, Scanlon was one of 185 Democrats who voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security and ending the partial government shutdown.
“What this administration is doing is not normal,” Scanlon told the Bi-Co News. “The president ran on a promise of getting rid of the worst of the worst [and] deporting people with serious criminal or violence issues, and that’s not what’s been happening. They’ve been trying to meet quotas. They’ve been scooping up people who have legal status here, and that’s a violation of due process.”
When asked about students’ possible despair in the face of Trump, Scanlon said that a lot of the sense of hopelessness has been manufactured by the Trump administration.
“It’s designed to divide people. It’s designed to make people feel overwhelmed,” said Scanlon. “What we are seeing, though, is when people do engage, when they do push back, things change.”
Primary voting will be held on May 19, 2026, with May 4 being the last day to register ahead of the elections.
