WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes University president Dr. Greg Cant on Friday said the 2024 presidential election has special meaning for him and wife, Angela — it’s the first U.S. election that they will vote in since the Australian natives became U.S. citizens.
Cant talked about the election in Weckesser Hall on the Wilkes University campus as he waited for Vice President Kamala Harris to arrive for a campaign rally in the McHale Athletic Center in the Simms Center on South Main Street.
Harris was greeted by more than 4,100 supporters, many Wilkes students, who turned out to see the Democratic presidential candidate fresh off her debate with Republican challenger, former president Donald Trump, Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Another large group watched Harris’ rally on closed circuit TV in a nearby area.
“We are always glad to open our doors to different voices,” Cant said. “It’s our principle to take advantage of all opportunities to present all sides for our students to hear. Today, our students will have the opportunity to get intimately close to see and hear a candidate who could be our next president.”
Cant said U.S. presidential campaigns are always a long process, so it’s important that they are given the opportunity to hear all sides.
Cant said students and all voters should do all they can to get fair and unbiased opinions and facts.
“Too often, too many hear only one voice,” Cant said. “And don’t forget, many of our students will be voting this year for the first time.”
Cant noted that Luzerne County was once “reliably blue,” but in 2024, the Republican Party has drawn even in registered voters.
“And we know that Pennsylvania could hold the key to who will become our next president,” Cant said.
Cant said students are taking a stronger look at the candidates and the issues. And young voters like the idea of electing the country’s first female president. He said first-time voters or not, they are concerned about their future and they are taking voting very seriously.
“They realize their future is at stake,” Cant said. “They have strong views on both sides of the political spectrum. They want to be involved in the process. They want to hear from Vice President Harris directly, and they have that opportunity today.”
Dr. Cant said he was looking forward to welcoming the Vice President to the Wilkes campus, and he was anxious to hear her speak — and he will also be pleased to see the reactions from Wilkes’ students.