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BOSTON – A new New York Times-Siena College poll shows Donald Trump and Kamala Harris polling neck and neck for the presidency, a change following a Harris surge when she first became the nominee.
In particular, the poll shows lukewarm support for Harris among the youngest voters, those 18 to 29. “If you look over the last few election cycles, young voters have been a key voting block for Democratic candidates,” explained St. Anselm College political science professor Chris Galdieri. “Not just Joe Biden in 2020, but for Democratic candidates in the 2018 and 2022 midterms. So, I think the challenge for the Harris campaign is, can you continue that enthusiasm? Can you reach those voters and get them to do what they’ve done in the last few cycles?”
Ahead of the first Harris-Trump debate, WBZ spoke with college students in Boston about their plans this November.
The large majority told WBZ they plan to vote for Kamala Harris, with one student saying he planned to vote for Donald Trump and a handful of others who were undecided.
And yet – there was a spectrum of enthusiasm among the young voters. “I feel pretty excited I would say,” Northeastern freshman Lucy Richardson said. “I feel like I think we need a female president.”
“I am just super excited to have a female president,” second year student Jordan Hedges agreed. “It’s time… I’m ready.”
However, many other students felt lukewarm about casting their ballot on November 5.
“I will say I like that I’m voting for Harris more than Biden now but I’m just not excited about our options. I’m not feeling great about it,” said second year Northeastern student Sophie. “It feels like a choice I get the better of two evils.”
When asked why, she elaborated that she’s disappointed in Kamala Harris’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. “It’s getting better but at the same time…I’m pro-Palestine and it’s not looking great right now,” Sophie said.
This statement was echoed by several other students, who voiced it as a reason they were reluctantly voting for Harris. “I’m just very anti-Trump which is the main reason I’m voting for her,” said graduate student Lauren Robles. “The whole genocide thing is definitely a kicker, but there’s not a lot of really great options,” she added.
“I feel like my generation is becoming more and more bold and saying like, ‘we don’t want to settle for things,’” explained political science student Geneva Palmer. When asked if “not settling” meant not voting, she said some students felt that way – though she plans to vote. “Politics is always going to be about compromising, unfortunately it’s kind of hard to see a future if we aren’t willing to make some concessions,” she explained.
“I think a lot of students feel like they are not happy with either candidate which I can agree with, but I think like also, we still have our duty to vote,” said second year Northeastern student Jacob Wojtowicz. The business and finance major plans to vote for Donald Trump for economic reasons. “I think there’s ups and downs, but when it comes to where our economy is going… I’d say, I lean more financially conservative.”
WBZ also asked the students if they plan to watch the first debate between Trump and Harris as it airs live on television Tuesday night. Most said they would not watch live, instead looking for “the highlights” on social media.
The New York Times poll also revealed that social media is the number one single source for political news among voters with 19% using social media, trailed by network television and Fox News at 12% and 11% respectively.
The candidates and their campaigns have taken notice, becoming active on platforms like TikTok. The Harris campaign also began livestreaming their events in vertical video form to be more compatible for a cellphone audience.
“I think, for a lot of younger folks, the main impact is not going to be from the debate itself, but from the aftermath of the debate,” Professor Galdieri told WBZ. “I think if the campaigns are smart, they will be working to get their spin of the debate – their best clips, their best moments from the debate on places like TikTok and Instagram and other places where you can find young voters.”
The debate starts at 9 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday, September 10.
This time, the people marched in resistance to the harsh treatment of immigrants by the Trump administration.
“We descend from Immigrants and Revolutionaries,” read a battle cry beamed onto the side of the brick meeting house Tuesday.
“The society that stops seeing the people at the grocery line or the people that ride the bus with us, as human beings with beating hearts, then it’s not far off before our society devolves into no society at all,” Gilberto Calderin, director of advocacy at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition said to the crowd of hundreds.
The protest was organized by activist groups Boston Indivisible and Mass 50501, and began at the Irish Famine Memorial Plaza, just steps from the meeting house.
The lively crowd held up signs, waved American flags, and chanted during the march along Milk Street and Congress Street to the harbor.
Janet England of Brighton held a sign that read, “Democracy Needs Courage.”
The protesters, she said are “true patriots because we want freedom and democracy.”
“Although protest is a long game, we can’t give up. If you think about women’s suffrage, gay rights, the civil rights movement, it took years, but we just can’t give up,” she said.
Gloria Krusemeyer, from Alrington, used a walker to join the march.
“I’m irritated that I haven’t done more, and I’m just lucky that I can walk fast enough to be doing this,” she said.
Rick Mueller, from Cambridge, was dressed as Uncle Sam and held a large sign that read, “Liberty and Justice For All.”
“We’re fighting for America, so I’m gonna be America,” he said of his costume.
He handed small American flags out to protesters who waved them enthusiastically.
Ice dumping duties was limited to volunteers and select people.
Among them was Sarah, a mother who brought her 4-year-old daughter, Fiona.
Sarah declined to share her last name for her daughter’s safety.
After throwing ice into the harbor, Fiona shyly said that she wanted to come to the protest to “help families stay together.”
Through tears, Sarah said her decision to bring along Fiona came from wanting to teach her daughter to care about people from all walks of life.
“Kindness and compassion are things we learn in kindergarten and she will be in kindergarten so it’s really important for her to be kind and compassionate,” Sarah said, kissing her daughter’s check.
Likewise, Sara Sievers, from Cambridge, brought her parents, sister, her nephews and niece to dump ice.
“I think this is one of the most brutal regimes we’ve had in this country, and I want my niece and nephew to remember that it’s important to protest, and that we in Boston are part of a proud tradition of dumping things into the harbor with which we disagree,” Sievers said.
The family wore costumes of historical figures including Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and King Charles.
As the protest came to a close, Martha Laposata, spokesperson for Boston Indivisible said she wanted protestors to walk away knowing their voices matter.
“We cannot stand down,” Laposata said. “When people rise up against an authoritarian government, if they stay consistent and they keep growing, ultimately an authoritarian government will stand down.”
Camille Bugayong can be reached at camille.bugayong@globe.com.
Crime
An MIT professor was shot and killed in Brookline on Monday night.
Brookline police responded a report of a man shot in his home on Gibbs Street, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning, the DA says.
Loureiro was the director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center and a professor of nuclear science and engineering and physics. Originally from Portugal, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs announced his death in a regulatory hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities on Tuesday, according to CNN.
“Sadly, I can confirm that Professor Nuno Loureiro, who died early this morning, was a current MIT faculty member in the departments of Nuclear Science & Engineering and Physics, as well as the Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving,” an MIT spokesperson wrote in a statement.
In January, Loureiro was honored as one of nearly 400 scientists and engineers with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from former president Joe Biden.
The investigation into the homicide remains ongoing. No further information was released.
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A man was hospitalized after being shot Monday night in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The shooting happened on Gibbs Street. There was a large police presence at the scene.
The victim was brought to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. His condition was not known.
Police said the victim was shot three times and grazed by another round.
Authorities did not say if any arrests had been made.
No further information was immediately available.
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