Maxwell Fielder — “Relax, It’s Max.”
Running for the Republican Party in Geib’s period one class is Maxwell Fielder.
“Our policies are decreasing the taxes for small businesses and also … increasing tariffs with Chinese companies,” he stated. “These policies are important because the American people have been very hurt by the economy we’ve had, and the steps that we’ll take will decrease inflation in the economy.”
Fielder went on to explain that his rival, while traditionally expected to be the Democratic Party represented by Sophia Salles ‘25, turns out to be Jesse Bento ‘25, running for the Green Party. “[He’s] been running a super strong campaign,” Fielder said.
A candidate running for change, Fielder claims he is running for president because he believes America is a constantly changing country that needs leaders who move quickly with it.
Jesse Bento — “Vote Green Party. We are the fresh, green, new alternative.”
Running for the Green Party, Jesse Bento is on a mission to be the third party that changes the country — and possibly the world — on an environmental level.
“The last 164 years, we’ve had one of two parties: Republicans or Democrats. And it’s gotten to the point where that doesn’t represent anyone anymore. They’ve become giant parties that have no real, direct policies, and we’re here to change that. We’re here to offer more of a left-wing alternative to the centrist Democrats and the Republicans,” Bento explained.
He believes that his policies are particularly important to enforce due to the current state of the world. “We have about four years before all the major environmental issues take over and we are no longer able to reverse them,” he said, “So if we are able to put in policies as soon as possible to start reversing those issues, we still have a shot to save what we have right now.”
Bento goes more in-depth about how, as the third and therefore less-popular party, they have been doing a lot of canvassing because they “have to shout a bit louder” in order to be heard. Working with various climate activists and experts, they are able to get their message out.
Sophia Salles — “Stick With Sophia 2024”
The Democratic candidate, Sophia Salles, advocates for government intervention when it comes to college and housing prices, as well as social reform. Salles has been using various forms of social media as promotion, namely websites housing short videos.
Salles revealed their motivations for running for president. “I wanted to put myself out there, try something new,” they stated, “I’m definitely not used to being so scrutinized, and so many people paying attention to me on this level … I just thought it would be good for me to exercise my confidence and my abilities.”
As for policy, Salles stated, “I think it’s important because there’s a lot of struggle right now between how much the government should interfere and what’s good and what’s bad, and I’m just trying to portray the qualities as maybe how I would do it if I was actually running, but of course, it’s more complicated than that.”
When it came to the topic of the rivalry between parties, Salles didn’t hesitate when expressing their thoughts: “My rival for my class is Max Fielder, and also Jesse Bento because he’s in my class, but the Green Party doesn’t really matter as much, so it’s the Republican candidate.”
Chance Leandro — “A Chance for change” and “America’s last Chance”
Running for the Republican Party in Geib’s fourth-period class is Chance Leandro.
“The main purpose of our campaign is to really be there for the middle class and support [it],” he explained, “Some of our policy goals [are] to crack down on inflation in the economy, as well as a stronger stance in foreign diplomacy, and then making sure that American businesses are prioritized over overseas businesses.”
Leandro then explained that these concerns are important to society, acknowledging that, “these issues of politics are always going to be there. So it’s important that we understand the nuances between sides and that both sides have valid points.” He then explained how “the middle class is something that both parties tend to neglect,” so as a candidate for the Republican Party, he would like to make people aware of their situation.
He then explained his stance with the other candidates saying, “They’re both great people and have run good campaigns, but I don’t think either one of them have taken it as seriously, and haven’t performed well in the debates or with policy actions.”
Huzaifah Rangwala — “Make America Green Again”
Huzaifah Rangwala is running for the Green Party in Geib’s fourth period classroom.
Rangwala focuses on “being more environmentally friendly” and making the world we live in safer in terms of preserving ecosystems. He expressed his concern with the condition of the world and how “trees are being cut down at a frightening [rate], and we need to stop to live a sustainable life [in order for] generations ahead to live too.”
He feels that many are unaware of these topics, so it’s important to educate people in order to motivate them to act for change.
Rangwala closed by stating that, “it’s a tough fight [because] they’re both good candidates and have their chances,” but he has hope in his party and will keep fighting.
Beatrice Barnes — “Don’t miss, vote Beatrice”
As the candidate running for the Democratic Party in period four, Beatrice Barnes wants to bring major issues such as “climate change, abortion, economic situations, support of the middle class and gun control” to citizens’ attention.
“As democrats, [the issues] are really important to our party because we are the party for the middle class, so we are trying to enact policies that inspire greater equity within the United States and allow the majority of our citizens to be able to thrive,” Barnes said.
As a candidate, Barnes promotes her party through presidential debates, press conferences, countless social media accounts, a website, posters and memes. She hopes to take down her top rival, Leandro of the Republican Party.
She expressed how important running for president is because she, “cares about the people and about making a difference in this country.”
Dylan McBride — “Take pride with McBride in 2024”
Dylan McBride ‘25, the Republican Party candidate running for Geib’s period five class, believes in expanding America’s middle class.
“Over the years, the middle class and most of lower-class America has been buried by a lot of taxes that they can’t get out from under,” he elaborated. “I’m trying to help them because it’s [the] middle classes who [help] the economy.”
McBride then explained his beliefs as to why his policies are important: more money needs to reach the pockets of the middle class for them to help the less fortunate. Due to the rapidly shrinking middle class, McBride intends to take action for the economy which is, as a result, declining with it.
“The Green Party has a very large social media presence that makes them a bit threatening,” McBride says when speaking about his biggest opponent, Sam Arenberg ‘25.
Sam Arenberg — “Make America Green Again”
As the candidate running for the Green Party, Arenberg has many social policies including progressivism, environmentalism, anti-war and “pretty much everything the hippies believe.”
“The world is messed up, and humans are messed up, and we need to control them, but not to the extent that, you know, we are hurting them in the process,” Arenberg argued, “[We are promoting this] by taking control of big businesses, by implementing environmental policies, implementing larger tax code [and] emphasizing diplomacy and foreign policy.”
Arenberg reveals that his top rival is “Mr. Geib himself,” and says that he believes that he is fit for the position of president since he is well-versed in politics.
Lila Rosenthal — “Vote for Rose”
The democratic candidate for period five is Lila Rosenthal.
“My main policies are trying to bring equity into the environment and try to have less separations between super high-class versus middle to lower-class, tax-wise. I also want to provide more jobs for other people by creating more infrastructure, and trying to create more affordable housing to, again, open up more jobs,” she says.
“I also advocate for women’s rights, ‘my body my choice,’ and … helping border control,” she continued to explain, “Yes, we need to crack down on it, but also [throwing] on background checks to allow other people into America … [it] should be available to everybody who wants to experience how it was built — [on] freedom, liberty, [and] all of it together.”
Rosenthal further explicates her beliefs on the importance of women’s rights, as well as accessibility to jobs and living for people.
“I have a TikTok, an Instagram, and a YouTube — oh, and [a few] propaganda posters.” Rosenthal states, “I think that me and Dylan can both agree that the Green party is our top rival.”
Rosenthal enjoys working with her team on new ideas for how the country can be improved. She also reveals that she ran partly for herself, to improve her speech and genuinely loves the experience that the election brings.
“Vote for Rose,” her official slogan, has a backstory to it. “My last name is Rosenthal, and the reason why we chose that slogan is [because it is] the [symbol for] … gratitude and kindness, specifically the pink rose.”
