Penn Democrats hosted 1984 Penn Carey Law graduate Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) at its tabling event on Oct. 11.
Scanlon is Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District’s representative in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2018. At Friday's event, which was held to encourage young voters on campus to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, she reiterated to The Daily Pennsylvanian the importance of young voters and students in this upcoming election.
“[T]here’s more millennial and Gen Z voters, or potential voters, than any other demographic block,” she told the DP. “But they don’t vote in the same proportions as other blocs.”
She mentioned issues such as the “environment, the economy, and gun safety,” which she discussed with students at the event, that can be addressed under a prospective Harris-Walz administration.
Scanlon framed the election as a simple choice based on multiple salient political issues. She pointed to her and Harris' history working together on reproductive freedom, such as when Harris — then a U.S. senator from California — joined the Black Maternal Health Caucus. She then pointed to 1968 Wharton graduate and former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court justice appointments that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“In some ways, this is an easy election, because no matter what you care about there is a very stark choice,” Scanlon said.
She also called Project 2025 "clearly a Trump-aligned project," inviting students to explore the site 25and.me.
”I know we can’t afford another Trump administration, so I’m going to do everything I can to make sure everybody who can vote, gets out to vote,” Scanlon said.
Scanlon began her career as a lawyer specializing in public service law, which she continued working in after graduating from Penn Carey Law. Scanlon cited her law school experiences as influences for her interest in public service and pro bono cases, such as working at the Penn Carey Law Clinic, volunteering for the Support Center for Child Advocates, and representing at People’s Emergency Center.
"We were lucky to have Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon take the time to come to campus and talk to young voters ahead of such an important election," Penn Dems Vice President and College junior Nica Smith wrote in a statement to the DP.
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