Penn Democrats hosted an event with Pennsylvania attorney general candidate Eugene DePasquale and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) at the Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics on Oct. 10.
During the talk — which was co-sponsored by the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study Of Democracy and the Government and Politics Association — DePasquale and Khanna spoke about civic engagement ahead of the upcoming election and answered questions from roughly 50 attendees. The audience was primarily Penn and Drexel University students, as well as community members from the surrounding Philadelphia area.
DePasquale discussed his campaign for Pennsylvania attorney general and experiences from his past that informed his policy positions. He spoke about his identity as the child of a convicted felon and his intention to end the war on drugs. DePasquale also highlighted his personal experience with the importance of accessing reproductive healthcare, citing his wife who had an ectopic pregnancy.
In the question and answer section, DePasquale spoke about bipartisanship and the current state of political polarization and stressed the importance of being involved politically.
“Everyone should exercise [their] right to vote on election day or vote by mail. Everyone has the same amount of power, one vote,” DePasquale said.
Khanna attended the talk as part of a tour he is taking of higher education institutions across the country. He spoke about the accessibility of economic opportunities, as well as the importance of improving the affordability of healthcare and housing.
Penn Dems President and College junior Ellie Goluboff-Schragger said that the event provided students with an opportunity to learn about DePasquale and Khanna’s careers and experiences in politics. She also highlighted that the politicians facilitated “really good conversations about policy.”
Penn Dems Vice President and College junior Veronica Smith emphasized that the student organization hoped to “foster student engagement in politics, whether that be through Penn Dems or not.”
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