BY HANNAH BROADBENT | The Statesman “Do you guys like Freedom?” was the opening statement of the Rand Paul rally, asked by Steve Aro, the president of Students for Rand at UMD.
This chapter of Students for Rand is one of 400 across the country and is responsible for bringing the Kentucky Senator to the Kirby Rafters.
“When I first heard it was official (that Rand was coming) I told the members and they couldn’t believe it,” Aro said.
Aro applied to start the group in September. Now they have approximately 50 student members, who were loud and proud at the rally Monday afternoon.
“It’s cool to get people there and have them hear his message,” Aro said. “A lot of people haven’t heard what his platform is.”
During Paul’s half hour’s speech, he left no doubts in the audience’s mind of where he stands politically. Paul covered issues ranging from free education to radical Islam. He spent more time talking about business taxes, balancing the budget and Hillary Clinton.
Paul was cool and professional, there for the purpose of informing the Duluth community of his ideas. The crowd however, was unstoppable.
The Students for Rand held signs reading, “Defeat the Washington Machine” and “Unleash the American Dream.” These were accompanied slow claps and “Paul for President” chants by the audience.
Many students attended the rally. Some students showed obvious support for Paul and others were there for the experience.
“It’s really interesting,” Ryan Sherden, a Biology major at UMD, said. “I’m not a Poli-Sci major but it’s good to be exposed to knowledge on the topic.”
Paul ended his time at UMD by taking pictures with each student that signed up before the event.
“I want to be a part of a Republican Party that supports justice,” Paul said.
For those who wish to have more exposure to all Republican candidates, Students for Rand are holding a debate party in the Underground Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.