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8B Wednesday, November 7 2012 // The Statement
A red champion in a sea of blue
By Zach Bergson
Name: Rachael Jankowski, Chair of College Republicans
Hometown: Shelby Township, Mich.
School and Year: LSA senior
Concentration: Political Science and History
What has College Republicans been doing leading up to
the election?
We've been getting out the vote for Romney. Going door to
i>or in Washtenaw County and making tons of phone calls
- we just made over 10,000 calls. We've been having speak-
ers come to campus who are running in the local and state
races. We had Eric Cantor come in and tailgate with us, and
Ann Romney was in the state recently so we sent some people
there.
How did you get involved in College Republicans? Have
you always been passionate about conservative politics?
I was Republican-leaning all of my life. I guess I was raised
that way, but coming here made me more Republican, shock-
ingly. I think it's because I wanted to figure out my own path
Mnd educate myself on issues, rather than being fed it. I felt
like my professors weren't giving
unbiased positions on things, so
I started researching and looking
things up and goingto conferences
in D.C. Then I got involved in Col-
lege Republicans right away fresh-
man year, but I wasn't too involved
until last year.
Last year I wanted to work with
other groups, so I became the
coalitions chair and that was basi-
-eilly working on outreach with
other like-minded Republican
groups. And then I was elected
chair of College Republicans last
year.
When you wake up Wednesday
morning and you turn on the
TV, who won the election and
why did they win, in your opin-
ion?
Mitt Romney is going to win, Refina
cause Americans realize that
we can't afford four more years of
what we've had. I think when peo-
ple become educated about it and
they realize what the president
has done over the past four years
to help the economic catastrophe
teat he inherited, they're going
to realize that he hasn't really
owned up to it and hasn't turned it
around. I think they'll realize that
the unemployment rate is too high and it's higher now than it
was when he was elected. He hasn't done enough.
Conversely, you wake up Wednesday morning and Presi-
dent Obama won. What does that mean for the Republi-
can party, specifically, College Republicans?
I think it would be a time for Republicans in Congress and
everyone to reevaluate what they've done over the past four
years, and realize that its time to work together to actually solve
the problem, rather than punting the football down the road.
Are you saying the House Republicans should work with
Obama?
Yeah. Not to compromise your beliefs at all, but I think Presi-
dent Obama needs to sit down with the Republicans in Con-
gress and say that we do need to work together to solve this,
because this is bigger than any political party. We need to
work together to solve the debt problem and the employment
problem. We need to pass a budget - that's probably the big-
gest thing - because not having a budget passed is a scary
thing.
I also think its time that we really sit down and focus on what
needs to be changed, and what we can do to change it. It's
going to be a time, I think, of renewal and new beginnings. No
one should compromise their beliefs at all, but there needs to
be more cohesiveness and working together.
It sounds like you guys have really thought about what's
next if he loses. Doyou expecthimto lose?
I don't think we've really thought about it. We think he has a
really good chance of winning. But, you know, in the end it's
about the United States of America, it's not about any political
party or who wins.
This is a very liberal campus. What's your advice to
incoming freshmen who have conservative views?
Believe that there are Republicans on this campus. People
seem to think that they're the only one but they're not. There
are hundreds of College Republicans on this campus and you
just have to come find us. We are here and we can be their
outlet in what can sometimes be a hostile environment for
Republicans.