Mizzou for Joe, a student group on campus, is reaching out to MU students to try to motivate them to vote for Joe Biden as they head to the polls on Nov. 3.
Dalton Crawford, a sophomore, was initially part of the Mizzou for Warren organization on campus, but turned to Mizzou Democrats for help once she dropped out of the race. When they told him there was not yet a Mizzou for Joe group on campus, he decided to take matters into his own hands and establish it himself, blaming it on “a mixture of quarantine boredom and just wanting to do my part for the election.”
Crawford said that he “very begrudgingly” supported Biden at first, but he now believes in Biden’s mission and that he is the candidate that, once elected, can “move on to the progress we want.”
Mizzou for Joe currently has about 40 members. Over the next week, they will host their first official meeting and post flyers around campus featuring a QR code that students can use to join the group.
“If you have any questions, even if you’re not sure you want to join, I’m free to talk … if you’re just not sure about who you’re voting for yet, or voting at all,” said Crawford.
Mizzou for Joe works in coordination with both the state and national Students for Biden organization. Crawford is also chair of the Students for Biden chapter in Missouri.
On June 30, the Mizzou for Joe Twitter account posted, “Electing Joe Biden isn’t as simple as just advocating for Joe. It’s going to take Democrats getting elected up and down the ballot in MO to secure a victory.” Crawford explains that Missouri is “not that big of a priority for the campaign, so we kind of do whatever we can to help out of state.”
The group uses activities such as phone banks to contribute to Biden’s goal to “restore the soul of the nation.” He has referenced this idea often since the beginning of his campaign, and all across his website, complete with a header that features the slogan.
In a May 17 tweet, the Mizzou for Joe Twitter said, “We beat Donald Trump when we unite behind Joe Biden. Conservatives, Moderates, progressives, or even Democratic Socialists, Joe is working to be the candidate to unite us all and save the soul of the nation.”
Crawford explained that the goal of Mizzou for Joe is to boost Biden’s image among students at MU, and to encourage them to vote in the approaching November election, now less than two months away.
This election season, he hopes that Mizzou for Joe can “push amongst young people that he may not be everything we want, but he’s a good candidate, and he’s who we need right now to beat Donald Trump.”
_Edited by Joy Mazur | jmazur@themaneater.com_
