In an interview with The State News, MSU College Republicans Secretary and TPUSA President Ty Bommarito described the current state of MSU’s Political RSOs as a 'rising tide,' noting that the successes of political groups will have an all-around impact on Political RSOs. 

However, when these two groups hosted a debate, it became campus news of being relatively unproductive.

MSU College Democrats Secretary Xavier Gibbons was in attendance and stated, "it was not helpful, not productive." Gibbons also described his reluctance to engage in discourse with organizations he believes to 'not see marginalized groups as human.'

On the contrary, Bommarito found the debate to be a success and looks forward to another debate in the coming semester. "We would love to make it much bigger than it was last time. We’d love to get more different clubs involved," Bommarito said. 

Bommarito attributed the debate's lack of productivity to perceived hostility, misunderstandings and the Democrats’ possible reluctance to risk being "embarrassed by a polished debater." He also highlighted a broader communication gap he hopes to address moving forward.

Differing Campus Missions

Bommarito and Gibbons' differing responses to the debate's outcome reflect the distinct missions and goals each organization pursues in campus politics.

MSU College Republicans hopes to increase conservative student engagement in policy and project conservative voices. Other right-wing organizations like TPUSA aim to "show that it's okay to be conservative on these campuses" and "win the hearts and minds of everyone," according to Bommarito.

On the other hand, MSU College Democrats prioritizes involvement on the community level and the local government, as well as building a closer connection with students in terms of discussing and advocating for policies, Gibbons said. Simultaneously, they look to uplift marginalized voices and advocate for the green new deal and divestment from Israeli bonds.

"It is our responsibility to create action and to demand change or to protect [marginalized students] on their behalf," Gibbons said. 

Gibbons said the group prioritizes initiatives such as the Green New Deal, divestment, and advocating for a higher student minimum wage as part of its broader mission to benefit students.

Bridging the Divide

According to Gibbons, the relationship between the Republican and Democrat groups has been "up and down." Bommarito, meanwhile, shared a more hopeful and optimistic outlook on the relationship.

"I'd like to see that relationship improve in the future. And I think there's a very good chance it does. I think that the annual debate between the clubs, I think it's an excellent way to help build relations," Bommarito said. 

Despite some reluctance to collaborate, overall a cordial relationship remains. Bommarito described an instance where he connected with a member of the College Democrats after their debate last year over a cigar. "There's definitely more than enough people who are willing to put [politics] aside and just like 'hey, we all ultimately just want what's best for people,'" Bommarito said. "Going into politics means you're trying to improve your country."

When it comes to same-side group relations, both sides acknowledge that they've faced challenges in the past but agree that those issues have now been resolved.

For right-wing organizations, Bommarito explained that each group was able to cement their objectives, put aside their differences and come together as one. Now, each group is part of one large friend group and they all consider each other 'brothers and sisters.' Kirk’s assassination also played a large role in the unification of these groups, and they consider themselves a collective part of 'Charlie Kirk’s Legacy.'

MSU Democrats also faced difficulties in their relationship with organizations like Sunrise and the Hurriya Coalition due to a past lack of "speaking out" on issues those groups prioritize. This year, Gibbons said the College Democrats’ Executive Board has been attending those groups’ events and more actively engaging with them.

"What’s most important is that we show up for them," Gibbons said. 

Political Atmosphere

Although recent statistics in the FIRE rankings show that MSU placed in the bottom 50 for 'disruptive conduct,' which signifies considerable acceptance of tactics that shut down speakers, students have noted a more civil atmosphere when it comes to political conversations. 

MSU Democrats general member Henry Busse said that he’s had positive experiences at MSU while having political conversations. "When you get here, you definitely see there’s a lot more challenging ideas," Busse said. "In my political classes, there’s people from all over the spectrum and you can have respectful conversations with almost any of them right now."

However, in the academic setting, Bommarito said the TPUSA Advisor is working privately with the University on cases of students being graded unfairly due to their political beliefs. He also mentioned the existence of a 'spreadsheet' that outlines all of the cases that TPUSA has worked on but have remained private for the privacy of the students and for the smooth operation of the cases. 

Regardless of being influential on the national level, both groups noted that their work is far from done and said there will be more advocacy and tabling occurring to further increase student engagement. 

"Yes, we are the largest [College Democrats chapter] in the nation, but we are also MSU college students, and a lot of what I push for is perhaps surrounding that," Gibbons said.