The University of Alabama College Republicans hosted “Challenge the Chairman” with Alabama GOP chairman John Wahl last Thursday.
“The reason we really wanted John Wahl to come out was because he represents the Republican Party exceptionally well and offers really thoughtful insight and strong defense of conservative values,” said Emma White, president of UACR.
A similar event was held last semester, where students got the chance to converse with him individually.
A variety of different topics were discussed, with students coming up to Wahl to discuss topics of their choice. The main topic being tariffs.
“I think No. 1 was the tariff policy, because that’s hot on everybody’s mind,” Wahl said.
He said he enjoyed the different perspectives of different issues and how they affect people individually. “I think that’s what makes a good debate, when you hear a different perspective than you may have had on that issue, and it helps us all grow,” he said.
Parker Holt, a sophomore majoring in accounting,challenged Wahl on the topic of abortion, saying how Wahl reinforced his perspective.
“He talked about how he’s a butterfly farmer, and technically that’s illegal, how the government doesn’t even allow you to transport butterflies across state lines,” Holt said. “We’re limiting butterflies, but we can’t stop pills that leave women traumatized and kill babies.
Holt said he believes the biggest issue in the country at the moment is abortion, saying even if a politician is fully conservative, he “most likely will not vote for them, if that politician is not pro-life.”
Another topic brought up was the detainment of Alireza Doroudi, a UA doctoral student from Iran studying mechanical engineering who was arrested by ICE officers at his home on March 25.
Daniel Hearne, a junior majoring in political science and history, asked Wahl if the state legislature will do anything to ensure that something like this won’t happen in the future.
“He agreed the detention was wrong, but he didn’t outline a clear plan to remedy the situation or to make sure that Alireza Doroudi is able to stay in the country and finish his degree, given that he’s been here legally,” Hearne said. “So I think that’s worrying for any international students on campus.”
Wahl said he believes it is incredibly important for young voters to know and understand what is going on around them and how important it is for them to be involved in politics.
“I love reaching out to young voters and talking to them about the issues and what’s at stake, as well as talk to them about where the Republican Party stands on issues, why we believe what we believe,” he said. “We need more young leaders. We need people who are concerned about policy, who get more active, who study politics and the proper role of government.”
Wahl also said he believes that most students believe in freedom, regardless of which party they identify with.
“It’s the American Dream, freedom and liberty,” he said. “I think most students that I talk to, whether they’re Republican, Democrat or independent, it’s that they believe in freedom and that they know how to live their life better than the federal government. That’s the fundamental bottom line issue for the Republican Party.”
Holt said the event made him “understand the other side more,” adding he believes the Republican Party’s current mindset is that it’s “still trying to recover from what it sees as the mistakes of the Biden administration.”
Wahl said he wants students to know that “the Republican Party cares about them and we’re fighting for them.”
“We believe that they should be great, and we want to preserve prosperity, liberty and the American dream for young people,” he said.
