Name: Tim Ryan

Political Party: Democrat

Background:

Ryan has represented Ohio’s 13th congressional district, formerly the 17th district, since 2003. He has worked on revitalizing Downtown Kent as part of the Kent Central Gateway project, decreasing the influence of banks on student loans and increasing Pell Grants for students.

Why should I care?:

Ryan said he wants to further fund economic development; increase funding for research at Kent State, the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and elsewhere; keep the Affordable Care Act in place; and increase Pell grants, which give money to students without them having to pay it back.

Message for Kent State students:

“We want to make sure that [the Affordable Care Act] stays in place for young people going into the workforce,” Ryan said in a statement. “I think continuing to try to work toward making sure student loans are also more affordable [is important], and I’m a supporter of Elizabeth Warren’s plan to basically loan money out at the same rate that the banks get the money.”

Name: Thomas Pekarek

Political Party: Republican

Background:

A candidate in other elections, most recently to represent Ohio’s 11th congressional district in 2010, Pekarek is a 2011 Kent State graduate and works with currency options and stock trading.

Why should I care?:

Pekarek has campaigned on four major issues: currency reform, property acquisition reform, electoral reform and tax reform. A libertarian conservative Republican, Pekarek said he hopes to have an open conversation with citizens about how money is being spent within the district. Students can earn money through property acquisition, producing income through property, he said.

Message for Kent State students:

“If we’re able to do property acquisition reform, a person going to school will actually be able to afford going to school and won’t be so under the student loans that they can’t pay back,” Pekarak said in a statement.

Name: David Allen Pastorius

Political Party: Independent write-in

Background:

With 23 years of combined military experience in the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, Pastorius has traditionally voted conservative and believes politicians should have strong religious values.

Why should I care?:

Pastorius is focused on national security and the national debt. Having done auditing as a chaplain assistant, he said that budgetary decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, as should changes to the Affordable Care Act, with which he sees problems. There should also be a stronger relationships between universities and companies, he said.

Message for Kent State students:

“Try to build up relationships between the university and corporations so when [you] graduate, or actually before [you] graduate, like your senior year, you’re mentoring at that company or in that field so you gain not just the schooling, but you gain the experience in the field.”