by Alec Williams
Actor Sean Astin made his way to Grand Junction on Thursday Sept. 8 to drum up support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Astin began his visit eating lunch with campaign volunteers and CMU alumni at Pablo’s Pizza in downtown Grand Junction. After a haircut, Astin stepped onto the CMU campus and spoke to a crowd of students that had gathered to hear the Lord of the Rings actor speak.
“I’m in a part of Colorado that sounds like it’s in an old west movie,” Astin said, speaking on the city of Grand Junction. The event was organized by the Hillary Clinton campaign in an effort to encourage college students and citizens alike across the country to register to vote. Astin was in Maine previously this week and moved onto Loveland, Colo. on Friday.
“There is no one in this country that will disagree with you for registering to vote,” Astin said on campus.
“We’re just here to talk about registering to vote and why you should support Hillary Clinton,” Tex Harrington, an event organizer, said to the crowd of students. Astin spoke to the students about his experiences with Hillary Clinton, and why she has his support. Sean Astin has been a supporter and volunteer of the Clintons since 1992, when Bill Clinton was originally running for President.
Astin spent the remainder of his visit on campus taking selfies with students and signing Lord of the Rings memorabilia. Despite the large crowd, the actor made sure each student walked away with an interaction.
“The students were awesome,” Astin said following the campus visit. “When I was talking about politics they were listening in the kind of respectful, open-minded way that you would hope for on a college campus.”
Following his CMU visit, Astin visited the Democratic Party’s Grand Junction office and spoke before party volunteers who were preparing for Saturday’s Club 20 debates. As the evening came to an end, Astin spent his last night in Grand Junction speaking with citizens on Main street during the farmer’s market and encouraging them to register to vote.
