Adam Swart, an independent candidate, dropped out of the undergraduate student elections Monday and now endorses presidential candidate Emily Resnick and the Bruins United slate.
Swart, a second-year political science student, said he realized that his platforms were largely in line with those of Bruins United.
“I dropped out because I want her to win,” he said, referring to Resnick’s run for presidency.
Swart said he entered the election intending to win and denied rumors that there had been back-door dealings that caused his withdrawal.
Swart is now campaigning for Resnick. He said he realized that running in the election meant splitting the vote between himself and Resnick and did not want that to happen. However, Swart’s name can no longer be removed from the ballot and students can still technically vote for him, which may create confusion.
After the debates, Swart was worried student groups had already decided who to endorse, said Gustavo Gevera, Swart’s campaign manager and a fourth-year political science student.
Gevara said Swart told him he was thinking of dropping out on Sunday night and confirmed the decision Monday morning.
Gevara added that Swart dropped out of the election because he felt like there was a lack of student support.
“The slate system may be a necessary evil to accomplish goals,” Swart said. “I definitely wish we were in a position where we didn’t need the slate system … (but) slates obviously have their benefits.”
Jonathan Bash, a close friend and second-year political science student, said he thought Swart was unhappy with the slate system.
“I thought his main goal was to upset the slate system and his platforms were secondary to back that up, so I was a bit surprised that he was changing his platform this late in the game,” said Bash, who is also president of Bruin Democrats.
Bash said he endorsed Students First! candidate Matt Spring for president, but added that he would certainly consider Swart in the future. Bruin Democrats also endorsed Spring, based on his strong platforms and experience as a Undergraduate Students Assocation Council general representative.
Daniel Yadegari, the other independent candidate, also said he was surprised that Swart decided to drop out of the race. While Yadegari acknowledged that being an independent candidate meant he didn’t have access to slate funds or manpower, he said he intended to see this race through.
Swart previously said his independent status was an asset to his candidacy, as that made him accountable to the entire student population rather than slate constituencies.
However, Swart met with Resnick, a general representative in the USAC, and decided that he could work with Bruins United to broaden their constituency.
“I always thought of him as the guy who was running against the slates,” Bash said. “(He) suddenly joined the slate and there’s a disconnect between those messages.”
Bruins United’s core constituency is fraternities, sororities and the Jewish community, Swart said, but he added that he could help broaden its scope and show that it cares about the entire student population.
Resnick said she is excited to work with Swart in the future. She added that, if elected, she wants to have him involved in student government.
Spring said he believes he and Swart also shared similar ideological beliefs ““ especially when it came to student affordability. However, Swart said he felt Spring was unresponsive to his invitation to discuss their visions for the future council.
With reports from Suzy Strutner and Kelly Zhou, Bruin senior staff.