Officer of the University of Maine College Republicans (UMCR) Nathaniel Stanley is a fourth-year student majoring in English and minoring in biology. He assumed his position at the start of the Fall 2024 semester. As treasurer of the organization, Stanley forwards club costs to the National College Republicans Federation for reimbursement.
“[My] secondary duties are different things that say, the president can’t get around to. So, in practical terms, it means sending email updates and getting in contact with administration with events being set up,” said Stanley.
The UMCR recruits new members at the annual involvement fair. Students who visit the booth may sign up for the contact list with their email and/or phone number. Stanley specified that it is not a membership list, but a way to receive weekly email updates. Those who no longer wish to receive the updates can request to be removed from the list.
The exact number of members is unclear, as some interested students who may not frequently attend meetings still consider themselves part of the club. UMaine Republicans convene every Tuesday at 5 p.m. in 227 Neville Hall. It is open to all students.
Stanley also explained that there is a range of individual values across the organization, and that the word “Republican” means something different to each person. He also referred to its study as a rediscovery of texts written or studied throughout the last 2,000 years in western european context and outside of it.
“I would describe us as conservatives before I describe us as Republicans. We have, I guess, a respect for tradition, an interest in, so to speak, the ways of the mass of people that came before us,” said Stanley.
Merriam Webster defines conservatism as the “inclination to preserve what is established : belief in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society. Stanley shared a similar sentiment, while also noting that not all conservatives value the same traditions.
“If I were to define it in a nutshell, ‘conservative’ for us means conserving what is worth saving from the past…This goes far beyond politics. It’s a political club, but that’s just the practical side of it, the door knocking side,” said Stanley. “In the sense that we’re conservative, we’re interested in what you might call the traditional ideal of society, if there is one, and which traditional ideal is best.”
While the UMaine Republicans do express support for candidates, they are not involved in policy measures such as bills or executive orders. They make phone calls to voters through the College Republicans system. They also knock on doors in the area to campaign for politicians throughout election seasons.
Stanley expressed his faith in local authority surrounding the polls on election day, and does not have any concerns for Nov. 5.
“There is a great deal of scrutiny right now, but I think most of it is directed away from voting systems like the one in Maine where paper ballots are still largely used. I can’t speak for any other states, but I think that because it’s a different voting system, the risks are different and sometimes more obvious. It’s harder to ‘hack’ a paper-ballot system,” said Stanley.
Stanley believes that there is a positive commonality between the UMaine Republicans and UMaine Democrats, as both organizations support their respective parties and engage with the community.
“I would say that they [UMaine Republicans and UMaine Democrats] are both interested in the future of our state and our country at large,” said Stanley. “Any political club that organizes on the campus has something in common with any other political club, in that it separates itself from the apathy that I think characterizes the campus here.”
To end off, Stanley left a message for first-time voters at UMaine:
“If you’re an out-of-state resident, be careful what you’ve registered for. I’ve known people who are interested in voting here locally, and it’s a close election so I recommend that they do if they’re staying here at the University. But, you need to be careful that you don’t accidentally commit voter fraud by trying to vote in two places at the same time. It’s a very easy mistake to make, especially if you’re getting a ballot from back home.”
