This table is based on the content found on each of the leading republican candidate’s “Issues” link on his or her campaign website – their published presentation of the issues they have chosen to prioritize to the public.

No doubt each candidate has spoken to the media and to small audiences at local events on these and other issues; however, because candidates and politicians tend frequently to tailor their statements or even to say different things to different groups, I have relied on their published statements with respect to the issues they identify as important to their campaigns, some of these issues being shared with other candidates, some not.

Overall, these candidates mostly provide common position statements that echo general talking points that lack substance – e.g. ‘I favor lower taxes’ or ‘I stand with our veterans’ – and they tend not to provide specific proposals or any plan beyond those statements. When it happens, it is refreshing to see a candidate provide clear support for a specific policy and also their rationale for it.

Having said that, it could be a strategy not to provide policy positions and the reasons for holding them so as potentially to be chosen by voters who are turned off by another candidate’s specificity. On the whole, however, I do prefer transparency and knowing what policy a candidate will vote for and their reasoning. Finally, these candidates are not trying to win your vote, the vote of the college student demographic, for whom the top issues include the environment and climate change, clean, sustainable energy and social justice issues.

Such issues are not isolated, but may form part of a greater worldview among young people looking ahead, finding encouraged by the trends they want to see more of. For example, to take but one sector of the economy, air transport, Delta Airlines just announced a $1 billion investment to offset its environmental impact and move towards becoming a carbon neutral airline: relatedly, BP (British Petroleum) is emphasizing sustainability and has announced a commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. United Airlines touts winning yet again a 100 percent favorability score from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation on its commitment to LGBTQIA+ workplace equality.

I’m confident that none of these corporations will stop pursuing profit, yet they are responding to consumer demands, and at the same time leading other economic actors in important ways that reflect the concerns especially of the college student demographic. None of this is reflected in these candidates’ platforms on ‘Issues’, which can be found starting with BallotPedia.