Attorney General Steve Marshall visits College Republicans

Kimberly CrumEmma Daniel Troy University College Republicans invited Attorney General Steve Marshall to share with students his wish to help protect and serve people and what inspired him. Marshall, who was appointed attorney general by former Gov. Robert Bentley, is running in the Nov. 6 election against Democratic nominee Joseph Siegelman. Marshall spoke Sept. 26 in Patterson Hall at a College Republicans meeting. He told students about his efforts to fight crime and promote conservative ideals by using the attorney general position to extend a helping hand to those who need justice the most. Most of his ideals come from his face-to-face experiences with the people of Alabama who are in need, especially after seeing a young child die due to neglect. “Being elected to serve the people, I was able to get justice for the boy,” Marshall said. Alabama is the “top fifth state with the most homicides,” Marshall said, and this statistic encourages him to help put a stop to as many crimes as possible by stepping in on bad situations. While attorneys general are mainly tasked with handling crime, Marshall said he is trying to expand his reach to help make an impact on other issues. Marshall said he was a big part of changing legislation to consider the death of a pregnant woman as two deaths instead of one, helping champion the pro-life movement in Alabama law. While the attorney general works on spreading his message, he said students can also get involved to help support politicians with whom they agree. “I think getting involved with campaigning and getting engaged with the community would be great,” Marshall said. “We need people like you to keep the state going. “You help improve education … To have people come to Alabama and get high-paying jobs, we have to have caring young people.” Carter Haggard, a freshman business major from Montgomery, said he liked and agreed with Marshall. “I came because I want to be more active in my community and learn about current events,” Haggard said. Hosting Marshall was a “privilege and an honor,” according to College Republicans chairman Ashlan Kelley, a sophomore social sciences major from Andalusia. “College Republicans strives to preserve our conservative values, and we have an awesome opportunity to do that with the upcoming elections in November,” Kelley said. “We want to educate our members on our candidates and get them involved in campaigns across the state.” Marshall’s visit went well because College Republicans “agree with him and actively support his ideas,” according to Kelley. “He has done so much for this state, and we look forward to another victory in November,” Kelley said.