BERKELEY, CA — In a sad but familiar story that seems to repeat itself with someone new every election season, Brandon Reddy, one of many Student Action candidates for ASUC Senate, has no idea that his party is actively setting him up to fail.
Reddy, a second-year student who has no prior ASUC experience, has reportedly told his friends how excited he is to be campaigning alongside fellow candidate Angela Raina, a third-year and longtime Student Action member.
“I want to be excited for him,” said Victoria Corado, Reddy’s close friend, “I really do. But every time he talks about how many ASUC offices Angela’s worked in, and how well-connected she is, and how they’re both gonna get so much done to help this school after they’re elected, I just…it takes everything I have not to break the poor guy’s heart.”
Corado and other sources close to Reddy have noted his total inability to see the warning signs that Student Action isn’t prioritizing his candidacy. In particular, they noted that the official overview of the various candidates’ platforms, as published in the Daily Californian, describes Raina’s endorsement from the South Asian community and platform focused on advocating for refugee students, then notes Reddy’s shared views without elaborating further on him as a candidate.
Cortado also highlighted a campaign group photo of the party’s Senate slate, where Raina is positioned front and center, while Reddy stands in the back row and is partly obscured by a tree.
“And they told him it was because he’s tall!” said Corado. “And he actually fell for it, even though [Angela’s] taller than him in those heels!”
In a press release, Student Action denied intentionally obscuring Reddy in the photo, calling his placement “an unfortunate accident,” reaffirming “[their] complete support for [their] entire ASUC slate,” and including links to the official Facebook campaign pages of all Student Action candidates. However, for reasons unknown as of press time, the link intended for Reddy’s page led to Angela’s instead.