Discouraged by Federal Politics, Harvard Students Mobilize in Local Elections

Harvard students discouraged about national politics are finding hope at the local level, throwing themselves into Cambridge politics during the most competitive municipal elections in a generation.

Nearly 40 candidates are running to help lead Cambridge, with 18 people running for six School Committee seats and 20 for nine City Council seats. As they gear up for the Nov. 4 election day, many Harvard-affiliated candidates are looking to Harvard students as a source of manpower.

Stanislav Rivkin and Lilly Havstad are two such candidates. Rivkin — a City Council challenger — is the Associate Director of Admissions at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Havstad — a School Committee challenger — is a visiting scholar at the Center for African Studies.

Stephen Early, an architectural student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design who works on graphic design and social media for Rivkin’s campaign, said he decided to get involved after feeling “existential anxiety” about federal politics.



https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/22/harvard-affiliates-join-cambridge-elections/