I direct you to read more because this story is not as simple as it seems.
WaPo Story Link
WaPo Story Link
WaPo said:Bobby Brooks, a junior at Texas A&M, made history this month when he was elected as the universitys first openly gay student body president.
Nearly two decades prior, Rick Perry, also an A&M alumnus, made his own bit of university history when he became the first Aggie to serve as governor of Texas.
But for their shared school pride, these men and their accomplishments had nothing to do with each other.
That changed Wednesday, when Perry, the countrys current energy secretary, chose to plunge into campus politics, claiming publicly that Brooks stole the election from another student.
That student, Robert McIntosh, is the son of a prominent Republican fundraiser in Dallas who campaigned for Donald Trump during his presidential election.
WaPo said:When I first read that our student body had elected an openly gay man, Bobby Brooks, for president of the student body, I viewed it as a testament to the Aggie character, Perry wrote. I was proud of our students because the election appeared to demonstrate a commitment to treating every student equally, judging on character rather than on personal characteristics.
Unfortunately, Perry added, a closer review appears to prove the opposite; and the Aggie administration and SGA owe us answers.
McIntosh clinched the popular vote by 750 votes, but was disqualified by the student election commissioner after accusations of voter intimidation surfaced, reported the Battalion.
A&Ms judicial court the universitys version of a student supreme court overturned McIntoshs disqualification, ruling there wasnt sufficient evidence to prove he intimidated voters. But another charge, that he failed to disclose financial information for glow sticks briefly featured in a campaign video, was unanimously upheld, so his disqualified status did not change.
Brooks, who came in second place in the election, was named the victor.
WaPo said:Perry said every Aggie ought to ask themselves if they would allow a black, gay or nonwhite male to be disqualified from an election on the same grounds as McIntosh.
[TA&M Senior Communications Vice President] Smith offered a sharp rebuke to that claim, too: To suggest that the same decision of disqualification would not have been made if the roles were reversed is to deny the Texas A&M of today where accountability applies to all, she told the Battalion.