A roar erupted from the Live Oak Lounge of the Student Union as The Next Step Ticket was declared the winner of the Student Government election on Wednesday afternoon.
The Next Step ticket won with 55.9 percent and 2,881 votes, while Experience LSU received 44.1 percent and 2,270 votes. The overall number of votes, including the presidential vote, increased from last year by 626 votes with 5,284  — compared to 4,658 in 2013.
For senate and college council seats, 78.8 percent were Next Step candidates with 52 seats, while 21.2 percent were from Experience LSU with 14 seats.
SG President-elect Clay Tufts and Vice President-elect Taylor Lambert embraced with smiles on their faces as their party members gathered for a group hug.
Tufts said he plans on immediately getting to work on his initiatives because they will take time to implement. He also said he wants to reach out to students who want to share ideas for the next semester.
Experience LSU presidential candidate Christian Coleman maintained a smile as members of his ticket burst into tears around him upon the announcement of Tufts’ win.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow. No one had as great a team as we did,” Coleman said. “There is no one I’d rather have in my family.”
Coleman also said he wishes Lambert and Tufts the best of luck for next semester.
Current SG Vice President Taylor Parks said she is happy this year’s election ran smoothly.
“The candidates were successful and kept students at the heart of their campaign,” Parks said.
Biological engineering junior Joe Zerkus is part of The Next Step Ticket and won his seat as engineering senator. Zerkus said he is not surprised with the results.
“We had a stronger presence Monday on election day out campaigning,” Zerkus said.