COVO, LUNA 2009: ASG election results name student government executives

Apr 2 2009 - 12:18am | Amanda Venable

Chris Covo and Tommy Luna will sit in the highest offices students can achieve at Texas State as ASG persident and vice president, respectively.

Covo gained 62 percent of the votes cast, 1,909 more than opponent Trenton Thomas, who came in second place.

“I feel like I’m in a dream kind of, but I’m very excited,” Covo said.

Almost 4,730 people voted in this year’s ASG elections, just over 6 percent of the student body. Last year’s election had the highest voter turnout, with approximately 4,770 ballots cast.

Covo was embraced by supporters and campaign rivals alike upon learning he will be the next student body president.  He described the moment before the announcement was made as “the most humbling experience” of his life.

Covo joked the first thing he plans to do is get his grades back in order, then said he would “figure out how much work he has to do, which is a lot.”

Luna, who ran unopposed after opponent Edwin Maldonado dropped out of the race last week, cinched 97 percent of the votes.

“I am ready to start,” Luna said. “The first thing I am going to start working on is senate training. I am working on the training they will have and the objectives we want them to meet. We are elected to the seat, and now it is time to live up to what it means to be a senator.”

Covo’s parents and oldest sister, who came from San Antonio to hear the results, were among his campaign supporters.

“We are so proud,” Angela Covo, Chris Covo’s mother, said smiling. “To be honest, I have been following every minutia of the campaign. I was very impressed with all of the candidates.”

Thomas got 20 percent of the votes, 4 percent more than opponent Brice Loving, who entered the race later than the other candidates.

“I can’t really describe how I’m feeling,” Thomas said. “Of course, I would have loved to have been able to serve the student body in that capacity, but I think Chris is going to do a great job. I think if anyone other than myself was going to get in the office, it should be Chris. I do not see any drawbacks. It was a good campaign, a clean campaign.”

Thomas is not the only one to note sportsmanship. Election Commissioner Austin Shelton said it was the first campaign “in a long time” that has not had any violations.

“I think people actually read the election code this time around,” Shelton said. “I think they all really respected each other.”

Thomas said he hopes to go through the senate selection committee next year and stay active with ASG. He said he will continue to push for his campaign initiatives.

“I will try to put Texas Bobcats ROAR (a student grievance program) into play and I want to focus on helping every organization I am apart of, especially ASG.” Thomas said. “It doesn’t stop here.”

Loving, who said he considered himself to be an underdog throughout the campaign, said he would not have done anything differently, calling it an invaluable marketing experience.

“I have worked the hardest I have worked in years, just pounding pavement and talking to people and to classes,” Loving said. “I just think

it goes back to being confident in everything.”

ASG President Brett Baker has two months left in office. He said there is still work to be done and looks forward to spearheading projects with Covo and Luna.

“I have a strong passion for all of the candidates that were running,” Baker said. “As a candidate last year, I know what they were going through — how they weren’t sleeping very well, how they are really giving it their all. It was awesome being there last year, it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

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