One of two USG presidential candidates suspends campaign, name will remain on ballot

Less than a day into campaigning, one of two candidates for Undergraduate Student Government (USG) president withdrew from the race. This leaves only one campaigning candidate for president for the first time since at least 2013.

In a statement to The Daily Princetonian, current Class of 2025 Senator Braiden Aaronson ’25, who announced his run for president yesterday, confirmed that he would be dropping out of the race. This makes Social Chair Avi Attar ’25 the presumptive USG president-elect. However, according to Chief Elections Manager Alex Sorgini ’26, Aaronson will remain on the ballot.

In the statement, Aaronson referenced concerns about taking the position of USG president.

“This morning I decided to suspend my campaign for USG president. As president, I would have given my all to take care of our wonderful community, but I have recently come to realize I cannot sustainably take on the position at this time,” wrote Aaronson.

“I hope to improve our collective experience on campus in other capacities, and I appreciate everyone that has supported me thus far. I know that USG will be in good hands, and I hope that every student will continue to pay attention to this election because the president is only as good as the senate they lead,” he added.

Aaronson had initially announced his intention to drop out of the race this morning, confirming his intention to suspend his campaign in a statement late this afternoon.

With the news of Aaronson’s withdrawal, the race for president is the only election with just one campaigning candidate this election cycle. This is a sharp contrast to the typically uncontested race for Class of 2025 Senator, in which six candidates are vying for two positions.

Attar’s running mate, Srista Tripathi ’25, is running in an election for vice president against Chase Magnano ’25, who was affiliated with Aaronson. Magnano confirmed in a statement that he will still be running for the position.

“I respect Braiden's decision to leave the race,” Magnano wrote in an email to the ‘Prince.’ “Braiden and I were only nominally affiliated with one another. My campaign is going strong and I am excited to share my ideas with my fellow students.”

A third candidate, Warren Shepherd ’27, is also running for vice president.

After a USG announcement was sent on Wednesday, Nov. 22, soliciting candidates for seven uncontested spots, all positions except for USG president have multiple campaigning individuals. The USG presidential debate that was set to be held tomorrow in the Senate Chamber of Whig Hall will now be a vice-presidential debate, according to Daniel Shaw ’25, the Chair of the Debate Committee. Shaw has also stated that there will be a 15-minute Q&A session with Attar.

Alena Zhang is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’