In a close race SGA presidential candidates Brock Hendon and Jacqueline Keck will go head-to-head in a runoff vote.
To win the SGA election either of the four candidates who ran needed 40 percent of the overall vote. Keck received 3,834 votes earning her 37.81 percent, and Hendon received 3,328 votes earning him 32.83 percent.
Brock Hendon, SGA presidential candidate, promoted his "Brock Solid" platform throughout the campaign week, which he said puts emphasis on the student experience from student access to student success.
Jacqueline Keck is Hendon's opponent in the run-off vote as she promotes her "We Can With Keck" campaign.
"All three candidates I ran against were awesome," Keck said. "I kind of expected a run-off. I think my team walked in with the understanding that that was a very strong possibility. Brock is awesome, I have a lot of respect for him and his campaign. They did a great job."
After a week of campaigning, Hendon said he is excited to have the opportunity to still be considered for the role of SGA president.
"Obviously I'm really excited to have this opportunity to get going and it's been a fun week so far meeting students and hearing from students what we can do for them and how we can make their life better," Hendon said. "I'm really proud of the way campaign week went from top to bottom. I thought it was very clean and everyone campaigned well."
Hendon said he and his team's focus will not shift in the days following the announcement of the run-off. He said he plans to continue pursuing his vision for the University.
"I'm really proud of each candidate just for showing so much character through their campaigns and really focusing on their platform and vision," Hendon said. "That's something that we'll continue to do for the next couple of days. Just focusing on our vision for Auburn and our vision for students and how we can benefit them this next school year."
Keck said she's focusing on rallying her team and getting students to get out their votes.
"We're just going to keep doing what we've been doing on the concourse and really pushing platform points, so people don't just hear my name, but know what I stand for," Keck said. "We called around yesterday to get more people on the team and grew our staff some last night, which was awesome."
Hendon said he regards Keck as a capable leader who he is excited to be running against.
"Jacqueline is a close friend and a great person as well. A great leader and a great Auburn woman," Hendon said. "It's exciting to get to run against her."
Keck said it's easy to run against Hendon as they've knows each other so long.
"It's really easy, honestly. It's nice because you know their intentions, you know their character," Keck said. "It's nice to be able to pick up the phone and call them and there's not a whole lot of tension there, so it's just good."
No matter the outcome, Hendon said he is hopeful for Auburn's future moving forward.
"Auburn's going to be fine," Hendon said. "We've done well with so many different candidates this week and I want to congratulate the candidates that have won. I'm really excited to work with them if given the opportunity. I hope the student body puts their faith behind me on Thursday."
Hendon said he was proud of his fellow presidential candidates for running good campaigns.
"Obviously hat's off to David," Hendon said. "He ran a fantastic campaign."
David Facteau ran for SGA president and said he cherished the memories this week has brought him despite his loss.
"This week has been the most incredible experience of my life," Facteau said. "It has been such an honor to stand by my friends, family and brothers through this process."
Caleb Marshall, SGA presidential candidate, said he offers his congratulations to whichever candidate wins.
"Sometimes the thing you see isn't the thing you learn," Marshall said. "Everybody goes around finding new paths and adventures, but it's not everyday that you get to go ahead and just do exactly what everyone's already been far ready accomplishing and building. These times in which we live are too accessible and overreaching to expect a G.O.A.T. candidate to actually win the SGA president spot."
Facteau received 27.11 percent of the vote (2,749 votes), putting him in third place overall among the four presidential candidates. Marshall received 2.26 percent with 229 votes.
Facteau said he hopes every Auburn student votes in the run-off election as he's sure both candidates are fit to serve.
"I am excited for two extremely qualified candidates, Jacqueline Keck and Brock Hendon, to have the opportunity to share their vision with Auburn University over the next two days," Facteau said. "I will forever be thankful for all of the support that I received this week. Auburn is in good hands."
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