Breitfelder, O’Beacain issued sanctions due to endorsement
The ticket could not campaign in person or virtually Feb. 9, 10 and 12.
By SEAN CAMPBELL
Undergraduate Student Government presidential and vice presidential candidates John Breitfelder and Gwen O’Beacain were found guilty of violating election code by being endorsed by a non-USC student in a Feb. 8 opinion from USG’s judicial council. The opinion said that having a video of former USC and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann endorsing them on their campaign Instagram page offered the ticket an “unfair advantage.”
Chief justice pro tempore Ryan Tung submitted the complaint and argued the case, so he recused himself from the decision. The USG judicial council administers elections.
Breitfelder and O’Beacain received sanctions for violating the code, including being unable to campaign in person or virtually Feb. 9, 10 and 12 and the removal of any posts or videos mentioning the endorsement from Swann. The ticket is barred from mentioning the endorsement from Swann for the rest of the campaign. A violation of the sanctions will result in “greater sanction[s]” being applied, the judicial opinion read.
Daily headlines, sent straight to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest at and around USC.
In an interview with the Daily Trojan, Breitfelder said they accepted the endorsement “unaware” that it violated the election code. While O’Beacain said the endorsement was done “without mal-intent,” she said it was “very valid” that they received sanctions. The judicial opinion said the ticket agreed the endorsement was a violation during the trial.
O’Beacain said they realized the endorsement may have been a violation when reviewing the election code for a separate potential endorsement and went to the judicial branch with the information before the trial. Because an anonymous complaint had already been filed, O’Beacain said the trial had to take place.
“We believe that we were treated fairly by the judicial team,” Breitfelder said. “Looking forward, we are so committed to sticking to the books for every single step of this campaign, and we are extremely committed to serving the student body and doing everything that we can for the rest of this campaign.”
