Twenty-eight people attended Steve Mims’ documentary screening Run Like the Devil about the upcoming Senate election between Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz.

Linda Veazy, associate professor of political science said the Oct. 8 screening at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art took months in the making to be a formal event.

“We’ve been working to make this happen [the documentary screening of], since late July,” Veazy said.

Veazy said that MSU was consulted about the documentary being screened.

“One of our state legislators suggested a slightly more rural place, he suggested if MSU wants to be a partner in it. Dr. Shipley was ecstatic about this,” Veazy said. 

The people that attended the free documentary screening sponsored through the president’s office and the political science department of Run Like the Devil also got free popcorn.

Veazy said there are various reasons as to why students should watch Run Like the Devil.

“You should get to know this as a student because this [Run Like the Devil] is an inside look at one of the key races of the 2018 elections is all about. And it’s going to tell you about Texas voters, how they approach an election and it’s [Run Like the Devil] going to tell you campaigns run and works. If you’re a student that is interested in politics or if you’re interested with how documentary filmmaking works, this is a documentary you should see that is happening right now in Texas,” Veazy said. 

Veazy said that we should not take democracy for granted and used the privileges of being a U.S. citizen.

“One of the most amazing aspects of democracy is that people have a choice. People can vote. That is not where people have everywhere in the world and people shouldn’t take it for granted. When you have candidates that present different views as to how they want the government to work, it’s a great opportunity to be involved. Even if politics seems distant to our students, I want them to know that it [politics] matters. What happens in Congress, matters whether or not whether what student loans are available, social security, Medicare. It [politics] also matters because as to what your level of vision for the United States. The more you decide to vote, the more you can see how everything affects you,” Veazy said. 

Jennifer Zylstra, education junior, attended for extra credit and said the publicity surrounding the upcoming Senate election in Texas intrigued her.

“I was interested in the political realms since it is the election season. There is a lot of spotlight going on between Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz to spark my attention,” Zylstra said.

Steve Mims, documentarian, said that the documentary was about informing voters about the backgrounds of O’Rourke and Cruz.

“The utility of the film is to educate the people about how Beto and Cruz were raised, how they came to be the adults they are right now and what issues they take a stance on,” Mims said.

Mims said the lack of knowledge about candidates in the 2012 mid-term election inspired him to do the documentary as did an early announcement from O’Rourke.

“I watched the election in 2012 when the election was between Ted Cruz and Paul Sadler. There was not a lot of information about neither candidate. When Beto announced very early, I thought this might be interesting because he announced it early,” Mims said.

Mims said that the Nov. 6 election between O’Rourke and Cruz is a powerful event in U.S. politics.

“It’s the most important vote ever in the history of the country, arguably. Because a U.S. Senator has a lot of power. The power that represents you. That power represents in Washington. It’s important to vote regardless of who you vote,” Mims said.

The hardest aspect of filming Run Like the Devil according to Mims was finding a convenient time to interview O’Rourke and Cruz.

“The hardest part of this documentary was getting a time for both to commit a time since they [O’Rourke and Cruz] were very busy,” Mims said.

Zylstra said despite that she has not been involved in political campaign activities such as fundraisers due to lack of information of the candidates, she said this documentary plays a part as to who she will vote for in the upcoming election.

“I don’t know enough to participate in a political campaign, but this documentary will have a large impact as to who I am going to vote for,” Zylstra said.

Mims said that there is a second edition in the works of Run Like the Devil.

“Once the election is over, we’re going to re-edit the beginning and end of the film. I will be in El Paso in election night and I have another film crew that will be in Houston to film Ted Cruz. We’re going to re-edit based as to what happened on election night,” Mims said.