Campus Chooses Its Next Voice: New SGA President, VP, and Senate Slate Emerge from 2026 Election

Christian Peña and Caden Bastian sit on stage next to each other. Courtesy: Ashley Olds

Christian Peña speaks on stage in front of a lectern. Courtesy: Ashley Olds

Listen to the full election results broadcast By Jimmy Coffman

7:38

On Thursday, February 26, the Student Governing Association announced that the student body elected Christian Pena and Caden Bastian as the next student body president and vice president, setting them up to lead the Student Governing Association for the 2026–27 academic year. The Pena–Bastian ticket received 1,243 votes, defeating the Lauren Wolter–Matt Hendricks ticket, which earned 1,040 votes.

Pena and Bastian will represent the student body and focus on issues ranging from tuition and fees to campus life and shared governance with university administration. Wolter and Hendricks both secured seats in the Student Senate through their respective colleges, keeping them involved in SGA decision-making.​

Students also chose new senators to represent their academic colleges in SGA. The results for each elected position are listed in a PDF, which we have linked here to view.

The candidates are expected to be sworn in at a later date. According to the official SGA Instagram account, the unofficial results will become official upon their adoption by a majority vote of the Student Senate, and you can visit the SGA website for detailed results.