Vanderbilt Student Government’s election commission announced March 27 that sophomores Simran Fitzpatrick and Will Dean won the 2026 election, following a runoff on March 26 against juniors Stella Rodriguez and Miguel Kamgaing Kamgaing.
The Fitzpatrick/Dean ticket received 56.67% of runoff votes, while the Rodriguez/Kamgaing Kamgaing ticket received 43.12% of the vote. In total, 1,521 students voted in the runoff election, in contrast with the initial election, which saw 1,731 votes counted.
In a statement to The Hustler, senior Soham Saraf, outgoing VSG president, expressed satisfaction with this year’s election cycle, commending the candidates on their respectful behavior and adherence to the election rules. He assured his trust in Fitzpatrick and Dean to effectively serve as president and vice president of VSG next year.
“We’re excited for Simran and Will to take office and are confident that they will serve our student body effectively. They were both involved in writing the new constitution, so I’m sure they’ll be able to adapt to the new structure and workflows of VSG quickly,” the statement reads.
Fitzpatrick and Dean expressed gratitude for the outcome and excitement for the beginning of their tenure in a message to The Hustler.
“Running for student body president and VP is not something either of us expected to do; we both put a lot of effort into the org in our cabinet positions, but never would have pushed ourselves and ran for exec positions without the encouragement of friends and people who had seen the work we put in,” Fitzpatrick said. “The campaign process was intense but rewarding, and we are so grateful for all the conversations we had and people we met and the chance to run at the same time as other experienced, driven and kind members of student government. We’re excited to get started and follow through on the ideas we heard these past weeks!”
Juniors William Song and Manushree Navaneethakrishnan, candidates in the initial election, expressed support for Fitzpatrick and Dean in a statement to The Hustler. Navaneethakrishnan also serves at The Hustler’s Opinion Editor.
“Simran and Will were so supportive of our campaign, and we always felt upheld. As veterans of VSG, Will and I know they are exemplary young leaders with big ideas and a strong work ethic. To have made it past the chaos of campaigning and emerge victorious is no small feat; we’re excited to see what their candidacy brings to campus and are here to support them throughout,” the statement reads.
