UF Student Senate President Kevin Reilly chose his running mates for the Student Government spring elections, which are scheduled for Feb. 26 and Feb. 27.
Reilly, a political science senior, will run for Student Body president on the Gator Party ticket with Yooni Yi, an exercise physiology junior, for vice president and Paul Drayton, a finance senior, for treasurer.
Reilly, who held open interviews with students on Jan. 17 and 18 to find running mates, said Yi and Drayton were the ones who "brought the most to the table."
Yi is Student Body President Ryan Moseley's chief of staff and the former president of the Gator Party.
"He saw someone that he could trust, and I think that's an important detail when looking for someone to run with," Yi said of Reilly.
Drayton, Senate budget chairman, said his experience with finances for student organizations is probably a top reason Reilly chose him.
"Me as treasurer, I don't expect any surprises," Drayton said. "It'd be the most smooth transition in a while because of my background."
The Gator Party executive ticket doesn't have a final platform yet. The candidates said they're waiting to base it on students' ideas.
Reilly said he and his running mates would hold a forum next week for students to tell them what changes they would like to see on campus.
The Gator Party will choose candidates to run for the 47 open Senate seats by Wednesday after interviews are held on Friday, Monday and Tuesday, he said.
A date for the platform forum will be chosen after that process, he said.
Sam Miorelli, a UF mechanical engineering junior and president of the Orange and Blue Party, the self-proclaimed independent party, said the Gator Party may be the first to have its ticket put together, but it won't run unopposed.
Miorelli said he would not run for president, nor did he know who would run on the Orange and Blue ticket, but he said the party would be a "strong contender."
He said Orange and Blue would probably announce more details about its candidates and party plans today.
"I think everyone at the school would be pretty shocked if Sam Miorelli was not putting together something to take these people down," Miorelli said.
