A Harvard Youth poll found that 53% of young Americans will “definitely be voting” in the 2024 election. After President Biden officially withdrew from his presidential reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the potential Democratic nominee, will this candidate changeup affect how younger voters plan to cast their ballots come November?
Marist Institute for Public Opinion director Lee Miringoff emphasizes the fact that younger Americans will also be voting with the economy and inflation in mind, especially as they begin to save for their future and contend with increasing costs of living.
“There’s no doubt that the Harris run is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to reset and part of that means a new look at the party by younger voters,” Miringoff says.
The assistant professor of political science at Marist College points to the “age issue” now being reversed where Trump is the elder candidate facing off with a younger Vice President Harris: “Democrats tend to do better when their candidate at the top of the ticket is younger. And right now, that’s where they are.”
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Video Transcript
President Biden endorsing Vice President Harris after stepping out of the 2024 race on Sunday.
A Harvard study shows more than half of young Americans plan to vote in November.
So with the new potential Democratic candidate, how does that change the calculus around?
How young might vote here is more?
Is Le M Moff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.
Lee, thank you so much for being here.
So to start here, what are some of the top issues for young voters, and how important will that group be when it comes to the outcome of this election?
Sure, look, the young voters are concerned about not all dis similarly from older, but a big, strong emphasis on, uh, the economy and inflation.
Uh, you know, the ability to get their own lives started, uh, both in terms of career and therefore in terms of economics.
Um, so it’s not totally distinct from the rest of the population, But the emphasis is certainly on, you know, economic futures, where the economy is going and inflation and other issues and unemployment interest rates.
Those obviously are front and centre for a lot of young people, and we.
How do you think voters will respond to a potential Kamala Harris run?
Considering Biden really struggled with that cohort of voters leading up to his withdrawal?
Look, there’s no doubt that, uh, the Harris run is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to reset, And part of that means a new look at the party, uh, by younger voters.
Uh, and, uh, the the Democrats are having a lot of problems.
This was a group that has traditionally been a low turnout, but a high democratic group.
Uh, and now it was going to be a much more mixed voting choice between the Democrats and Republicans.
A lot of that having to do about the perceived old age of, uh, of Joe Biden.
And obviously that issue is no longer on the table.
So I think it is, as I say, a reset for the Democrats.
Uh, in terms of of this group of voters, you know, in a close election, the answer to the question, what group matters as they all matter and clearly, uh, the turnout and the selection by younger people is front and centre to one of the key key elements.
As to who’s ultimately going to be successful Democrats sitting in a lot better position today than they were yesterday morning.
But we’re still only three months until the election.
So at this point, how can Kamala better position herself compared to Biden, when it comes to attracting those younger voters?
Are there certain issues or policies that she should potentially press on more?
And I think you know, I think the economy obviously, as we’ve talked about.
But I think it’s also the enthusiasm, the energy, the, uh, younger generation appeal, uh, is a lot different than someone who’s in their eighties.
And I think that Joe Biden, uh, regardless of his attempt on student loan debt and things like that, just wasn’t connecting.
Uh, it was not the kind of, uh, optics that was working, Uh, and, uh, you know, right now, the Democrats have a lot of new things to do.
They have a ticket they can form and shape, which can have younger appeal.
They have a convention coming up.
In a sense, it’s all done for the Republicans in terms of their ticket and the candidates.
And now Donald Trump is the senior statesman of the of the, uh, campaign and what we’ve seen, interestingly, is when the Democrats have been successful.
If you look back at, uh, the Clinton years when he ran against Bush, Clinton was younger.
Obama was younger than both McCain and Mitt Romney when he was running.
Uh, Democrats tend to do better when their candidate at the top of the ticket is younger.
And right now that’s where they are.
Um, so this is gonna be an interesting dynamic to watch, uh, both in terms of the turnout.
Can they generate what has been traditionally a low propensity voter young people?
And can the Democrats get back on top in in in terms of the appeal of their candidates?
And Kamala Harris certainly can provide some new enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket that was really lagging, Uh, as long as Joe Biden was at the head of the ticket.
So age issue now has been reversed to some degree, and the older candidate is now Donald Trump.
And and to that point, Lee, how do the youth voters view Trump at this point?
Considering that well, it was it was a mixed bag.
I mean, there there was more appeal and I think that was being driven by the lack of appeal that Joe Biden had.
So I think this is something to watch for in the next series of polls.
Uh, was it just Joe Biden’s age that was moving some Democrats, uh, some younger voters, I should say, in the direction of, uh of Donald Trump?
Uh, because he was more vigorous, not much younger, but more vigorous in in in in his campaign style.
Um, right now, I think that’s an open question, and I think that’s what we’re going to have to see in the next couple of weeks.
What’s different now is the Democrats have a chance to recapture that group, whereas it was drifting away in abiding candidacy.
Lee Meing, off director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.