David Shor, a Democratic pollster and strategist, underscored speculation that the current generation is, alarmingly, the most conservative in half a century. This revelation in the Democrat’s quarters was not corroborated by any public data, either before or after the election. Kamala Harris, surprisingly, received only a paltry 11-point backing from the 18-to-29-year-olds, a glaring shortfall from Joe Biden’s impressive 24-point endorsement from the same group, as per 2020 data. While Harris may have marginally scored a better standing with the younger group of 18-to-24, her grip on those belonging to the 25-to-29 bracket was evidently weaker.
Enter the progressive data firm, Catalist, attempting to refute theories that the Generation Z voters lean towards right-wing ideologies. Catalist insists that Gen Z is the most left-leaning cohort within the United States electorate. They believe that Republicans are gradually losing ground with these young voters, which unduly exaggerates the decline in Harris and Biden’s popularity.
According to Catalist, Harris caught the attention of 55 percent of the 18-to-29-year-old voter segment, a questionable decrease from Biden’s testimony of 61 percent support in 2020. Even if one looks at this 6-point dip as the Democrats’ overwhelming loss, it still falls short of convincing that this generation has lurched towards extreme conservatism.
Ironically, 2024 emerged as a year of impressive Republican feats, recording the highest performance in the national popular voting since 2004. It saw unprecedented drifts towards the right across various sectors of the electorate. The dwindling Democrat footprint in Black (4 points), Latino (9 points), and even Asian American and Pacific Islander voters (4 points) painted a stark picture of the challenging national landscape for Harris.
However, the most significant blow to the Democratic representation was the 9-point fall in 18-to-29-year-old men’s support in the 2024 elections. Their dwindling foothold here emphasized how out-of-touch and ineffective their policy proposals seemingly were to this demographic, as was visible in the 10-point drop in support from young Black men, falling from 85% to merely 75%.
As young Latino men gradually pulled away their support from the Democrats, Biden’s promising 63 percent approval in 2020 trickled down to a troublesome 47 percent support for Harris in 2024. Whether it was a question of connecting to the younger demographic or reflecting their needs and challenges in their policy blueprint, Democrats’ strategy seemed to miss the mark.
Despite Biden’s dwindling popularity and steadily declining approval rating – floating between the 30s and 40s in 2023-2024 – the Republicans saw a window of opportunity to seize control and cater to the new voters, who were yet to solidify their political allegiance. This demographic is known to pivot towards the party in opposition when the incumbent leadership fails to live up to expectations.
Interestingly, even amidst stark dissatisfaction with the Democrat governance, the Republicans only made incremental gains without being able to secure a majority of the young voter segment. History repeated itself as it has since the 2002 elections – Republicans struggled to connect with the youth contingent more than any other age group.
Not surprisingly, the younger generation’s radicalism often turns out to be a mere myth. Republicans have, unfortunately, missed the wagon here. With their narrow focus on divisive agendas and disruptive policies under the early phase of Trump’s second stint, they seem to have squandered a golden opportunity to stringently capture the incoming voters or at least sustain the momentum they garnered in 2024.
Even as Democrats struggle to establish a coherent stance on trans women in youth sports – a topic that has triggered robust debate within their ranks since November – it appears that the 18-to-29 demographic remains evenly divided over the issue. Excursions such as these drive away potential support rather than consolidate it.
Dismal performance on the Democrats’ part when it comes to broaching gender issues with the youth has fostered grave concerns. However, it should not push them to flip their stance on matters like transgender rights and immigrant rights. Instead, the party needs to introspect and understand that knee-jerk reversals only further alienate their former supporters.
In light of their present setbacks, Democrats should take advantage of the Trump administration’s mishaps to redefine their status among young voters. Regrettably, though, there seems to be a persistent narrative, echoed by a certain section of the center-left commentary, insisting that the key to winning young voters back is to progressively veer right on critical issues.
This line of thinking fundamentally undermines the understanding of the younger demographic’s needs and priorities. It remains essential for Democrats to focus on addressing these points, instead of irresponsibly swinging their ideological pendulum in an attempt to appease and win votes.
Both Biden and Harris would do well to re-evaluate their political strategies if they hope to reconnect with the younger electorate disillusioned by their leadership. They must discard ill-suited advice and perception management gimmicks and instead focus on policy over politics.
They should return to the drawing board and strategize a genuine attempt to regain their younger support base, learn from irreparable errors, and strive towards building solid progressive platforms that reflect the diversity and dynamism of their electorate.
The post Harris and Biden Lose Young Voter Support: A Comedy of Errors appeared first on Real News Now.
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