Young liberals are excited about Vice President Harris’ new White House campaign, pointing to a stark contrast between her and former President Trump, but some are concerned that she is ignoring major concerns for students.
Harris can build on the Biden administration’s accomplishments on numerous issues that concern college students, such as student loans, but after weeks of protests against the Israel-Gaza war on campuses this year, others are worried that she will also fail. to satisfy their demands on Palestine.
“Kamala Harris is a star among Gen Z voters,” said Antonio Arellano, vice president of communications for Next Gen America. “My phone has been blowing up since the announcement President Biden made last night, with young people now telling me they are excited to get out and vote, because it will be a monumental fight, but of historic proportions, and they know they can make history. So I think the vibe has changed. The excitement and enthusiasm is palpable.”
Harris will be able to use her platform as vice president to point to accomplishments over the past four years, such as creating a new income-based repayment program for student loans and defending abortion rights nationwide.
“We have every hope that she will continue to move forward and aggressively pursue additional student debt relief, and to ensure that this is centered in her candidacy because it remains on the minds of young voters as they head to the polls. , among other important issues such as abortion rights, the economy, climate change and, of course, student debt being an important voting motivator for Generation Z and millennial voters,” said Arellano.
The vice president will need credible Democratic blocs like young Americans to come out in force, as she is tied in the polls with former President Trump heading into November.
Trump leads Harris by two points, according to a poll from Decision Desk HQ and The Hill, 47% to 45%. His favorability is also another weak point, as 55.5% of Americans rate him unfavorably.
One of the biggest advantages she has with young voters is her age: at 59, she is almost 20 years younger than Trump.
“We think she’s the most vocal advocate for youth values right now,” said Sohali Vaddula, national communications director for College Democrats of America. “She is younger and therefore much more relatable and attractive. The younger the president, the better. I mean, I think a lot of people’s concern with President Biden is that he’s old, and Trump isn’t much younger.”
Harris has regularly interacted with young voters, including at a White House event for student athletes on Monday and on her “Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour,” where she spoke with students about issues including abortion rights, climate change and gun safety. .
“This generation is fundamental to the urgent issues that are at stake right now for our future,” Harris said on the university tour.“These are young leaders across America who know the solutions and are organizing in their communities to make them a reality. My message to students is clear: we count on you, we need you, you are everything.”
Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist, said that in reaching out to younger people, Harris should not “change strategy or tactics” but simply increase her interactions with them “because she has a unique ability to be able to not only understand and digest , but articulate the answer to many of the problems that so many young people, the youngest, face in our country, particularly when it comes to quality of life issues.”
Harris, however, faces at least one sizable dark spot on the horizon in winning the youth vote: Many college students have angered the administration over its Israel policies.
Thousands of people were arrested on college campuses this year in protest against the war between Israel and Hamas, calling on their schools to divest from Israel, an issue that is still on students’ minds as the war in Gaza drags on. .
Evan Caldwell, co-leader of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, hopes for an open convention where others can be considered for the Democratic nomination or at least advocate positions further left than where he sees Harris going.
“I think there is a lot of hope that the convention can select someone who will not only support a free Palestine but also support working class issues, and Kamala Harris is clearly not that candidate. She may be better suited to defeat Trump than Biden, but she is still a corporate Democrat, who works for corporate interests and not ordinary working people,” Caldwell said.
He said that for Harris to win the student vote, she “must take additional steps to secure a free and dependent state of Palestine” and focus on her calls for free college, a higher minimum age and a health care system. single payer.
“All these kinds of basic requirements that were promised when Biden and Harris first ran and were never attempted to be implemented,” Caldwell said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
