Most Gen Z Voters Are Positive About Harris, but They Say She Needs to Show What She Can Do on the Campaign Road
Many Gen Z voters on the Democratic side see Kamala Harris’s quick rise to become the leading candidate for president as a much-needed boost for the party and its chances. On the other hand, many Republican Gen Z voters say her entry into the race is not likely to change their minds.
Aubrey Clayton, 21, said, “There’s been a lot more excitement around the idea that we are going to have the chance to elect a young woman of color as president.” “She now has a great chance to change her image and meet people in the country in a new way.”
Nabila Chowdhury, a rising senior at Harvard, said she was “shocked” that President Joe Biden abandoned his bid to stay in office. However, I believe the Democratic Party is now split in a way that President Biden knows he can’t fix. I believe Kamala could be the one to bring that party back together.
But she is still not sure about Harris, especially when it comes to the war between Israel and Hamas. She thanked Harris for calling for a cease-fire, but Chowdhury said, “That’s the very least we’ve been asking for.”
“The main problem, in my opinion, is that nothing is changing.” “I believe we will wait to make a promise until we can trust each other,” she said.
Diva Patel, who is 21 years old, said she thought Harris would win in November. Patel said, “She is honest in a way that you don’t often see from politicians.”
Clayton, Chowdhury, and Patel were among a group of Gen Z Democrats who talked to NBC News in Michigan, a swing state after Biden dropped out of the race and backed Harris for president.
A study from Tufts University found that the most young people voted in the country in 2022. Democrats hope that Harris, 59, will be more appealing to young voters than Biden, 81 if she is on the ticket.
People born between 1997 and 2012 are Gen Z voters, and they don’t all agree on Harris.
Some people were not happy with how quickly Biden, Democratic lawmakers, and party members backed Harris.
Cooper Weissman, 18, who hasn’t decided yet, said, “I would love to see an open convention and get to hear from a lot of the Democratic candidates.”
NBC News talked to young Republican voters who said that it won’t matter to them if Harris is at the top of the ticket this fall.
Ky Urban, 22, head of the Southern New Hampshire University College Republicans, said he agreed with Biden’s choice to drop out of the race. He also said it was good for Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
“Trump and Vance won the presidency because Biden dropped out,” he said.
Ruby Macias, 25, from Phoenix, said she voted for Trump in 2020 and was going to vote for Biden this time even though she didn’t want to.
“He’s getting worse very quickly in more than one way,” Macias said. “I think Harris has been the one moving things along.”
Danny Yang, 18, from Philadelphia, said that the possible change at the top of the ticket didn’t make him change his mind: he’s still not going to vote for Trump.
He said, “Democracy and protecting democracy is the most important issue this cycle. Trump’s election-denying views and other things are going to hurt our democracy.”