Tag: young voters

Young, diverse voters fueled Biden victory over Trump

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A diverse coalition of young and new voters propelled President Biden to victory in November, according to a major new study of the 2020 electorate, while former President Trump made inroads among Hispanic voters in key states.

The report, from the Democratic data analytics firm Catalist, found the most diverse electorate in American history showed up to vote in last year’s elections. Twenty-eight percent of voters last year were nonwhite, up 2 percentage points from the 2016 presidential election.

More than 159 million Americans voted in 2020, the largest turnout in history. The number of nonwhite participants skyrocketed, including by 31 percent among Latino voters and 39 percent among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. For the first time, Latino voters made up 10 percent of the electorate. Continue reading.

Young Voters Keep Moving to the Left on Social Issues, Republicans Included Members of a conservative student coalition concerned about climate change at Yale University. Credit Christopher Lee for The New York Times Image

Members of a conservative student coalition concerned about climate change at Yale University.CreditCredit: Christopher Lee, The New York Times

As a self-described political conservative, Reagan Larson might seem to be a natural fit for the Republican Party. The 19-year-old college student from South Dakota grew up in a Catholic household that objected to same-sex marriage, and she remains firmly opposed to abortion.

But in many ways, that is where the ideological similarities end. Ms. Larson, a dual major in biology and Spanish at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., does not oppose the legalization of marriage equality. She views climate change as undeniable, believes “immigrants make our country richer,” and disagrees with her parents on the need for a border wall.

Ms. Larson is part of Generation Z, one of the most ethnically diverse and progressive age groups in American history. People born after 1996 tend to espouse similar views to the age cohort just ahead of them, the Millennials, but they are far more open to social change than older generations have been, according to the findings of a new report by the Pew Research Center. The findings mark a shift that could substantially reshape the nation’s political and economic landscape.

View the complete January 23 article by Dan Levin on The New York Times website here.

No Longer Gun Shy

The following article by Susan Milligan was posted on the U.S. News and World Report website July 27, 2018:

Young voters concerned about gun deaths are registering to vote in record numbers.

Credit: Matt McClain, the Washington Post via Getty Images

CANDIDATES USED TO BE able to rely on two axioms: young people don’t vote, and gun control is not a winning issue for Democrats in competitive races. But a surge of political activism among youth – combined with student demands for more gun safety laws – has thrown both presumptions out the window.

In Colorado – a state which five years ago ousted two state senators in a recall election after they pushed through gun control legislation – GOP congressional incumbent Mike Coffman, who has an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, is under political fire for his pro-gun stance. The district, long considered safely red, is now a toss-up race, according to leading nonpartisan political forecasters. Democrat Jason Crow, who made guns the first issue ad of his campaign, could become the first Democrat ever to represent the district, which was created in 1983.

In Florida, a pro-gun rights GOP House incumbent, also with an “A” NRA rating, is facing a tough re-election campaign against a Democratic primary candidate who appeared at a gun control rally with former Rep. Gabby Giffords, whose congressional career was ended after she was shot in the head while meeting with constituents in 2011. Instead of blasting Democrat David Shapiro for calling for gun control in a state named the 12th most gun owner-friendly in the nation last year by Guns & Ammo magazine, Republican Vern Buchanan is running an ad criticizing Shapiro for making personal financial investments in guns and ammunition companies.

View the complete article here.

Women and young voters will decide the 2018 elections. If they actually vote.

The following article by Dan Balz was posted on the Washington Post website March 3, 2018:

Protesters participate in a Women’s March on Jan. 20 in Cincinnati. Credit: John Minchillo/AP

President Trump continues to define the political conversation of the country with Twitter blasts, public statements and often alarming reports of his behind-the-scenes behavior and moods. But two groups of voters — women and young people — will define the politics of this year, and probably 2020 as well.

These are the voters who stand most apart from the president and who are most at odds with many of the priorities he has advanced in office. Their opposition and energy will determine the level of losses Republicans suffer in the November midterm elections. Come 2020, they are likely to determine whether the president wins a second term, should he indeed seek reelection. Continue reading “Women and young voters will decide the 2018 elections. If they actually vote.”