Kamala Harris’s communication to youth voters
By: Katy Varadi
Amid a tense presidential election, Kamala Harris has been developing a unique campaign that utilizes social media to communicate with young voters. After only a few months of being in the running, Harris has already made a name for herself. Current polls project that 46% of the voter population will vote for Harris, compared to Donald Trump’s 45%. However, during Biden’s 2024 campaign, Trump had 44% of the votes and Biden had 40%, meaning that Harris has not only evened out the playing field but has also gained an extra percentage of voters. Harris’s ability to relate and communicate with the youth of America has solidified support among previous liberal voters and earned her new voters.
Harris’ willingness to discuss uncomfortable subjects has made her popular among young voters, ages ranging from 18-20 years old. She has shared parts of her own life that allow people to relate and see her as a person, rather than just a candidate for office. This has allowed to break barriers despite the initial skepticism towards her campaign. Several achievements of Harris’ career highlight her ability to change the previous standard, including being the first woman, African American, and Asian American, to serve as vice president of the United States.
On July 21, 2024, Biden stepped down from running for president. Almost immediately after, Harris stepped in. This new, unfamiliar presidential candidate resulted in many voters being skeptical, as one of the voters put it, “between the ‘devil we know’ in former President Donald Trump and the ‘devil we don’t know’ in Harris.” The voting community was hesitant to trust the new candidate, becasue they did not know enough about her to feel confident voting for her.
Once Harris rolled out her campaign, targeted young voters for support. No other candidate has been able to communicate to the younger voters during this year’s election, as clearly stated by NPR. “Younger voters don’t approve of the job Biden is doing, don’t particularly like him very much, don’t think he has the mental fitness to be president, and don’t think he’s handling the most important issues very well.” This may be due to the age gap between the two generations, or their genuine disinterest in his platform. Joe Biden is currently 81 years old, making him the oldest president to serve. The age gap between Biden and the younger voters is around 60 years, and this poses a problem. He did not grow up with the new technology that the current generation, Gen Z, has become accustomed to. “At the time, young, left-leaning Americans around the country told NPR they were unhappy with their presidential options.” According to Elena Moore, a writer for NPR, who obtained data from the Harvard spring poll. Even with left-leaning voters, neither Trump nor Biden excited the younger generations. There are many reasons why younger voters might not want to vote for Trump, some included his incapability to handle COVID, in which he advised patients with the virus to drink bleach, the spread of misinformation, and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. His speeches in the campaign are commonly filled with his personal complaints, exaggerated lies, and threats to the opposing side. He previously promised that he would ‘protect’ and ‘fight for’ workers, although during his presidency, Trump did the exact opposite. He persisted in the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which aims to make health insurance more accessible to Americans. Trump had claimed that America “had no energy” in regards to fossil fuels, although there is factual evidence that shows the US is making the most oil out of all the other countries.
Harris’ ability to adapt to the youth’s ideas, has helped her solidify support among youth voters. Many minority groups feel as though they can relate to Harris as she herself falls into many of the categories. Black women, who may have not voted previously, are far more confident and empowered in their voting choices. The younger minorities can see themselves in Harris, and enjoy having her as a role model. With the attraction of this whole new generation, Harris is expected to gain a majority of the 13% total US voting population. Getting the appeal from the younger community was a strategic move for Harris. A series of new slogans have been created recently by young voters. A few included, “Brats for Harris”, “We need a Kamalanomenon” and, “Gen Z feels the Kamalove.” Charlie XCX, a well-known British pop singer, tweeted “Kamala is brat,” after Harris announced her bid for the presidency. This tweet caused major excitement within the political community, most importantly, the younger generation. It soon became a meme, getting popularized through TikTok. The modernized phrases have created an exciting and interesting impression on the younger community. They allow the voters to interact with Harris. How long does Trump have before Harris’ youthful voters take over the election with their sassy slogans? At this rate, he does not have much time.
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