While earlier polls suggested Former President Donald Trump was gaining traction with younger voters during his campaign against President Joe Biden, momentum has now shifted back to the Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released Thursday showed that 58 percent of likely voters nationwide, aged 18 to 29, now support Harris, while 37 percent favor Trump in a head-to-head race.
In a similar poll conducted in July, before Biden exited the race, 48 percent of this age group backed Biden, with 45 percent supporting Trump.
Mariam Bangurah, secretary of UPJ’s College Democrats, told CNN that Harris’ background and relative youth have energized younger voters.
However, she warned that supporters must not become complacent. “We’re doing well, but we really need to maintain that energy and that’s what I’m worried about. I’m worried about our energy dropping,” said Bangurah.
Some Republicans have also taken notice of the shift in momentum.
Electra Janis, a commissioner in Washington County near Pittsburgh, told CNN that Harris has motivated young voters to get involved, and “for that, I am grateful, regardless of who they are voting for.”
However, the 28-year-old Republican said that while Harris’s popularity grows among younger voters, Trump’s policies, particularly on the economy, can still attract some voters.
“In this particular case, I will say when I’m voting for President Trump, I’m not voting for a person, I’m voting for his policies,” Janis explained as her message to younger voters.
She highlighted that the Trump campaign’s volunteer base has seen significant growth in Pennsylvania.
“What they need to do now is mobilize young, passionate, and motivated individuals to engage with other young people and inspire them to do the same,” she added.
The Trump campaign has utilized social media and grassroots volunteers to engage young voters.
Kush Desai, a Pennsylvania spokesperson for the campaign, noted that many young Americans are increasingly disillusioned, as the American Dream of homeownership and financial stability has become “just a pipe dream under Kamala Harris.”
“That’s why we’re focused on bringing President Trump’s vision and agenda for an American economic renaissance directly to young voters, whether through TikTok, college tailgates, or even at their doorsteps in Pennsylvania,” Desai said.
Some young supporters are motivated by what they see as Trump’s resilience.
Steven Kail, a 33-year-old service technician, told CNN he started volunteering for the Trump campaign after witnessing the attempted assassination of Trump during a rally in Butler.
“Before that, I wasn’t really involved in volunteer work,” Kail said. “But after what I saw in Butler… that day made me want to help.”
Now a “Trump Force 47” volunteer, Kail goes door-to-door, aiming to rally voters for Trump. When engaging younger voters, he focuses on key issues. “I start by discussing the economy, their cost of living—especially if they’re in college, paying higher prices for gas, utilities, groceries,” he explained.
The Harris campaign’s primary focus is on college campuses to boost voter turnout.
Last week, on National Voter Registration Day, the campaign highlighted its efforts by organizing “more than 130 events aimed at registering young voters” in key battleground states, with many of these events taking place at universities.