A recent analysis by CNN analyst Harry Enten has thrown cold water on Vice President Kamala Harris’s hopes of securing significant support from young Democrat voters.
Despite claims from the Harris campaign about her supposed ability to energize the youth vote, the data paints a different picture.
Brat Summer or not, I looked into whether Harris has unique appeal to young voters. She doesn’t. She’s doing much worse against Trump than Biden did in 2020.
Moreover, young Democrats are NOT disproportionately more motivated to vote than other Democrats because of Biden’s exit pic.twitter.com/WpH5Sf4vPE [1]
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) July 24, 2024 [2]
According to a memo released on Wednesday, the campaign’s assertion about Harris’s appeal to young voters does not align with reality. Enten pointed out that a CBS News/YouGov poll revealed that only 42 percent of young Democrats aged 18-29 are more motivated to vote following Joe Biden’s departure, a mere three-point difference compared to Democrats of all age groups.
“It’s just not there in the numbers despite all the internet memes that are going around,” Enten remarked during a segment on CNN.
The unique candidacy of former President Donald Trump may be a contributing factor to Harris’s struggle in attracting young voters. Recent data suggests that in 2024, young voters are evenly split between identifying as Republicans and Democrats, a significant shift from the 2020 landscape where more young voters identified as Democrats.
Enten clarified that Harris’s challenges in mobilizing the youth vote are not due to her being uniquely unpopular but rather a reflection of the uphill battle she faces against the current political tide among young voters.
In the 2020 election, Biden enjoyed a 21-point margin among young voters under the age of 35, highlighting the contrast with Harris’s performance. Recent CNN polling indicates that Harris holds only a nine-point lead, trailing Biden by 12 points.
“When we say that Harris is doing worse than Biden, it’s not that she’s uniquely bad,” Enten explained. “She’s trying to fight against a wave that is going against the Democrats among young voters.”
He further emphasized the significance of historical trends in young voter support for Democrats in presidential elections, indicating that Harris falls short of the party’s typical margin of at least 20 percentage points.
In light of these findings, doubts linger over the legitimacy of claims suggesting Harris’s unique appeal among young voters.
Maybe her performance with younger voters has something to do with her flat out calling them stupid…
This is what Kamala thinks about 18-24 year olds…
Would be a shame if this went viral. pic.twitter.com/j88rO1cZWu [3]
— American AF 🇺🇸 (@iAnonPatriot) July 23, 2024 [4]