Harris needs Gen Z. Here’s her plan to win them : NPR

Vice President Harris is stepping up her outreach to young people as students return to school and campaign support is growing among young voters from the Gen Z and millennial generations.

The campaign told NPR it plans to invest in new digital advertising, on campuses and on social media, double its youth organizing staff across the country and launch college campus tours in battleground states.

The effort targets young voters at 150 campuses in 11 states: Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia, Minnesota and Nebraska.

The move builds on the Biden campaign’s efforts to organize young people and highlights a potential shift in prioritizing this constituency, as the campaign focused on reaching out to traditional Democratic voters such as people of color, suburban families and union members — groups that Harris is also reaching out to, along with younger voters.

“So as we begin this school year, I want you to understand and know how important this election is not only to our country but to you,” Harris said. New campaign landing page For students, it includes links to register to vote and how to get involved on campus.

“And know your power,” she added. “Go out and vote. That’s what makes a difference.”

Harris’ Endorsement It is on the rise among young people Since becoming the Democratic nominee last month, she has shown a marked change — a marked change compared to President Biden. He struggled in the polls. It has been popular with younger voters, especially voters of color.

In 2020, Biden won among voters under 30 by a staggering 24 percentage points. Highest turnout among young voters of color He won the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan. But over the past year he has lost support among young voters across the country, many of whom Did not agreeSome of his policy choices And expressed Concerns about his age.

But Harris has championed several issues of particular concern to younger voters during her time as vice president, particularly protecting reproductive rights and curbing gun violence, and led a multistate college tour last fall.

Harris’ campaign announcement coincides with a series of campus visits by campaign replies over the coming weeks, with Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson speaking to students at the University of Pittsburgh and Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat who represents Gen Z, visiting the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Bennett College in Greensboro.

“Young voters know how this election will impact their future, from the freedom to make their own health care decisions to addressing the climate crisis to safety from gun violence to the ability to find housing and pay rent,” Frost said in a statement from the Harris campaign.

“The only way we’re going to win is by organizing everywhere, and it’s up to us to translate the energy that we’re seeing into action to win in November,” he said. “I’m confident that we’ll see record numbers of young people turn out in November.”

The campaign will focus on reaching out to students at state schools, community colleges and institutions that serve minority students.

These measures follow an action-packed week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which featured several youth-focused organizing events and programs, as well as several young speakers speaking on each night of the convention program.

Supporters cheer as Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Fiserv Forum during a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)

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Harris also said: A big hit on the internet Younger Americans are increasingly posting edited versions of Harris’ past speeches and quotes, and the campaign has subtly adopted the style, especially on TikTok, where Harris has a growing following. Latest PostsThey adopted the same structure and mimicked former First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech at last week’s convention.

Former President Donald Trump has a high level of engagement on TikTok, with a much larger following than Harris’ personal account, but Harris’ campaign account, “Harris HQ,” has outperformed Trump’s in terms of engagement on posts.

Trump’s campaign has also appealed to younger voters, as he has appeared alongside prominent social media influencers and been interviewed on popular podcasts. Comedian and and Content CreatorThe former president also continues to work closely with Turning Point Action, the organizing arm of the far-right, youth-led group Turning Point USA.

But Trump and Harris have different goals in reaching young voters: Trump doesn’t need this age group to win the presidency, whereas Harris has a good chance of doing so.

Her campaign knows that too. They say they are working to harness and sustain the surge in energy among young voters until the election is over.

“I am vice president today because of record-breaking college student voter turnout in 2020, and I need your support to win this election,” Harris said in a letter to college students posted on her campaign’s student page.

Her campaign says their new digital organizing effort will include a nationwide Snapchat takeover, with the campaign running ads on the platform, as well as targeted ads on other social media platforms, campus newspapers and university websites.

Harris and the outside groups that support her It decreased by $246.3 million. Their total national ad spending over the past month has outspent Trump and the outside groups that support him by $50 million.

Since the beginning of the year, the Harris campaign has had staff dedicated to attracting young voters. Launched a student-centered program The latest announcement, made in March, brings the total number of staff focused on youth organizing across the country to 150, up from about 70 to 80.

Eve Levenson, Harris’ national youth engagement director, has been leading the campaign’s outreach to young people.

“Our campaign is capturing that incredible groundswell of excitement and enthusiasm and turning it into action,” she said in a statement to NPR.