Young voters are learning very quickly that Biden doesn’t follow through on his promises.
President Joe Biden’s attempts to appeal to young voters often come across as awkward, particularly considering he’s targeting a relatively niche demographic within that cohort.
Within the Democratic Party, there’s a prevailing belief that securing the allegiance of young voters is pivotal for long-term political dominance. The theory posits that successive waves of youthful Democratic voters will eventually tip the scales, relegating the GOP to irrelevance. However, this assumption overlooks the fact that people’s political affiliations evolve over time. The enthusiastic support among 18-29-year-olds for Barack Obama in 2008 dwindled as they aged into the 30-44 bracket, where Biden only managed a slim 7-point lead in 2020.
A closer examination of Biden’s attempts at pandering reveals a disconnect from the genuine concerns of young voters. While issues like inflation, healthcare, and housing top the list of priorities for this demographic according to a Harvard poll, Biden’s focus seems to align more with activist rhetoric. His emphasis on issues like student debt, Gaza, and climate change doesn’t resonate strongly with young voters, ranking significantly lower on their agenda.
Biden’s efforts to address student debt, for instance, predominantly benefit affluent graduates, despite being the least pressing concern for young voters according to the Harvard survey. Similarly, his attention to Gaza, while appealing to certain segments of activists, misses the mark for most young voters who prioritize more immediate domestic issues.
Despite Biden’s significant lead among young voters in the 2020 election, it’s crucial to recognize the limitations of this demographic’s electoral impact. While his 24-point margin was substantial, youth voter turnout remains underwhelming, and the proportion of young voters in the electorate has actually decreased since 2016.
In essence, Biden’s pandering strategy appears misguided, targeting a subset of voters from whom he already enjoys considerable support, and doing so on issues that don’t resonate strongly with their priorities. This level of desperation, evident in his attempts to court even the most fringe activist groups, reflects a flawed approach to addressing his popularity challenges. Perhaps a reassessment of his campaign strategy is in order to better align with the concerns of a broader swath of voters.