Young voters of color are supporting Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. But many want a different...

[DonViejo]

Young voters of color are supporting Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. But many want a different candidate.

Millennials and Gen Z are the most diverse generations of voters in America. A new survey shows that they’re still figuring out whom to support.

By P.R. Lockhart Jun 17, 2019, 1:20pm EDT

During the 2018 midterms, turnout from Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X narrowly eclipsed that of boomers and older generations, marking the second election cycle in a row where younger voters participated more than their elders. It suggests that as the 2020 election approaches, it will be important to understand the perspectives of young voters and how they differ from older members of the electorate.

A recent survey of adults ages 36 and under aims to do just that, finding significant differences in how young adults from different racial groups are prioritizing political issues and the candidates they support.

The data comes from the GenForward Survey, a University of Chicago-based project that tracks the political attitudes and interests of young people, and breaks those results down by race. Its latest survey finds that young adults, specifically young adults of color, strongly disapprove of President Trump and believe that the country is “on the wrong track.”

Perhaps surprisingly, these young people of color are also currently more likely to support Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders over other Democratic 2020 candidates in the most diverse primary field in party history. However, the level of support for each candidate differs among racial groups, and is also influenced by the issues they’re prioritizing heading into the 2020 election.

As a result, the survey highlights that even as those two candidates — both boomer white men — command much of the attention right now, any candidate looking to mobilize young voters will need to speak specifically about a range of issues, including racism, health care, income inequality, immigration, and the environment.

more
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/6/17/18679112/genforward-survey-young-voters-2020-primary-biden-sanders

[saidsimplesimon]

1. These issues are also my issues.

I would add education as an issue for all age groups.

any candidate looking to mobilize young voters will need to speak specifically about a range of issues, including racism, health care, income inequality, immigration, and the environment.

[ancianita]

2. Different is code for non-white male. Fine. But youth can't have both experience, know-how and

"different." Their "different" is usually just for the sake of "different." At worst their "different" almost never includes useful governance experience; at best, it comes with limited governance experience and plentiful plans and ideas.

That's always been their priority and their problem. "Different" is their euphemism for young and inexperienced, willing to "try something new" but usually getting someone who'll promise "different," but gets little to nothing done -- because they swim with another branch of a government that prefers successful models over a "try something new" cold approach to tax spending.

"... any candidate looking to mobilize young voters will need to speak specifically about a range of issues, including racism, health care, income inequality, immigration, and the environment. "

If that statement is really true. AND if the young are really serious about different, they'll choose the one candidate who is even more highly qualified around the issues they care about than are Sanders and Biden -- Governor Jay Inslee.

What makes Inslee more qualified? He is, right now, a state governor, which is a whole level of executive -- "execution" of decisions, law writing, shepherding through a statehouse, implementing and monitoring laws -- experience that they don't have.

He's spent several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, therefore has a federal knowledge of its processes and serving national interests along with his state's interests -- experience they don't have. He's been president of the National Governors Association, which puts him in good relations with a lot of red state governors -- experience they haven't got.

Hell, Jay Inslee has the widest range of can-do legislative leadership in the issues youth care about than any other candidate in the Democratic Party of 24.

There's no oppo on him; he's clean. He's also got tough chops for a national debate. And his young age puts him into the same age advantage category as the younger candidates. At the very least he will be in the next Democratic president's cabinet.

All the issues brought up by the Democratic Party in this primary, Inslee has already acted on in his state -- Marijuana laws, free college laws, clean energy laws, immigration laws, income inequality and minimum wage laws, family leave laws, union laws. He sued Trump and won! He, like America's Millennials, is a doer, not a talker.

[BlueWI]

3. The Inslee props are well earned.

We'll see if the debates are helpful for his standing in this strong field of candidates.