["Dont underestimate the power of a pissed off generation," said
NextGen America. ]
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‘YOUNG PEOPLE SAVED THIS ELECTION’ FOR DEMOCRATS, SAY
PROGRESSIVES
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Jessica Corbett
November 9, 2022
Common Dreams
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_ "Don't underestimate the power of a pissed off generation," said
NextGen America. _
Attendees cheer during a rally for Democratic Maryland gubernatorial
candidate Wes Moore with U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill
Biden on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections at Bowie State
University on November 7, 2022., (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty
Images)
WHILE CONTROL OF CONGRESS remained unclear as of Wednesday afternoon,
young voters who turned out for Democrats on Tuesday played a key role
in blocking a "red wave" that had been anticipated based on previous
midterm elections and widely predicted by political pollsters and
pundits.
Republicans may still secure narrow majorities in the U.S. House and
Senate—enabling them to impede President Joe Biden's agenda for the
next two years—but Democrats have won some major congressional and
gubernatorial races, and voters backed progressive ballot measures
on abortion
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prison labor
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expansion
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and minimum wage
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As ballot-counting continued Wednesday, campaigners, candidates, and
political commentators remarked on the significance of young
voters—including members of Generation Z (ages 18-25) and Millenials
(ages 26-40)—who also helped Biden decisively defeat former
President Donald Trump in 2020.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who was reelected, said
that "the role of young people in this election cannot be
understated."
"Young people saved this election," proclaimed
[[link removed]] Varshini
Prakash, executive director of the youth-led Sunrise Movement. "Two
elections in a row, young people proved that Gen Z is a vital voting
bloc that can and will be the bedrock of the Democratic Party."
According to the climate leader, "That's why our leaders must invest
in us—from running candidates who fight for the issues that matter
most to our generation, to delivering policy at the federal level that
make our lives better, to putting money into critical youth organizing
efforts that have historically been undervalued."
"Democrats are winning young voters by a significant margin. Imagine
what the margins would be if we actually invested in these voters,"
Prakash continued. "The party thinks they can create a TikTok account
and reach young people, but the reality is that they have to
intentionally bring us in and deliver for us."
"For us, it's never been just about defeating Donald Trump," she
stressed. "We turn out to fight for the issues our generation faces
everyday, like the impending climate crisis, protecting our
reproductive freedoms, and ending gun violence in our schools. The
Democratic Party needs to understand that if we want to win."
Sunrise supported successful Democratic candidates in some closely
watched contests, including future U.S. House members Greg Casar
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Texas and Summer Lee
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Pennsylvania.
The climate movement welcomed Democratic Lt. Gov. John
Fetterman's defeat
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Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race, saying in
a series of tweets that "young people won this election" and "they did
it for clean air and water, to stop a nationwide abortion ban, and to
make their lives better."
Though Democrats struggled across Florida on Election Day, progressive
25-year-old Maxwell Alejandro Frost won
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the state's 10th Congressional District and is now set to be the first
member of Gen Z in Congress—a development that Sunrise also
celebrated, declaring
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"young people are taking over."
Edison Research National Election Pool exit polling shows
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ages 18-29 preferred Democratic U.S. House candidates while only 35%
backed Republicans. Young voters—particularly those who are Black
and Latino—strongly preferred Democrats; party preference was split
for the 30-44 age group and older voters preferred GOP candidates.
The polling also reveals that in Wisconsin, voters under age 30
supported Democratic Gov. Tony Evers—who narrowly won reelection
over Trump-backed Tim Michels—70% to 30%.
Though Democratic Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes failed to unseat
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, young voters backed Fetterman 70% to
28% and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.)—whose race against
Republican Herschel Walker is going to a runoff—63% to 36%.
"Don't underestimate the power of a pissed off generation," tweeted
[[link removed]] NextGen
America.
Antonio Arellano, vice president of communications at the youth voter
mobilization group, said
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"Last night young voters prevented a massive Republican roll back.
That's a fact."
"If it wasn't for Gen Z, there would have been a red wave," Olivia
Julianna, director of politics and government affairs at Gen Z for
Change, similarly said
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"The polling shows that OUR generation voted for Democrats more than
any other age group. WE are the reason democracy will stand," she
added. "We now have a seat at the table. Time to start listening."
Just before Election Day,_ The Nation_'s Mark Hertsgaard spoke with
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youth organizers, including Julianna and March for Our Lives
co-founder David Hogg, who told him that "even if there are all these
boomer pundits out there saying young people aren't going to turn
out… the data show that is not the case for our generation."
"In 2018, we saw one of the highest youth turnouts of any
nonpresidential midterm in American history. In 2020, we saw
the _highest_ youth voter turnout in American history. And young
people aren't stopping," the 22-year-old Parkland survivor noted.
"Over the past several weeks, March for Our Lives has contacted
several hundred thousand voters to help turn out the vote."
"In the past, many young people prior to us felt they had the luxury
of not voting, because they didn't see how [voting] could affect
them," Hogg added. Now, "gun violence is literally the leading cause
of death for young people in our country. The combination of the
Parkland shooting, climate change, the reversal of _Roe v. Wade_, and
especially, frankly, the election of Donald Trump showed our
generation how politics is tangible to us."
While several of Tuesday's races remain too close to call, the 2024
contests—particularly the presidential battle—are already on the
minds of many, especially with Trump expected to officially declare
his candidacy at his recently raided Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, next
week.
"I think that President Biden and the Democratic Party have shown that
they are fighting for Gen Z on a lot of different issues and they've
shown their ability to deliver," Jack Lobel of the group Voters of
Tomorrow told
[[link removed]] _NPR_ early
Tuesday, citing historic investments in climate action and community
colleges, student debt cancellation, and marijuana possession pardons.
"We want to see more sustained outreach though—I think that's really
how the Democrats keep this momentum going through 2024," said Lobel,
who voted for the first time in this election.
As for this cycle, Lobel asserted that "Gen Z is uniquely connected"
and "we saw this victory last night because of the work of young
organizers."
"We feel empathy for our generation and members of our generation in
other states," the New Yorker explained, highlighting his state's
support for abortion access. "I voted because… my peers in other
states do not have those same rights. I voted because although in New
York we have gun violence restrictions that keep us safe, my peers in
other states don't have those rights."
"I voted for democracy," he added. "I voted for abortion rights. I
voted for our future."
_Jessica Corbett is a staff writer for Common Dreams._
* midterm elections
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* Young people
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* voting
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* Democratic Party
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