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It was the summer of the ultimate crossover: , and Kamala Harris is at the helm, steering a ship that could very well . After a fall and spring marked by disillusionment and disengagement among Gen Z voters, Harris鈥 candidacy is gaining unexpected momentum with young people. She鈥檚 tapping into their frustrations and with a savvy and responsive campaign, which could lead to a Democratic victory in November.
But even as she galvanizes this new wave of political energy, . The ongoing U.S.-backed Israeli genocide remains a focal point for young liberals, presenting a challenge that Harris will have to navigate, both on the campaign trail and, if elected, in the Oval Office. Furthermore, many are looking for her policy specifics, beyond TikTok memes.
From the start, Harris鈥 campaign ignited a wave of political engagement, particularly among young voters. The launch of her campaign led to a notable surge in voter registrations in Maine, a state where according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement鈥檚 . In July alone, signed up to vote鈥攖he largest number since November 2023. Nationwide, the impact was even more stark; to vote in the two days after Biden dropped out, representing a staggering 700% spike. 麻豆社事件 than 80% of these new registrations were among people between the ages of 18 and 34.
Lauren Barton, a 19-year-old from Tennessee, shares, 鈥淥ne of my friends is especially excited. She was going to register to vote, and I feel like this finally pushed her into doing it.鈥 Daijah Wilson, also 19 and from New Jersey, spent this summer registering voters. 鈥淎 lot of my family members were not going to vote because they felt like it was the same thing again鈥攍esser of two evils,鈥 she said. 鈥淣ow that Kamala is running, I know a couple of my cousins who have registered to vote, and they said they keep encouraging their friends to vote. … People who were on the fence are now jumping off the fence.鈥
Suraj Singreddy, a 20-year-old from Georgia, another state that YESI identified as a key battleground where young voters could significantly influence the 2024 presidential race, expressed that a common frustration had been the redundancy of Trump against a moderate white Democrat. 鈥淚 think in 2016 and 2020 people were tired of being told, 鈥極h, wait for the next election cycle; there鈥檒l be better [candidates] available,鈥 and then that constantly not being the case.鈥
The fact that Kamala represents something new鈥攁t least, on the surface鈥攊s exciting. Claire Sorge, a student at the Hawai鈥榠 Conservatory of Acting, shares, 鈥淚鈥檓 glad it鈥檚 a woman of color. I鈥檓 glad it鈥檚 not an old white man.鈥
But Barton brings up that 鈥渢here鈥檚 obviously the huge elephant in the room鈥攈er stance on the genocide in Palestine … [but] the idea of our first female president is exciting.鈥
For young Americans of color, the fact that Harris is multiracial is Wilson, who is Black, planned to vote third party when Biden was on the ticket because of his ceaseless support of Israel, but now plans to vote for Harris. She explains, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think representation is our savior, but it is a move towards progress to see a woman, a Black woman, a multiracial woman, lead this country and be the face of America for the next four years.鈥
Another break from the democratic electoral monotony of the past several years is simply that Harris is fun in a way Biden and Hillary never were. Whether she鈥檚 soliloquizing on or proclaiming , .鈥 Singreddy believes Harris is finally a candidate with a magnetism that can rival Trump鈥檚. 鈥淭rump is entertaining, but in a way that makes you go, 鈥楿h… .鈥 Harris has just been so unintentionally funny … it makes her seem genuine.鈥
鈥淧eople are going to vote for the president that they鈥檇 want to sit down in a bar with and share a drink with,鈥 he adds.
and the creative team behind Harris鈥 hugely popular TikTok account, , which constantly churns out clever content, have captured Gen Z鈥檚 spirit of 鈥渂rat summer.鈥
Barton explains, 鈥淪he鈥檚 very relevant right now in all of the [TikTok] audios and the memes.鈥 While Barton characterizes young voters鈥 enjoyment of such s as partially a humor-based coping mechanism for the fact that Harris鈥 policies are not ideal, she acknowledges it is genuinely appealing.
Wilson adds, 鈥淭rump has a hold on Twitter/X. I feel like Kamala or her team has tried to strategize by taking over the app that actually has a lot more [young voters].鈥 Referring to how Harris鈥 TikTok videos humanize her, she points out, 鈥淲e want to see that; it鈥檚 about looking past the facade of the politician.鈥
On the other hand, Harris risks infantilizing and alienating her young voter base if she doesn鈥檛 offer them something more substantive to hold on to. Some already feel that relying too much on internet trends and memes could 鈥淚 feel like it could very quickly turn and become too much, in the same way that 鈥樷 did in 2016,鈥 Singreddy says.
Singreddy also feels that because Harris and her campaign have focused on pushing mostly vibes in their messaging to young voters, it is unclear what Harris鈥 actual policies are. 鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 in a place where my interest is piqued, but I still don鈥檛 understand exactly who I鈥檓 voting for or what her policies are. … I just wonder how she鈥檚 going to get that out to people because it鈥檚 not as easy as viral trends and memes,鈥 he adds.
Unfortunately for Harris, the issue that young voters seem most aware of is the situation in Palestine and Israel. Wilson, Sorge, Barton, and Singreddy all cite her role in the current administration and its involvement in the ongoing as a significant deterrent in voting for her.
Additionally, when Singreddy thinks about the policies he would like to see, he says, 鈥淔irst and foremost, it is trying to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza. After that, it鈥檚 the status quo Democrat [policies]: protecting the right to abortion, health care, and general stuff.鈥 Wilson adds that even while she plans on voting for Harris, she will continue attending protests and rallies to push for a cease-fire.
Harris can鈥檛 take her , and there is a concern that she 鈥淜amala has a chance [at winning the election], but only if younger people vote for her,鈥 Sorge says.
This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit聽.
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Lajward Zahra
is a freshman at Rice University in Houston, originally from El Paso, Texas, studying political science, Spanish, and French. Her journalistic work has been seen online and in print in Business Insider, The American Prospect, The Nation, Prism, and The Rice Thresher. She speaks Spanish, English, French, and Urdu.
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