The question leading up to the midterms and even the 2024 presidential election is if the Democratic Party is giving their base enough motivation to continue voting blue. Many have raised the concern after federal Democrats have failed to do anything meaningful to push back against the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Fear that the Democratic party’s base won’t show up in November reigns true specifically in the youngest group of voters. In the last two elections, this group destroyed the existing participation record. They even backed Joe Biden by a 25-point margin in 2020. However, many household name Democrats are urging the Biden administration and Congress alike to do more in order to reflect their willingness to take action and mirror the passion seen among the younger voters.
“There’s a fine line between the recent events pushing someone to never vote again or pushing someone to vote with that righteous anger and bring friends with them. It’s up to our leaders to decide which direction that’s going to go in. When they show they’re in the fight, using all the resources to fight for the most vulnerable in our community … but we need more right now.”
Maxwell Frost, a Democrat running for a Florida congressional seat, said.
AOC has also called on Democrats in a tweet as she said the party cannot “make promises, hector people to vote, and then refuse to use our full power.” Kamala Harris also pushed back on the frustration being publicized when she gave a speech to donors, “I know some people are saying, ‘stop talking to us about the elections. We know.’ Don’t trivialize the significance. We can’t afford to.”
A Democratic strategist focusing on Latino voters has the best insight it seems. Chuck Rocha has since brought to light the concerns of those he works with. “They are tired of us saying, ‘we’re fighting,’ but not delivering shit. What can you do tangibly to make a difference to do something about this? We are good at bringing a policy book to a fist fight, and I worry about young people not showing up to vote because of it.”
Democrats are saying if every battleground state in America is “12% Whiter” and 8% Older” then the Democratic party will lose states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin. The growth of cynicism in younger voters is something the Democratic Party fears most and for good reason. It has become an ever-growing challenge for the party to mobilize young voters. They played a critical role in flipping the House in 2018 and played a critical role in winning back the Senate and the White House in 2020.
John Della Volpe, the director of Harvard Youth polls and the advisor to Biden during the 2020 election, was asked who can make the greatest impact in 2024 and he said, “I think Gen Z participates, period, and they can have an even greater impact than anyone ever considered if this righteous anger is properly channeled through a coordinated and localized strategy to make things right. Now, that’s a big if.”