The Horse Race: TikTok, Podcasts, and Frats: GOP 2024 Hopefuls Court the Youth Vote as Gen Z Tunes Out

with Brittany Bernstein

Wednesday, December 06, 2023

TikTok, Podcasts, and Frats: GOP 2024 Hopefuls Court the Youth Vote as Gen Z Tunes Out

From TikToking to student town halls, the 2024 Republican presidential candidates have taken a wide range of approaches to courting younger voters.

But a new Harvard poll indicates the task might be an uphill battle, as many young people may be less likely to vote in the next election.

Just 49 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 who say they voted in the 2020 election say they "definitely" plan to vote in the next presidential election, according to a new Harvard University Institute of Politics poll. Seventeen percent said they will "probably" vote.

Just 35 percent said they will "definitely" vote in 2024 primaries and caucuses, with another 20 percent saying they will "probably" vote.

The poll found fewer young Republican voters intend to cast ballots in 2024: 56 percent intend to vote in the next election, down from 66 percent in 2019.

"The bad news is that fewer young people intend to vote in this election compared to the Biden–Trump election of 2020," IOP polling director John Della Volpe said in a statement. "The good news is there's still time, and we know what Gen Z and young Millennials want to see and hear. They want evidence that democracy works, that government can address our challenges, and that there's a meaningful difference between the two parties."

The poll's release comes days before former New Jersey governor Chris Christie is set to launch a "Christie on Campus" two-day tour of college campuses in New Hampshire, where he will visit Franklin Pierce University, Keene State College, the University of New Hampshire, and New England College.

"Colleges and college aged students have been traditionally overlooked or actively ignored by Republicans," the campaign said in a press release announcing the series of town-hall events. "This fact, combined with President Biden not participating in the New Hampshire primary, presents an opportunity to turnout new and independent voters."

"Christie has long advocated for Republicans to expand turnout by talking to people and going to places that Republicans historically avoid," the release adds.

Last month, Christie spoke to students at Dartmouth College, where he drew a crowd of 250 people and took substantive student questions about a host of issues, including the economy, jobs, and immigration.