These young women did not want to vote for Biden – now they’re all in on Harris
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Vice-President Kamala Harris' candidacy has reinvigorated many Democrats and independents – and particularly young women.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON – Ms Constance Lancelle, 22, from Milwaukee, was “definitely not interested in voting for Biden” but with Vice-President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate, she said: “I feel like politics have been a dream.”
Ms Sierra Sanson, 23, from Medford, New Jersey, planned to vote for the Green Party’s Jill Stein, or not at all. Now she is thrilled to support Ms Harris: “She’s a badass woman whom I want to see succeed.”
Ms Emily Baumel, 27, from Madison, Wisconsin, had not planned to vote for president, but will now vote for Ms Harris: “I have a lot less dread; I like how much hope she’s giving people.”
Ms Harris’ candidacy has reinvigorated many Democrats and independents – and particularly young women. Their newfound enthusiasm is evident in interviews, and in early signals from polls in swing states and nationwide.
As a group, young women were never going to support Donald Trump in the election, according to national New York Times/Siena College polls.
But that had not always meant backing President Joe Biden. His support among both women and the young aged 18 to 29, crucial to his 2020 victory, had been slipping before his exit from the race.
It is still early in Ms Harris’ candidacy, and the numbers of these voters included in polls are too small to make definitive conclusions, but so far, she seems to be winning many of them back.
In Times/Siena polls in August of voters in six swing states, young women were, on average, 10 percentage points more likely to support Ms Harris than they had been in May to support Mr Biden.
Across those states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – 67 per cent of young women now said they planned to vote for her, and 29 per cent for Trump. A larger share of them support Ms Harris in the Times/Siena polls than in any other age and gender group.
Young men were 5 points more likely to support Ms Harris than Biden, but 53 per cent planned to vote for Trump, and 40 per cent for Ms Harris.
Recent national polls from Ipsos and Marquette Law School found a similar shift among young women.
Ms Sarah Feldman, a senior data journalist at Ipsos, said: “The historic summer we’ve lived through pulled some young women off the sidelines and into the election. These are more marginal shifts overall, but with an incredibly close election, these small decisive swings in support can matter.”
The New York Times called back young women who told Times/Siena pollsters in August that they supported Ms Harris. Of the eight we reached for follow-up interviews, none said they had planned to vote for Trump, but they all had intended either to sit out the election, vote for a third-party candidate or begrudgingly vote for Mr Biden.
Ms Sanson said: “I would be proud to see her as president of this country, whereas with Biden, I was embarrassed by the idea.”
For many young women, Mr Biden and Trump were the only presidential candidates they had been old enough to vote for, which they said left them feeling uninvested and discouraged.
Ms Eloisa Gloria, 22, who is studying illustration at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, said she had felt “disillusioned” by politics. Now, she is excited.
“This is the first time I have voted and genuinely felt positive about the candidate,” she said. “I think Kamala is incredibly intelligent and that she will care far more about our well-being than simply winning the election.”
Illustration student Eloisa Gloria said she was feeling optimistic about politics for the first time.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
She has been watching live streams of Ms Harris’ rallies, she said. She likes her ideas for paying teachers more, prioritising abortion rights and addressing climate change.
Ms Areli Herrera, 25, a non-profit worker in Milwaukee, said: “This was actually one of the first elections where I was like, honestly, I can’t shame people who don’t vote. I get it.”
That changed with Ms Harris’ candidacy, she said: “I kind of felt a breath of relief.”
Ms Herrera said Ms Harris is more moderate than she is. She is wary of Ms Harris’ background in law enforcement, and disliked how she cut short pro-Palestinian protesters who had interrupted her at a rally. But she said she appreciates that centre-left ideas might help the Harris campaign win over moderate voters – and defeat Trump.
Non-profit worker Areli Herrera acknowledged that Ms Kamala Harris is more moderate than she is, but said she appreciates that centre-left ideas might help defeat Donald Trump.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Ms Harris’ choice of Mr Tim Walz for a running mate bolstered her support: “She’s done what I could never do in my dating life – she picked the right white man.”
Ms Baumel, from Madison, works in healthcare and worries that Ms Harris is not progressive enough, especially on the issues most important to her: student loans, healthcare and the Israel-Hamas war.
But Ms Harris has two major things going for her, Ms Baumel said: “One, she’s not a 70-year-old man or older. Two, I really like her VP pick. Coming from the Midwest, I love to see Midwestern dads.
“Will I vote for her in four more years? I don’t know, but she’s worth a shot.” NYTIMES
