CHARLOTTE, N.C. — During the 2024 election, a lot of attention was given to the potential impact of the "youth vote." Both major candidates took various approaches to connect with Gen Z and millennial voters, hoping to motivate them to head to the polls.
Tufts University estimates that 42% of voters aged 18 to 29 cast ballots this year, a decrease from the 50% turnout in 2020. However, youth turnout remained significant in key battleground states, with Tufts estimating that it was closer to 50%. Many of those young voters cast their ballots for Donald Trump.
Emily Stack, chair of the North Carolina Young Republicans, said the trend was not surprising.
“There’s young people getting out of college, they can’t find jobs, and they can’t afford homes,” Stack said. “So they’ve been fired up to go to the polls and make a difference.”
While North Carolina went to Trump, the Republican Party fell short in several statewide races, including governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, all of which went to Democrats. Stack said that outcome was expected.
“Honestly, quite a few of those races we kind of predicted would wash out the way they did,” she said. “I believe Mark Robinson probably did hurt the top two races, the attorney general and lieutenant governor races.”
On the Democratic side, Charles Deloach of the Mecklenburg County Democrats said Vice President Kamala Harris ran a strong campaign, but the odds were stacked against her, particularly among young voters.
“The one thing I think people can’t ignore is the global shift to backlash against incumbent parties in the United States,” Deloach said. “I think we’re seeing a lot of backlash against global inflation and the inability to separate the administration from what people are feeling at the grocery store, at restaurants, or when they’re paying rent.”
One key strategy Trump used to engage younger voters was appearing on popular podcasts hosted by figures like Theo Von and Joe Rogan. Some have criticized Harris for not following suit, but Deloach doesn’t believe it would have changed the outcome.
“Do I think Kamala Harris should have gone on Joe Rogan?” Deloach said. “Probably. Do I think that would have changed the results? Probably not.”
Since the election results were announced, many online have expressed concern about how a second Trump term might impact women. But Stack said those concerns may be overstated.
“When we looked at statistics for women voters, younger voters, and male voters, there was a significant percentage of women who voted conservatively,” she said. “I think a lot of that has to do with concerns about their careers. Reproductive rights ended up ranking sixth in priority for the average person who came out to vote, including women.”
Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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