Can Kamala Harris Overcome Biden's Struggle With Young Voters?

In the hours after President Biden announced he would be stepping off the ticket and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, Gen Z voters sprang into action online.

From coconut tree and “brat”-coded memes to official endorsements of Harris from youth-focused political groups, there was a tone shift among left-leaning young voters, organizers and activists: some moving away from doubts and frustration with Biden as their nominee and others excited and relieved for Harris’s prospects instead.

In about 100 written responses to NPR, voters overwhelmingly praised Biden’s decision to exit the race, though some remained cautious and undecided over how Harris’ message and policy platform may veer from Biden’s.

Zach Berly, 26, of Angier, North Carolina, used to be a Republican. He voted for former president Donald Trump in 2016 but flipped to Biden in 2020. As concern for the president grew over the past few weeks, he began watching Harris more closely and slowly became less hesitant about her as a potential replacement on the ticket. Berly’s support was cemented when he saw Harris speak in North Carolina last week.

“She was fantastic,” he admitted. “I’m a real doomer, so the weeks since the debate had been really tough, but everything suddenly flipped.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that excited,” he added. “I was dreading the next 106 days. Now I can’t wait to dig in.”

Penelope Jennings, 19, of Morris County, New Jersey, had planned to vote for Biden this fall but admitted she was unsure if he could pull out another victory.

“The prospect of Kamala [Harris] as the nominee and most of [the] party leadership falling behind her makes me feel a lot better,” she explained, adding that while Harris still has to answer to some of the same policy concerns young voters had of Biden, she can run a stronger campaign against Trump.

“I truly believe the primary issue with young voters is that a lot of people weren’t going to vote at all, and I believe that Kamala [Harris] will reinvigorate people,” she added. “She is still miles better than Trump.”

Nearby on Long Island in New York, 28-year-old Christian Stafford had a similar feeling.

“I feel so much more refreshed, energized and inspired,” he said. “The problem was that Biden didn’t feel like he was inspiring, whereas with Kamala [Harris], I don’t feel like I’m “settling” for her.”

Biden has long repeated the phrase, “Don’t compare me to the almighty; compare me to the alternative,” but over the past year, some young voters have bristled at choosing between Biden and Trump.

Young voters overwhelmingly voted for Biden in 2020, and the administration acted on a number of political issues that have previously motivated young voters to get politically engaged, including taking steps to establish an office of gun violence prevention, relieving billions in student debt and tackling climate change.

But Biden has still struggled with Gen Z and millennial voters in national polls. He also received loud criticism from prominent young organizers, who disagreed with some of his policy decisions, including his approval of an oil drilling project in Alaska last year and his commitment to send military aid to Israel in its war against Hamas.

Elise Joshi has been one of those critical young voices. The 22-year-old heads the youth-focused group Gen Z for Change, which advocates for progressive policies online and has nearly 2 million followers on TikTok. The organization had not endorsed Biden, but after he exited the race, they quickly supported Harris.

“Our endorsement of Vice President Harris is a broader representative endorsement of the Democratic party’s decision to listen to its constituents and unite around a candidate with newer and younger vision for this country” and the “necessary energy to defeat Donald Trump,” she said in a statement to NPR.

But how Harris may address issues like the Israel-Hamas war is still a concern for some young voters. Harris has previously said she stands with Biden’s foreign policy, but she publicly voiced support for a temporary ceasefire before Biden did. However, some voters aligned with the ‘uncommitted movement’ during the primaries remain in a tough place. (However, the Uncommitted National Movement has come out and endorsed Harris.)

“I’d like to see substantive evidence that her position on Gaza will be better than Biden in a meaningful way,” said Mason Pressler of Bay City, Michigan.

Pressler, who had just turned 18, argued that this was the issue that weighed the most on his vote. He explained that if Harris could heed some of the calls progressives make, like advocating for a permanent ceasefire, she’d earn his support.

He said his friends were “demoralized” about the election a week ago.

“People were asking me which third party was best to vote for and what the point was in voting,” he said. “I’m not sure that has fundamentally changed, but I do think Kamala [Harris] has the ability to reach people that Biden never could. The question is, will she make an effort to?”

Throughout Biden’s first term, Harris has also emphasized reaching out to younger voters. Last fall, she traveled around the country, visiting different colleges and focusing discussions on issues like protecting abortion rights and curbing gun violence — two areas she championed during Biden’s first term.

However, Raquel Crudete, 26, of Indianapolis, Indiana, is more convinced that Harris can be moved to the left on policy in ways Biden could not, including on foreign policy.

“I was really looking at third parties if I had to vote, and there had not been a change in the democratic nominee,” Crudete said. “I had even started just focusing on down-ballot races in the hopes that even if Biden lost, at least we’d have a chance with keeping the House and Senate.”

In just over a day after Harris announced she would seek the nomination, her campaign reported raising $100 million. Crudete was struck by the general response Harris received.

“This has helped revitalize the democratic base,” she added.

Others, like Alec Ferreira, 25, of San Carlos, Arizona, have been taken aback by the swift ticket change.

“It really broke my heart seeing [Biden] step down, but it had to be done,” Ferreira, who leans more independent, said. “In all honesty, I really wish he let the delegates decide the nominee instead of backing Kamala [Harris] up from the get-go.”

Questions also remain on whether excitement for Harris will last, even as the internet content keeps coming.

“Despite how funny all of the coconut memes and brat edits are, I hope VP Harris does not make the mistake of taking young voters for granted,” said Cameron Driggers, 19, of Gainesville, Florida.

“At the end of the day, Gen-Z wants something to vote for, and memes aren’t gonna cut it.”