Gen-Z Voters Spread 'Kamalove,' Harris Popularity Earns Youth Support 💙
- Pramila Jayapal, progressive Seattle representative, says of ‘undeniable’ enthusiasm: ‘I have not seen anything like this.’ The Guardian, July 27, 2024. Ed.
------
Kamala Harris pledged to earn the votes of young people this election, as the vice-president and newly elevated presumptive Democratic nominee rides a gen Z-powered wave of online “Kamalove” . In a virtual address to attendees of a two-day summit in Atlanta, hosted by the liberal gen Z-led organization Voters of Tomorrow, Harris said she had been elected the first female vice-president of the US “because young voters showed up” in 2020.
She touted “historic progress” made by the Biden-Harris administration on combating gun violence and climate change, all of which she said was again “at stake this November”.
“We know young voters will be key, and we know your vote cannot be taken for granted,” she said in a pre-taped video. “It must be earned, and that is exactly what we will do.” In the days since Biden ended his presidential re-election campaign and endorsed the vice-president for November’s race against Republican nominee Trump, young supporters have flooded social media with coconut tree video cuts and “brat summer” memes – a reflection of the way her candidacy has jolted a presidential race many Democrats had feared was slipping away.
On the sidelines of the summit, Pramila Jayapal said the level of enthusiasm she has seen for Harris in the last 6 days - especially among young people - was “undeniable”.
“I have not seen anything like this,” Jayapal, chair of the Progressive caucus, which was divided over the question of whether Biden should step aside, said in an interview. “The closest was probably Barack Obama.” Citing the Harris campaign’s record fundraising and a surge of early support, she said: “But this is even more than that – just the amount of money that’s been raised. The fact that it’s come from grassroots donors, the fact that it’s 1st-time donors, the volunteers, the voter registration, it has really been palpable.”
Jayapal said Harris, who is poised to become the first woman of color to lead a major-party presidential ticket, had a unique opportunity to excite young people as well as Black and brown voters. Harris was also a strong messenger on issues that matter to young people, especially abortion rights, she said. “On every level, including the fact that she is a prosecutor and she will prosecute the case against a convicted felon, I think this is going to be a candidate that can take us to victory,” Jayapal said. Doug Jones, a former AL senator and a close ally of Biden, said Democrats were desperate to unite after a painful few weeks. “It has moved not just with lightning speed, but with an enthusiasm that I’ve never seen,” “It is extraordinary"...Read More,
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/27/kamala-harris-young-voters-israel-gaza-jayapal
⭐ VOTERS OF TOMORROW, Website:
https://votersoftomorrow.org/