Black students are excited by Kamala Harris entering the 2024 race
Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris speaking at a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
Kamala Harris’ nomination sparked a new wave of enthusiasm in young voters, marking an era of increased representation for younger generations and Black women in politics.
Before dropping out of the presidential race, Biden became one of America’s least popular presidents. Biden’s approval rating has not gone above 42 percent since May 2023, according to FiveThirtyEight, a website that compiles polling data related to U.S. politics. This was a departure from Biden’s initial approval rating of 53 percent, which plummeted in August 2021 and hasn’t recovered since.
Some university Black students expressed they are ready for change.
“When Biden was in it, it was kind of like people on both sides were just not going to vote,” Malachi Anderson, a junior history major at this university, said. “I thought Trump was going to win because people weren’t going to vote. The whole Kamala Harris coming in and replacing Biden, I think, rejuvenated the democratic party a lot.”
Until July 21, America was preparing for another election between Biden and Trump, two older politicians that many voters didn’t think could serve another four years. Perhaps this is why Harris’ nomination has sparked so much intrigue in the young voters; from Brat summer branding to promoting policies that focus on uplifting Gen Z, Harris has successfully marketed herself as the “young candidate.” In turn, Trump has now become the “old man” of the 2024 presidential race.
Several news stories, ranging from Biden underperforming in debates to telling governors to avoid scheduling events past 8 p.m., have questioned whether Biden is fit to serve a second term. In turn, Americans have been scrutinizing the 81-year-old president’s moves for any indication of mental or physical decline. Following the June 27 CNN presidential debate, a YouGov poll found that 79 percent of respondents believed Biden’s age could negatively impact his ability to serve as president. Despite being only three years younger, Republican nominee Donald Trump leaned into criticizing Biden’s age.
Gabrielle Messi, a freshman in the environmental stewardship track, shared that she was concerned about Biden’s age and how it would affect his presidency. While she was initially anxious about the election, Harris’ nomination gave her a sense of relief.
“I never thought of the possibility,” Messi said. “But when I saw that she was running, and I saw the support and Black women banding together saying, ‘Yes, we’re gonna vote for her, this will be our president,’ I felt more relieved and empowered.”
Like many young voters, Messi also feels that the U.S. government has failed to keep young voters’ interests in mind by allowing older politicians to stay in office. A study by the Pew Research Center found that about 79 percent of Americans support imposing maximum age limits on elected officials, particularly those in Washington, D.C. In general, adults under 30 are more likely to be in favor of term limits than their older counterparts.
After years of having presidents in their seventies or eighties, college-age voters yearn for some relatively young blood to be in charge.
“I think we need an FDR moment in today’s society,” Anderson said. “I think we need somebody to come in and do the things that people have been asking for for a long time.”