Vice President Kamala Harris did not perform as strongly as expected among young voters in the 2024 presidential election. While Harris beat President Donald Trump by a margin of 55% to 42% among the 18-29 age group, it represented a 13-point difference, much less significant than President Joe Biden’s 24% margin over Trump in the 2020 election. Biden’s strong support among younger voters was a crucial factor in his victory, especially in battleground states.
Despite a Harvard Youth Poll indicating that Harris had a 20-point lead over Trump among 18-29 year olds, the actual election results showed a different story, with Trump gaining 6% among Gen Z voters and Harris losing 5%. This discrepancy was unexpected given the anticipation of Harris being able to mobilize a strong youth vote. As of 2024, there were 41 million eligible Gen Z voters in the United States.
The underperformance of Harris among young voters was not consistent with the usual strong Democratic support within this demographic. This failure to connect with young voters was surprising given Harris’ extensive youth outreach efforts leading up to the election. While Harris did manage to garner more support from younger voters than Trump, it was not by as large of a margin as initially predicted.
The National Election Pool’s exit polls revealed that while Harris did win among the 18-29 age group, her margin of victory over Trump was not as significant as expected. This was in contrast to Biden’s performance in the 2020 election, where he won the youth vote by a substantial 24%. The lack of strong support for Harris among young voters was noteworthy and could have implications for future elections.
Biden’s success in attracting younger voters in the 2020 election was a crucial component of his victory, particularly in closely contested races in battleground states. His ability to mobilize young voters was a key factor in his electoral success, highlighting the importance of this demographic in determining the outcome of elections. The future implications of Harris’ underperformance among young voters remain to be seen.
While Harris managed to win the 18-29 age group in the election, her lower than expected margin of victory over Trump raised questions about her ability to connect with young voters. The unexpected 6% gain for Trump among Gen Z voters and 5% loss for Harris in this group highlighted the shifting dynamics within this demographic. The outcome of the 2024 election emphasized the importance of youth support in determining election outcomes and may have implications for future campaigns.
