Will Democrats Go Young?
2020 will mark 60 years since America elected its youngest President, John F. Kennedy. He succeeded America’s then-oldest President. JFK was 43; Ike was 70.
Next year, Trump will be 74. Just saying.
Will the torch be passed to a new generation?
That depends on two things: Will Democrats go young with their nominee? And will the growing number of under-40 voters exercise their potential clout?
Democrats do well when they go young for President: JFK in 1960, Clinton (age 46) in 1992 and Obama (47) in 2008.
This time, Democrats have Pete Buttigieg (37), Beto O’Rourke (46) and Cory Booker (49). Kamala Harris is 54, Kirsten Gillibrand is 52, John Delaney is 55, and Amy Klobuchar is 58. Then there’s Elizabeth Warren (69), Bernie Sanders (77) and Joe Biden (76).
There’s an opening for a young candidate, one who can mobilize the kind of energy and idealism among young voters that propelled Kennedy, Clinton and Obama. That energy and idealism is waiting to be tapped again this election. Why do you think AOC (29) is the best-known set of political initials since JFK?
To this point, Dr. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College, recently gave a fascinating presentation to the Institute of Political Leadership. He said the fastest-growing group of voters are the under-40s. In North Carolina, they are 34% of registered voters. They outnumber Baby Boomers, the next-biggest generational cohort, 31% of registered voters.
The under-40s include two groups: Millennials (born 1981-98), 26% of registered voters, and Generation Z (born after 1998), who are just reaching voting age, 8% of the total.
I guess it’s obvious that this is the fastest-growing group of voters; after all, nobody is being born over 40. Still, the numbers are striking. They show how much clout young voters can have.
But only if they vote. Bitzer noted that under-40s are the lowest-turnout voters. In 2016, only 53% of them voted; 79% of us Boomers voted. But was that the young voters’ fault? Or were they uninspired by the choice between Trump and Clinton?
Which brings me back to 1960. That was a watershed year in politics, in America and in North Carolina. JFK was part of the generation that fought WWII. He said they were “born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage.”
That year, Terry Sanford was the Democratic nominee for Governor in North Carolina. He was the same age as Kennedy, and also a WWII vet. Sanford broke ranks with other Southerners and supported JFK for the nomination; he even made a seconding speech at the Los Angeles convention. That cost Sanford votes in November, but paid off for North Carolina. As a favor to Sanford, President Kennedy made the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences build its new headquarters in the then-new and struggling Research Triangle Park. The rest is history.
In 1960, members of the Sanford-Kennedy generation were raising families, pursuing careers and moving to the suburbs. They were tired of taking orders from old men like Eisenhower. They were restless and ready to assert themselves in the nation’s politics.
So, today, are the under-40s. The oldest of them were born when Reagan was President and America moved sharply right. Their lives were shaped by 9/11, unending wars in the Middle East and the economic collapse of 2008. They borrowed heavily to go to college, then graduated into an uneven and unequal economy. Many of them are deeply concerned about climate change, immigration, racial fairness, gender equity and LGBTQ equality. They aren’t socialists, necessarily, but they aren’t afraid of the label. They want capitalism to be fairer, more just and more socially and environmentally responsible.
Bitzer says they lean left and Democratic, though they don’t associate themselves with either party: 40% of Millennials and 46% of Gen Z are registered Unaffiliated in North Carolina, compared to 25% of Baby Boomers and 32% of Gen X (born 1965-80).
The Raleigh elections this year may be telling. Several young candidates are running. Will young voters vote? If they do, it could presage something about North Carolina’s presidential primary in March – and the 2020 general election.
A final note: I have nothing against 70-somethings. Some of my best friends are over 70. I just turned 70, and I can tell you that 70 isn’t as old as it used to be. But it’s time for a new generation to step up.
Will Democrats Go Young?
2020 will mark 60 years since America elected its youngest President, John F. Kennedy. He succeeded America’s then-oldest President. JFK was 43; Ike was 70.
Next year, Trump will be 74. Just saying.
Will the torch be passed to a new generation?
That depends on two things: Will Democrats go young with their nominee? And will the growing number of under-40 voters exercise their potential clout?
Democrats do well when they go young for President: JFK in 1960, Clinton (age 46) in 1992 and Obama (47) in 2008.
This time, Democrats have Pete Buttigieg (37), Beto O’Rourke (46) and Cory Booker (49). Kamala Harris is 54, Kirsten Gillibrand is 52, John Delaney is 55, and Amy Klobuchar is 58. Then there’s Elizabeth Warren (69), Bernie Sanders (77) and Joe Biden (76).
There’s an opening for a young candidate, one who can mobilize the kind of energy and idealism among young voters that propelled Kennedy, Clinton and Obama. That energy and idealism is waiting to be tapped again this election. Why do you think AOC (29) is the best-known set of political initials since JFK?
To this point, Dr. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College, recently gave a fascinating presentation to the Institute of Political Leadership. He said the fastest-growing group of voters are the under-40s. In North Carolina, they are 34% of registered voters. They outnumber Baby Boomers, the next-biggest generational cohort, 31% of registered voters.
The under-40s include two groups: Millennials (born 1981-98), 26% of registered voters, and Generation Z (born after 1998), who are just reaching voting age, 8% of the total.
I guess it’s obvious that this is the fastest-growing group of voters; after all, nobody is being born over 40. Still, the numbers are striking. They show how much clout young voters can have.
But only if they vote. Bitzer noted that under-40s are the lowest-turnout voters. In 2016, only 53% of them voted; 79% of us Boomers voted. But was that the young voters’ fault? Or were they uninspired by the choice between Trump and Clinton?
Which brings me back to 1960. That was a watershed year in politics, in America and in North Carolina. JFK was part of the generation that fought WWII. He said they were “born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage.”
That year, Terry Sanford was the Democratic nominee for Governor in North Carolina. He was the same age as Kennedy, and also a WWII vet. Sanford broke ranks with other Southerners and supported JFK for the nomination; he even made a seconding speech at the Los Angeles convention. That cost Sanford votes in November, but paid off for North Carolina. As a favor to Sanford, President Kennedy made the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences build its new headquarters in the then-new and struggling Research Triangle Park. The rest is history.
In 1960, members of the Sanford-Kennedy generation were raising families, pursuing careers and moving to the suburbs. They were tired of taking orders from old men like Eisenhower. They were restless and ready to assert themselves in the nation’s politics.
So, today, are the under-40s. The oldest of them were born when Reagan was President and America moved sharply right. Their lives were shaped by 9/11, unending wars in the Middle East and the economic collapse of 2008. They borrowed heavily to go to college, then graduated into an uneven and unequal economy. Many of them are deeply concerned about climate change, immigration, racial fairness, gender equity and LGBTQ equality. They aren’t socialists, necessarily, but they aren’t afraid of the label. They want capitalism to be fairer, more just and more socially and environmentally responsible.
Bitzer says they lean left and Democratic, though they don’t associate themselves with either party: 40% of Millennials and 46% of Gen Z are registered Unaffiliated in North Carolina, compared to 25% of Baby Boomers and 32% of Gen X (born 1965-80).
The Raleigh elections this year may be telling. Several young candidates are running. Will young voters vote? If they do, it could presage something about North Carolina’s presidential primary in March – and the 2020 general election.
A final note: I have nothing against 70-somethings. Some of my best friends are over 70. I just turned 70, and I can tell you that 70 isn’t as old as it used to be. But it’s time for a new generation to step up.