Call it a vibe shift, America’s coconut peeling, or the next phase of “brat summer,” but Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign theme blasted memes.
They not only breathed new humor and life into the Democratic Party’s hopes of defeating former President Donald Trump, but also created a narrow but important window of opportunity for the Harris campaign to reengage a disillusioned segment of its base, reach out fresh and in tune. Engage young voters in a fragmented media ecosystem and keep those voters engaged in the fall.
That would be a tricky job. Young voters have historically been disengaged from the 2024 presidential election and dissatisfied with the status quo: upset about the cost of living, worried about health care and abortion rights, appalled by the war in Gaza and generally turned off by a rematch between the two elders. They are men strongly dislike Both Trump and President Joe Biden — especially quickly and dramatically — came down on Biden beginning in the summer of 2021, reducing both his approval rating and his chances against Trump in national polls.
With Biden now off the ticket and Harris withholding the party’s nomination, youth activists and experts on young voters told me they’re seeing signs that Democrats may be recapturing the lagging support the party enjoyed when Biden led the ticket.
“What happens online, especially for young voters, is a really important indicator of the general power they feel and what we’re seeing through voting at the ballot box,” said Cristina Zintjan Ramirez, president of the youth voter-focused organization NextGen. America, told me.
These memes are creating hope, inspiring curiosity about race, and — perhaps more importantly — satisfying young people and online users at a time when traditional media and propaganda have limited reach.
But will this be enough to get young people to vote? Or will the Harris campaign be the latest Democratic candidate to bet on the youth vote — and lose?
Memes are doing something that propaganda can’t
Besides being funny, memes have power both as symbols and motivation. As my colleague Rebecca Jennings writes, in politics, memorability is a stand-in for how likable and relatable a candidate is, a sign of the ability to become a “ubiquitous Internet presence” and a “conspicuous cultural brand that transcends politics.”
Presidents Barack Obama and Trump were actors in their own specific ways. Always in the public eye, they provide a wealth of material from which memes can and do be made. They were entertaining to watch, inspired grassroots fans and didn’t have to try too hard to become cultural figures and not just politicians. They become more than just politicians – they become part of the zeitgeist, escaping their respective information silos and becoming monocultures.
It’s early days, but something similar is happening with Harris. What began as nihilistic humor, out-of-context editing and ironic postings as the country navigated a chaotic month of political upheaval became a real cultural moment and a springboard for Harris’ campaign and allies to reintroduce (or in some cases, introduce) youth. With Vice President.
“These brat memes, these coconut tree memes don’t necessarily inspire a view, but [they inspire] Hopefully,” Jack Lobel, communications director for the youth outreach group Voters of Tomorrow told me. “It feels like a moment, there’s optimism in the air, and now it seems almost easier to do our jobs.”
That sense of optimism is due in part to how different the presidential race looks now. The contest was once between two candidates who have dominated the political memory of the nation’s youngest voters. Now it has a vice president that many don’t know.
Young people are already the lowest voter turnout group aware of, At least tune inand at least probably to vote Young Americans’ attention to political news hits low in 2023 – just 9 percent say they follow political developments very closely, compared to 16 percent on average over the past 20 years Gallup. And less than half of 18- to 29-year-olds said they voted in May heavy attentionCompared to the larger majority of older groups.
In the context of a fragmented information and media ecosystem, these memes and social media are likely the first way many of them learn about Harris, his personality, his past life and his achievements.
Much is true when it comes to his record. inside Voting A majority of voters, polled by Democratic research firm Blueprint, said they are aware of who Harris is, but aren’t quite sure how to define him or his priorities. Words like “liberal” and “prosecutor” are the most likely ways he’s been defined, including among younger voters, but many people can’t specifically name what he’s done or accomplished — or what he should be blamed for.
This dynamic can also be seen online: memes, clips and quote Photos of Harris now going viral in interviews or town halls, on the trail or on the job, have fueled a curiosity to find out who he is, to want to be a part of this cultural moment. Clips of Harris Talking about gun controlReflections on being a person of color, and instructing clerks in California Start conducting same-sex marriages All comments are full description as “a breath of fresh air” or amazing How long has he actually been in politics?
Here is an opportunity to engage young voters
All of this suggests a unique opportunity to inspire, inform, and find young voters who are waiting for this energy and pulse shift to shake up the race.
All the activists and experts I spoke to told me they were tracking clear signs of a shift in Gen Z and younger voter participation. Lobel’s organization, for example, saw one spike Last week an application was made for the creation of a new chapter of their organization. Tomorrow’s Political Action Committee voters also saw their best fundraising day ever as they endorsed Harris’ candidacy.
Voter registration rates are already rising the majority Biden is among 38,500 people who signed up on Vote.org in two days since he turned 34. And in the entire week since then, more than 100,000 new voters have registered — 84 percent of whom are ages 18 to 34. The agency told Vox that 1 in 1 of those registrants is 18, and the swing states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania are the sign-ups. The highest increase in cases
Surveys are already showing some movement, though it’s early days: Economist, CNNAnd CBS Polls also show that interest or motivation to vote among young voters has increased since Biden dropped out. Others point to Harris recapturing the traditional margin of support Democrats have enjoyed in presidential races: both New York Times/Sienna And Axios/Generation Labs Last week’s poll roughly showed Harris holding a 20-point lead among those voters. That same poll gave Biden only a 4 percent advantage Back in Aprilor showed Trump led by Biden.
Focusing on young voters comes with risks
Some of this may be temporary — the result of a honeymoon bump of positive coverage, relief at Biden’s departure and a general lack of awareness of Harris.
And while it may be tempting to think it will hold, the vibes won’t stay this positive forever. More progressive and left-leaning young voters may still be disappointed as they learn more about Harris, his record on policing, his approach to Gaza, or who he chooses as his running mate. Other more moderate or independent young voters may feel similarly conflicted as the general election progresses.
Maintaining this positive attitude will require sustained investment and outreach from Harris, his surrogates and campaign and supportive outside groups — earlier outreach to young voters, a low-propensity group, comes later in the election cycle, when they return to college. campuses in the fall, and folded in traditional get-out-the-vote efforts.
Officials and politicians also risk overplaying memes and jokes — acknowledging them too much on social media or at rallies, exhausting the humor, or coming off as absurd or unsubstantiated — the kind of thing that stymied Hillary Clinton’s early efforts at voter outreach (“Pokémon Votes go” classic example).
All of this is risky: While much of the glowing coverage in the era of Trump and Biden has painted young voters as progressive saviors for Democrats, young voters are not the most reliable part of the electorate. This group of voters is out Record number During the pandemic, but never a hardcore Biden supporter. They voted at historically high rates in the 2022 midterms, but they were not as strongly Democratic as in previous midterms (2018 is the high watermark for young voter turnout in a midterm year).
And they’ve hurt Democrats before. A sharp drop Young voter turnout and support for Democrats nationally and in battleground states contributed to Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016. A similarly dramatic drop-off hit Democrats in the 2010 midterms to elect Obama in 2008. And they usually have become Fewer supporters of Democrats And a smaller portion of the electorate from the Obama years, when they formed one A fifth of voters And supported him more than John McCain 30-point margin.
Why Ken Harris’s campaign could fly where others fell
For now, Harris and his surrogates have indicated they plan to take young voters seriously. Speaking virtually at a Voters of Tomorrow summit in Georgia this weekend, Harris vowed not to neglect young voters, saying young voters are what helped propel Biden and him to the White House. “This November, we will win again, and we need your support,” Harris said. “We know young voters matter and we know your vote cannot be taken for granted. It must be earned. And that’s exactly what we’ll do.”
Some Democratic-aligned groups also plan to take advantage of these social media vibes: In a call with reporters last week, a spokeswoman for the Democratic super PAC, Priority America, said they expect more opportunities to work with social media influencers and content creators with Harris at the top of the ticket. Before leaving the Biden ticket, many founders who worked with super PACs in past cycles weren’t comfortable talking about politics or promoting specific candidates, said Nick Ahmed, Priority’s deputy executive director.
“It’s actually changed in the last 72 hours,” he told me.
These early online indicators are encouraging signs, Lobel says, but they’re just the beginning. “Views and likes are not the end game. The end game is political action.
