Young voters say their dissatisfaction runs deeper than Israel and Gaza

The energy on Michigan college campuses ahead of the 2022 midterms was electric, according to students.

Armed with promises to protect abortion rights, Democratic candidates held large campus meetings, drawing crowds ready to cheer rather than protest. On election day, students showed up in droves, resulting in the highest turnout of young people of any state, allowing Democrats to gain full control of Michigan’s government for the first time in decades.

But ahead of the Democratic presidential primaries on Tuesday, the energy appears to have turned to apathy or anger. Young activists have been at the forefront of the ongoing resistance to President Biden’s unwavering support for Israel and its military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The protest against US policies culminated in an attempt to encourage residents to vote ‘unfettered’. to send a message to Mr Biden in the crucial state for the general election.

Interviews with more than two dozen students across the state pointed to a deeper source of dissatisfaction, not just with the sitting president, but also with the prospect of having to choose again for decades between two candidates — Mr. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump. older than her.

“There was a tense atmosphere on campus,” said Adam Lacasse, co-chair of the University of Michigan College Democrats. “If many people are not dissatisfied with what is going on, with the way the government is handling this conflict, they have turned away from politics because they don’t want to get involved.”

National polls have been reflecting a similar sentiment for months, with voters under the age of 30 backing Mr. Biden more than 20 points in 2020 are not enthusiastic about a rematch between Mr Biden and Mr Trump, who is heavily favored in Tuesday’s Republican primaries.

But for some young people in Michigan and elsewhere, Mr. Biden’s alignment with Israel has raised a new concern. Voters under 30 overwhelmingly voiced their opposition to the conflict in a New York Times/Siena College poll in December, saying Israel had not done enough to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza and that the military campaign should end.

Many Michigan students described the conflict as virtually inescapable, regardless of their position on the foreign policy issue. Campus protests have become commonplace and coverage of the war has dominated their social media feeds.

Hussein Bazzi, 24, a student at Wayne State University, said he would vote “uncommitted” to send a message to Mr. Biden: “that we want an immediate ceasefire.” Mr. Bazzi endorsed Mr. Biden in 2020 but is unsure whether he will do so again in November. “If that isn’t a clear message to him,” he said, “then I don’t know what is.”

Biden is still expected to easily win Tuesday’s primaries. But the strength of his opposition will be closely watched as a signal about his support heading into November.

A poll commissioned by The Detroit News and WDIV-TV in January showed that 15.6 percent of Michigan voters 18 to 29 had a positive view of Mr. Biden.

“If you’re a Democratic incumbent running for re-election, young voters are a vital part of your coalition, and that’s why the numbers we’re finding in Michigan show that Joe Biden is really on kind of a dangerous path right now, said Richard Czuba, an independent pollster in Lansing, Michigan, who said Mr. Biden’s age was the main cause of dissatisfaction.

Several leaders of Michigan’s College Democrats said they were concerned that young people were simply not excited about 2024. Even a small slip in Biden’s coalition, with voters staying home, could hurt his chances.

“I’m certainly not going to sugarcoat it: I’m personally nervous,” said Liam Richichi, vice president of College Democrats at Michigan State University. He added that students seemed “bored by the prospects we have.”

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people in the club, and something we’re actively trying to work on is the likelihood of low voter turnout in the elections,” he added, suggesting the group could emphasize ‘ down-ballot races’ such as Senate elections. in November.

The Biden campaign deployed some surrogates before Tuesday to reach young people: Rep. Sara Jacobs of California held a discussion at the University of Michigan, and Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland led a virtual meeting with students.

Alyssa Bradley, communications director for the Biden campaign in Michigan, said Mr. Biden has taken “historic action to support young Americans,” pointing to his endorsement of climate policies, millions in student loan forgiveness and his support for abortion access , which she said was a “stark contrast” with Mr. Trump.

“Our rights, our future and our democracy are at stake in this election, and we will continue to engage young people to prevent Donald Trump from returning to the White House, just as we did in 2020,” she said.

But some young people said in interviews that they were unaware of the president’s performance on issues they cared about, part of a messaging challenge that the campaign has tried to address by expanding its digital presence . (Mr. Biden posted his first TikTok post this month.)

“I recognize America’s right to vote, but we also have the right not to, especially if you disagree with one of the candidates,” said Aiden Duong, a 19-year-old student at Michigan State. is not part of the ‘uncommitted’ effort. He said he did not plan to support Mr. Trump or Mr. Biden in November, citing their ages and what he saw as inaction on climate change, a major issue for him.

Listen to Michigan, the group of mostly young organizers pushing for a “non-committed” protest vote, has tried to capitalize on Democratic discontent by showing up on campuses, but has sometimes struggled to reach that audience. The primaries are taking place during a week when many Michigan students are on spring break and many students still on campus were unaware of the election.

About 100 people finally showed up last week for a “voluntary” meeting at the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. Organizers encouraged attendees to stand in a large circle to take up more space. A march to the polls organized by Listen to Michigan at Kalamazoo College drew about 15 students Saturday.

Mr Biden said on Monday he hoped for a ceasefire within the next week. But some students who support the effort say nothing will change their opinion of Mr. Biden. Salma Hamamy, a University of Michigan student who has organized pro-Palestinian protests there, said that despite her support for Biden in 2020, she would not do so again.

“For me, he is beyond redemption – he has lost my vote, because voting for him basically means saying I agree with his actions,” said Ms Hamamy, 22. “If that means Trump gets elected, I blame the Democratic Party for allowing this to happen.”

However, students who support Mr. Biden argue that even as their peers remain skeptical, closely comparing the two candidates will be enough to win over young people as November approaches.

Immaculata James, co-chair of the College Democrats at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, pointed to the Biden administration’s work in areas like college debt relief and health care costs in encouraging students to ask, “Even if it’s not So, It is a very exciting election, but ultimately what does your future look like under Trump versus under Biden?”

Donovan Greene, a senior at Kalamazoo College who attended the Listen to Michigan walk to the polls, said she supported Mr. Biden in 2020, calling him the “lesser of two evils” but voted “not committed” in the primaries because of his Israel policy.

But Ms Greene said that in her “last desperate moments” she would consider backing him again in November, saying: “The changes that have taken place socially and economically in the US under Donald Trump’s presidency have been unequivocal which I do not want to see. .”