In recent elections, all eyes have been on young voters. The same holds true for the 2024 Presidential election. While statistically, those ages 65 and over are most likely to vote, younger voters are those using social media rather than legacy media to stay informed and are more likely to be exposed to less restrictive and bifurcated forms of information, including campaign platforms. Few voters of any age group are looking forward to the potential (and expected) “rematch” between current president Joseph Biden and former president Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election—forming a group known as “double haters,” or voters who dislike both major party candidates. Many voters have lost faith that a new presidential candidate will make headway even in primaries, and early polling and analyses indicate that they may be correct.
Many young voters are having trouble finding a candidate with a platform that they believe best aligns with their beliefs while recognizing the stakes that lie in who is elected. They are caught in the dilemma that if they vote for a candidate who may not have the best chance in the race but whose platform they more closely support, voters may be inadvertently permitting their “last choice” candidate to win.
The thought of this occurring appears to scare many voters into voting for who they believe to be the “safe choice”—someone whose platform may not be ideal, but who may stand a chance against the “last choice.” Are voters to support the candidate who best represents their ideologies—even if it means risking “wasting” their vote—or the candidate who is the “safer” option out of those expected to make it the furthest in the race? This debate has confused many young voters and has forced many more to make decisions that they feel may be morally incorrect and ethically unjustifiable, but ultimately necessary for the future of the United States and the well-being of its people.
Joe Biden, the sitting Democratic president, is running a campaign on the idea of maintaining the same stability his presidency has provided since the chaotic one-term tenure of Donald Trump. Running his re-election campaign on the idea that he is the reliable choice for Democratic voters, Biden’s approach relies on using his current term as an example of progress, largely citing historically low unemployment rates as proof of change. However, Biden is now facing a low approval rating—its lowest since April. In a recent poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College, out of the people who did not like either candidate, 42 percent planned to vote for Trump, while 34 percent planned to vote for Biden. Out of those ages 18-29, percentages of people who would vote for each candidate were neck-to-neck, with 33 percent leaning towards Trump, and 30 percent leaning towards Biden.
Among Democrats, Biden continually shows up as a first choice and is the uncontested candidate for the party—but not necessarily due to his platform or beliefs. Eli North, a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Keke, “I would vote for Biden in both the primary and general elections, as I think he is the most likely to succeed against the emboldened right wing of the country.” The thought of any of the right-wing candidates sitting in the White House is enough for most young Democratic voters to lend their vote to the incumbent, who is believed to have the “best shot” in the race for president against Republican forces such as Trump and DeSantis.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who began the race as a Democrat and announced he would be running as an Independent on October 9, is the candidate outside of Trump and Biden with the most support. In the same New York Times poll, nearly 25 percent said they would choose Kennedy if his name was an option, although two-thirds of those who would back him also said they would definitely or probably vote for either Trump or Biden. Kennedy, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, is an environmental lawyer turned anti-vaccine activist. He has launched a campaign on the promise of “healing the divide” in American politics. He claimed that the Democratic Party has turned into the “party of war” and stated that he directly attributes that to Joe Biden’s presidency. Kennedy has set himself apart from both the incumbent president, deviating far from the progressive policies that appear to resonate with younger voters.
Engaging in and promoting a wide variety of conspiracy theories, and often making statements that set himself apart from the family and their views, Kennedy’s views have made clear that his platform does not, and will not, echo his uncle’s—disappointing many Democratic voters. Further affecting his run, Jack Schlossberg, the sole grandson of JFK, publicly posted a statement in support of Biden and direct opposition to his cousin’s campaign. Claiming that Kennedy is running on a platform of “Camelot, celebrity, conspiracy theories, and conflict,” and repeatedly stating that he is running for “personal gain and fame” instead of for the good of the country, Schlossberg has severely undermined his cousin’s platforms and indicated where the Kennedy family’s support lies.
Marianne Williamson is currently the only female Democratic candidate who has entered the race and will be 72-years-old on inauguration day. A self-help author turned politician, she ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2020, centering her platform around peace and reparation. Claiming that her vision is to bring the government back into the hands of the people—rather than let it sit in the hands of major corporations—she has established herself to be a force of reform, embodying President Kennedy’s stance on peace and humanitarian change. Williamson’s policies fall on the more progressive side of the spectrum, especially compared to her competitors.
Williamson has gained the support of some young voters on account of her progressive views, but polls still show far greater support for Biden (and comparatively stronger support for Kennedy). Despite her platform appealing to the younger Democratic demographic on almost all accounts, early polls and surveys indicate that she would have little support in the booths. Many voters are too terrified to risk their votes on someone such as Williamson, being far more willing to “settle for less” and vote for Biden than see one of the current Republican frontrunners in office. “I like her platform, but I’m just not willing to waste my vote in an election as important as this one,” one freshman at North Carolina State University said.
Donald J. Trump, the infamous former Republican president, who is currently on trial for civil fraud and the first current or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges, is running on an exaggerated version of the campaign that previously resulted in his being elected. The most popular of these cases, in which he has been charged with four separate counts, regards his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election—leading up to the highly controversial January 6, 2021 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol.
Businessman turned right-wing politician, Trump won the 2016 presidential election (despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton) and lost the 2020 election to incumbent President Biden—though, not without causing a historical uproar. During his four-year reign, Trump caused significant turmoil in the government as a whole, appealing to the far right wing and setting his platform and his supporters apart from other Republicans. Trump is firmly pro-gun and pro-life, claiming credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade on account of his appointing the influential Supreme Court justices who struck down the decision. Donald Trump has officially run for president four times, in 2000, 2016, 2020, and 2024, unofficially in 2012, and considered a run in 2004.
Trump’s campaign for the 2024 presidential election relies on using his one-term presidency as an example. Though this is unlikely to convince new voters to back him, it will solidify the votes of his far-right supporters who have proven that they will do anything they believe will benefit Trump. Regardless of these countless criminal charges and controversies, Trump has continued to claim innocence and promote his presidential campaign, while maintaining a cult-like following of his controversial platform—scaring many young Democrats. “While the Democratic field is uninspiring, four years of a Trump presidency is enough to push me to vote for any reasonable Democrat,” Miles Kirkpatrick, a freshman at Yale University told Keke. Trump’s one-term tenure and established platform have convinced many Democratic voters that the goal is no longer to vote for the best candidate but to simply ensure Trump does not hold office again.
Republican candidate and current Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, is prioritizing the conservative group that believes that the country is in an unfit state under Biden, while mirroring former President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” incentive, DeSantis claims that he intends to lead the nation to its “Great American Comeback.” The 2022 midterm elections warned of a “red wave” that was said to materialize across the country. Among the most notable red waves was the one in the Sunshine State, led by DeSantis, who pushed through an aggressive agenda and passed a number of controversial laws.
DeSantis has passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, in Florida, terrifying many of what could happen to the state of the country if he sits in office. Including no-exception clauses for rape and incest, he has also aligned himself with unpopular religiously-rooted beliefs on abortion. Many young voters fear that neither DeSantis or Trump is particularly better than the other. Angela Quintanilla-Capawana, a freshman at Duke University, believes DeSantis will be nominated for the Republican seat. “I’m terrified for that day,” she said.
The former Vice President and Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, was a Republican candidate who dropped out of the race on October 28, saying “This is not my time,” in a speech the same day, after struggling to gain footing in the race. His platform, in an attempt to rely on the support of Republicans who haven’t already sided with Trump or DeSantis’ views, fell flat with the faction as he towed the line between condemning Trump, while still defending his administration’s policies.
With the stakes of the country’s immediate future resting on the 2024 presidential election, young voters are gearing up to cast their votes and balance the effect of Boomers—the group who historically vote the most and lean conservative.
As voters face the reality of the upcoming presidential election, one thing rings clear: No candidate is a “perfect” choice. As political polarity deepens and Biden’s policies surrounding the Israeli crisis fractures the Democratic coalition, young voters are losing touch of a clear answer on who the “best” and “safe” candidate could be.
