Targeting Youth

Among many Republican coups in the 1980 elections, the one considered most significant was the party’s capture of the youth vote. Eighteen- to 35-year-olds are traditionally a Democratic bloc, but this group shifted from overwhelming Democratic allegiance in the early and mid Seventies to vote for Ronald Reagan and, even more importantly, to decide a number of 1980 Senate races in favor of the GOP. Many pollsters saw this as a permanent demographic change in party affiliation. Now, on the edge of 1988, Democrats are working to get the young voters back.

Why did the youth vote move to the Republicans? “After four years of Carter, Democrats in ’80 became reactive, defensive, and opposed to change,” says a Democratic think-tanker. “The GOP became the intellectual party—the party of ideas—and set in motion this whole youth movement away from the Democrats.” A campaign watcher notes, “Especially in the South, young Democrats began to identify as independents, and independents as Republicans. Reagan pulled an entire bloc of voters to the Right.”

JM

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John McLaughlin

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Presidential Election

Among many Republican coups in the 1980 elections, the one considered most significant was the party’s capture of the youth vote. Eighteen- to 35-year-olds are traditionally a Democratic bloc, but this group shifted from overwhelming Democratic allegiance in the early and mid Seventies to vote for Ronald Reagan and, even more importantly, to decide a number of 1980 Senate races in favor of the GOP. Many pollsters saw this as a permanent demographic change in party affiliation. Now, on the edge of 1988, Democrats are working to get the young voters back.

Why did the youth vote move to the Republicans? “After four years of Carter, Democrats in ’80 became reactive, defensive, and opposed to change,” says a Democratic think-tanker. “The GOP became the intellectual party—the party of ideas—and set in motion this whole youth movement away from the Democrats.” A campaign watcher notes, “Especially in the South, young Democrats began to identify as independents, and independents as Republicans. Reagan pulled an entire bloc of voters to the Right.”