Guillermo: A new chance to re-engage Gen Z in the presidential race

We urgently need to engage more young people in our electoral process.

Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race paves the way for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to go the extra mile to close the enthusiasm gap and re-engage young people if they want to win the presidency. So far, this has been a glaring shortfall for both major presidential campaigns.

I run an organization devoted to empowering young women’s political leadership, and our latest focus groups conducted with college students in swing states reveal a generation increasingly disillusioned with politics.

Gen Z comprises America’s biggest voting bloc, along with millennials. They have told us they need younger, more diverse, and more authentic candidates who can speak to their generation’s values and concerns. They want candidates to whom they can relate, and who show genuine interest in relating to them. A candidate’s age need not be the decisive factor in their relatability, but trying to go the extra mile with young people can be.

On the Republican ticket, Sen. J.D. Vance’s confirmation as a 39-year-old vice-presidential candidate highlights the importance of engaging more young people in our electoral process. It’s a moment that transcends party lines. His nomination represents an understanding of the need to bring more young voices into the political arena, something our research shows is desperately needed.

Gen Z’s frustrations stem from feeling unheard and overlooked by political leadership. They are wary of performative politics and crave genuine change and engagement. When it comes to voting, this generation is also less likely to align strictly with traditional party lines, showing a marked independence in their political beliefs and a strong desire for candidates who can navigate beyond the constraints of our current political dichotomy.

They’re wary of being asked to “pick a side.” They want a conversation with their peers about the issues that matter most to them without it feeling like a minefield.

When it comes to side-picking, a 39-year-old vice-presidential nominee, to an extent, signals a shift toward a political future more reflective of the diversity and dynamism of America’s younger generations. It’s a step toward addressing Gen Z’s call for leaders who understand their unique experiences and challenges.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’s nomination as the Democratic candidate for president challenges this country to prove, yet again, that we can break through definitions of leadership that are held back by race and gender. Nationwide, I have seen young women of color stepping up and winning political races. They are successfully challenging pervasive stereotypes labeling women of color as too aggressive.

A growing movement of Americans ready to challenge that bias and tell women of color that it’s time to run and win. That’s even true — yes, it really is! — when it comes to applying for the most important job in the world.

Women of color are also ambitious. We don’t lack ambition. We don’t “need to try harder.” Those are arguments put forth by people who want to blame women for the same bias that limits our opportunities.

When voters elected Barack Obama in 2008, many, including his own wife, Michelle Obama, believed it couldn’t be done. However, as auto manufacturer Henry Ford is often quoted as saying, if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. This country consistently shows itself what is possible by reinventing itself and reaching for challenging new goals beyond what we imagine. That’s what makes America great, and it’s what breaks through our most strongly guarded barriers.

From my experience working with young women, I know that Vice President Harris’s ascension to her current office four years ago, as the first African-American and South Asian and first woman to serve in her role, ignited a wave of inspiration and optimism among young girls of color nationwide. Women of color lead fights for racial justice, contributing to movements like Black Lives Matter, and wield political influence, as exemplified by Stacey Abrams’s voter mobilization efforts in Georgia.

This election also continues to be about the policing of women’s bodies. Young people have shown they are ready to voice their outrage on abortion at the ballot box. In fact, they already have. Since June 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, candidates who reject women’s abortion rights are paying dearly at the ballot box and not only in states that tend to lean one way or the other. But in states like Kansas, Kentucky,

Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Candidates are “reaping what they Roe.” A decision to pass the torch to the next generation of political leaders can reignite young people’s interest in the election campaign.

It throws down the gauntlet to all the candidates to take Gen Z’s power at the ballot box seriously. Their vote cannot be taken for granted. At this point in the race, it is most certainly up for grabs and could well prove decisive.

Sara Guillermo is the CEO of IgniteNational.org, a young women’s political empowerment organization.