Young voters who had prepared to hold their nose and vote to reelect President Joe Biden this November expressed optimism and hope on Sunday after hearing the news that the president was ending his bid and throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee.
“This is the most energized I have felt as a young Democratic voter in so long,” said 22-year-old Democrat Audrey Grant, a Vermont resident and former Simmons University student. She said she’s prepared to vote for Harris.
Grant was a participant in the GBH News video series Politics IRL. She and five other Gen Z voters from the series shared their reactions with GBH News on Sunday.
Grant said the action from Biden represents a turning point for Democrats: “I think this is one of the first times that the Democratic Party has seized control of a media narrative and really changed the tide.”
“This is the most energized I have felt as a young Democratic voter in so long.”Audrey Grant, a 22-year-old Democrat
Clyve Lawrence, a 21-year-old progressive, said he thought Biden needed to drop out ever since his poor debate performance against Trump. He said endorsing Harris is the “practical and democratic” option.
“I think this is a big deal for many Democratic voters who want to see a diverse ticket at the top,” Lawrence said.
Kunal Botla, a 19-year-old progressive from Lexington, noted that Biden has served the country well but that Harris has a larger online presence and can appeal to young voters.
“You can actually take clips of what she says and do something with them,” Botla said, “versus Biden in these last few months has been pretty quiet, pretty subdued, pretty out of the way.”
Botla and Abigail Meyers, a 20-year-old Democrat, had previously said their Biden vote was hanging on by a thread. Now, they said they plan to vote for Harris with more enthusiasm.
Meyers said she was shocked by the news and expressed nervousness about the election.
“I am very, very eager to hopefully get Donald Trump out of office and for a new wave of very young, qualified leadership,” Meyers said. “I’m very excited for this new change. It is very overwhelming and scary in a lot of ways.”
”This is definitely going to cause a lot of infighting between the Democrats in every election."Ky Urban, chairman of the Southern New Hampshire University College Republicans
Young Republicans, however, felt that Biden’s withdrawal from the election all but hands the presidency to Trump.
Timothy Smyth, a 24-year-old member of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee, said donors and Democratic elites — not voters — chose Harris for this position. He added that he believes Harris is not a better choice than Biden.
”I think Donald Trump will be our next president this time next year,“ he said. ”I also think Trump will bring the Senate and House with him in November.“
Ky Urban, 22, and the chairman of the Southern New Hampshire University College Republicans, expressed shock at the news.
”I can say that Donald Trump and JD Vance are going to win this election ... this is definitely going to cause a lot of infighting between the Democrats in every election,“ Urban said.
Around Boston, voters expressed mixed emotions about the news.
Tineisha Hatten, a 28-year-old African American resident of Brockton, wasn’t surprised to learn Biden had dropped out of the race. But she did not have hope that Harris can get enough support to win the presidency.
”No one’s going to want a woman president. No one’s ready to have a woman president like we’re supposed to,“ Hatten told GBH News at an Open Streets event in Jamaica Plain. ”This is a man’s America, if we’re being honest.“
Maritza Vázquez, a Puerto Rican resident of Boston, said she has unanswered questions about Biden’s reasoning, and she is concerned about defeating Trump in November.
”I didn’t know who she [Kamala Harris] is, but I want her to win,“ Vázquez said. ”I’m voting for her.“
