'Gen Z feels the Kamalove': Youth-led progressive groups hope Harris will energize young voters

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'Gen Z feels the Kamalove': Youth-led progressive groups hope Harris will energize young voters

2024-07-28 06:19 Last Updated At：06:20

CHICAGO (AP) — “ Brats for Harris.” “ We need a Kamalanomenon. ” “ Gen Z feels the Kamalove.”

In the days since President Joe Biden exited the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, Gen Z voters jumped to social media to share coconut tree and “brat summer" memes — reflecting a stark shift in tone for a generation that's voiced feeling left behind by the Democratic Party.

Youth-led progressive organizations have warned for months that Biden had a problem with young voters, pleading with the president to work more closely with them to refocus on the issues most important to younger generations or risk losing their votes. With Biden out of the race, many of these young leaders are now hoping Harris can overcome his faltering support among Gen Z and harness a new explosion of energy among young voters.

Since last Sunday, statements have poured out from youth-led organizations across the country, including in Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, California, Minnesota, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as leaders thanked Biden for stepping aside and celebrated the opportunity to organize around a new candidate. On Friday, a coalition of 17 youth-led groups endorsed Harris.

“This changes everything,” said Zo Tobi, director of communication for the Movement Voter Project, a national progressive funding group focusing on youth-led organizations, when he heard the news that Biden was dropping out of the race and endorsing Harris. “The world as it is suddenly shifted into the world as it could be.”

As the campaign enters a new phase, both Harris and her Republican rival, Donald Trump, are delivering messages aimed at younger voters who could prove decisive in some of the most hotly contested states.

Harris recorded a brief video message shown Saturday at a conference of Gen Z activists and elected officials in Atlanta.

“We know young voters will be key, and we know your vote cannot be taken for granted,” Harris told the gathering, highlighting her support for gun safety, abortion rights, LGBTQ rights and action to combat climate change.

Eve Levenson, the national youth engagement director for Harris’ campaign, attended the conference in Atlanta, and she praised young voters across the country for their response to the vice president’s elevation to likely nominee.

“As amazing as it is to see the tremendous youth enthusiasm online, what has been even more incredible is how that online energy has already translated into a tangible desire to take action and get involved with our campaign,” she said, citing new voter registrations, small donations from young voters and student requests to help start campus-based campaign organizations.

Trump, in his own address Friday in Florida to a conference on faith hosted by Turning Point USA, derided Harris as an “incompetent” and a “far left" vice president. He vowed to champion religious Americans' causes in a second White House term.

“With your vote, I will defend religious liberty in all of its forms,” Trump told the conservative group that focuses on high school, college and university campuses. "I will protect Christians in our schools and our military and our government and our workplaces and our hospitals, in our public square and I will also protect other religions."

John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, who has worked with Biden, said the “white-hot energy” among young people is something he hasn't seen since former President Barack Obama’s campaign. While there's little reliable polling so far, he described the dynamic as “a combination of the hopefulness we saw with Obama and the urgency and fight we saw after the Parkland shooting.”

In many ways, it was the first time many young people felt heard and felt like their actions could have an impact on politics, he and several young leaders said.

“It’s reset this election in profound ways," he said. "People, especially young people, for so long, for so many important reasons have been despondent about politics, despondent about the direction of the country. It’s weighed on them. And then they wake up the next morning, and it seems like everything’s changed.”

About 6 in 10 adults under 30 voted for Biden in 2020, according to AP VoteCast, but his ratings with the group have dipped substantially since then, with only about a quarter of the group saying they had a favorable opinion of him in the most recent AP-NORC poll, conducted before Biden withdrew from the race.

That poll, along with polls from The New York Times/Siena and from CNN that were conducted after Biden dropped out, suggest that Harris starts off with somewhat better favorable ratings than Biden among young adults.

Sunjay Muralitharan, vice president of College Democrats of America, said it felt like a weight was lifted off his chest when Harris entered the race.

Despite monthly coalition calls between youth-led groups and the Biden campaign, Muralitharan spent months worrying about how Biden would fare among young voters as he watched young people leave organizations such as the College Democrats and Young Democrats to join more leftist groups.

College Democrats issued statements and social media posts encouraging the party to prioritize young people and to change course on the war in Gaza and have “worked tirelessly to get College Dems programming” at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later this summer. But they received limited outreach in return, Muralitharan said.

A Harris campaign represents an opportunity to move in a new direction, he said. The vice president has shown her vocal support for issues important to young voters such as climate change and reproductive rights, Muralitharan said, adding that she may also be able to change course and distance herself from Biden's approach to the war in Gaza.

“The perpetual roadblock we’ve run into is that Biden is the lesser of two evils and his impact on the crisis in Gaza," he said. "For months, we’ve been given this broken script that’s made it difficult for us to organize young voters. But that changes now.”

Santiago Mayer, executive director of the Gen Z voter engagement organization Voters of Tomorrow, said the Biden campaign “created an entirely new framework for operating with youth organizations” that can now be transitioned into supporting Harris' campaign.

“Gen Z loves VP Harris, and VP Harris loves Gen Z," he said. "So we’re ready to get to work for her.”

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Sean Payton triumphs in return to New Orleans as the Broncos dominate the Saints, 33-10

2024-10-18 13:19 Last Updated At：13:21

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Sean Payton made a point of getting to the Superdome long before he normally would for a game — six hours before kickoff — so he could ease into what he figured would be an emotional return to place where he coached on the home sideline for a decade and a half.

“I'm glad I was here early,” Payton said, reflecting on the heady times in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, when the Saints became a morale-boosting, inspirational force in the lives of rebuilding residents.

“That was a unique time,” Payton recalled. “None of us understood what it would mean and how big it would become. Coming back here is different and kind of special.”

And made better by seeing his current team, the Denver Broncos, win handily.

Javonte Williams rushed for two touchdowns, Cody Barton returned a fumble 52 yards for a score, and the Broncos beat the banged-up and reeling Saints 33-10 on Thursday night.

Bo Nix passed for 164 yards and ran for 75 yards for Denver (4-3), which dominated statistically. The Broncos outgained New Orleans 389 yards to 271 while sending the Saints (2-5) to their fifth straight defeat.

“It was awesome. The Saints mean a lot to him. He was there for a while and had amazing success,” Nix said, alluding to Payton's franchise-high 152 regular-season victories with the Saints from 2006 to 2021, and his Super Bowl-winning season in 2009. “I’m happy for him.”

Payton's New Orleans teams had just two losses at home by 20 points or more, something the Saints have done twice in the past five days.

“It's been disappointing,” Allen said. “Injuries play a part of it but we've got to find a way to play better.

“We're making mistakes we shouldn't be making,” Allen added. “Us as coaches and players alike, we've got to figure it out.”

Allen was Payton's defensive coordinator in New Orleans, and the two embraced after the game.

“I felt bad,” Payton said. “New Orleans is nicked up, got a lot of injuries.”

With Saints quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) missing his second straight game, there were rookies under center for both teams.

Spencer Rattler made his second straight start for New Orleans and his lack of experience was exacerbated by injuries all across the the offense.

The Saints were missing top receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee), the latter going on injured reserve earlier in the day. Two starting linemen, center Erik McCoy (groin) and guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), were out. Versatile tight end Taysom Hill (ribs) missed his third straight game.

Rattler was overwhelmed by a Denver defense that came in ranked fourth in the NFL in yards allowed.

He was 25 of 35 for 172 yards, rushed for 34 yards and lost two fumbles, the second of which Barton took to the end zone in the fourth quarter. Rattler appeared shaken up on the play and was replaced by Jake Haener, who connected with Cedric Wilson for New Orleans' lone TD.

Barton forced Rattler's first fumble, which led to one of former Saint Wil Lutz's four field goals.

Rattler was sacked six times, once by linebacker Nik Bonitto, who had a sack for a fifth straight game.

New Orleans' defense, meanwhile, could not come up with any momentum-turning plays.

Tryann Mathieu uncharacteristically dropped an errant pass by Nix that sailed directly to the veteran defensive back late in the second quarter. That allowed the the Broncos to close out the half with a field goal and a 16-3 lead.

“Early on in the season, we played good football, so I know this team has it in them,” Allen said, referring to lopsided victories over Carolina and Dallas. “But right now we're not playing that way and obviously there's a multitude of reasons why, and we've got to figure out how to get back to playing that type of football.”

During halftime, record-setting former QB Drew Brees was honored on the field to mark his induction into the Saints Hall of Fame. Team owner Gayle Benson presented Brees with a blazer, and a portrait of the club's all-time passer holding the Lombardi Trophy was unveiled.

Brees also was honored at a luncheon earlier in the day, during which Payton made an appearance to congratulate the star player he coached for 14 seasons.

“It's always good to see him,” Payton said.

Brees' 80,358 career yards passing rank second in NFL history behind only Tom Brady's 89,214.

For many fans in attendance, the halftime festivities were the highlight of the night. The Superdome was largely empty by the fourth quarter.

Broncos: CB Patrick Surtain (concussion) and RT Alex Palczewski (ankle) were inactive.

Saints: CB Paulson Adebo was carted off the field with an air cast on his right leg in the second quarter and taken to a hospital. Allen said Adebo had a broken femur. ... CB Marshon Lattimore left with a hamstring injury. ... OL Nick Saldiveri left with a shoulder injury. LB Pete Werner (hamstring) was inactive.

Broncos: Host Carolina on Oct. 27.

Saints: Visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 27.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl