Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, August 7, 2024…

Young voters could play a key role in the upcoming presidential election. They were fairly unenthusiastic about a potential Biden-Trump rematch. But young Democrats in California are already organizing for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now at the top of the ticket.
For young GOP voters in California, there’s equal enthusiasm. Many are particularly happy about the selection of JD Vance as Donald Trump’s running mate, saying they share many of the same values as the 40-year-old.

Young Democratic Voters Enthusiastic About New Presidential Ticket

Nominating a gray-haired 60-year-old may seem like a weird way to capture the youth vote, but Tim Walz’s legislative record on issues like protecting abortion rights and restricting gun access have helped him gain popularity with young people. And at their first campaign rally together Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris also expressed how important young voters are.

“This campaign, our campaign is not just a fight against Donald Trump. Our campaign, this campaign is a fight for the future,” she said to cheers from the crowd in Philadelphia.

For young voters in California, the switch to Kamala Harris has been a huge energy boost. Dzian Tran is Co-Executive Director of Voters of Tomorrow, California. “Before there was always that sort of energy surrounding this, but especially with the shift, having Vice President Harris, we have a lot of youth rallying behind her,” Tran said “We see a lot of social media support. We see the memeification of a lot of her quotes. We see that she’s embracing a lot of the things that Gen Z loves, and so we know that she will be a representation of the youth.”

California Young GOP Voters Energized With Vance VP Selection

There’s also been a big rise in enthusiasm from Young Republican voters in California. Cynthia Kaui with the California Young Republican Federation said there’s been positive trends over the last couple of election cycles. “Our membership among our local chapters has actually grown because of the discontentment with Democrat-led policies that are infiltrating the state and that are a majority not only on the state level, but that also has trickled down in local communities,” she said. “We now have ten local chapters. And in San Diego, the Young Republicans chapter over the last year and a half has grown 600%.”

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While JD Vance has received some criticism from members of the national media, Kaui said many young GOP voters in California are energized with him on the ticket as Donald Trump’s running mate. “I know a lot of Young Republicans in the group chats and on social media were very enthused and excited to be able to see someone that’s on a national stage, someone that has the opportunity and the platform to put issues at the forefront that Young Republicans care about,” Kaui said.

The organization is not only focusing on the presidential race, but is also sending volunteers to help with several key congressional races in the state.

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Young California Voters Energized By Presidential Campaigns