Could the GOP win the youth vote for the general election in 2016? That’s always the hope, and may actually be the reality this time if Hillary is the nominee, but also only if the Republican nominee seeks to appeal to them.
While campaigning in Alabama ahead of Super Tuesday, Marco Rubio did just that. He has been speaking more often on college campuses; today he spoke at Patrick Henry College. Yesterday, he spoke at Samford University, where he secured the votes of many students present.
At least one person acknowledged that such an appeal is necessary. A young woman, Collier Tynes told WVTM 13 that she thinks “it’s important the the Republicans remember that Mitt Romney would be our president right now had he gotten the young people’s vote.”
During his speech, Rubio made some oft-repeated points, which have gone over well with his audiences before. He also hinted at attacks towards Trump, though not by name in this instance:
Many other young voters were eager to share their excitement regarding Rubio. Griffin Benton, who recently graduated from Samford, thinks “Rubio brings a certain compassion to the conservative movement.” Such is another helpful tactic Republicans can do to win, by showing that they care about poverty and student loan debt.
Medical student Stephen Stuart is also excited about Rubio’s plan to make legal immigration, for, as Stuart puts it, “people that come here to contribute.” Rubio’s plan is to change the entry system for immigrants to be based on merit.
Melissa Munn spoke of Rubio’s appeal on Twitter. “He can do the short 140 character tweets that people go, ‘Wait, I want to look more into that.'”
Rubio managed to win the youth vote of the most recent Republican primary, with the Nevada caucus.
