Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale met with roughly two dozen young conservatives representing 18 different conservative youth organizations last week to discuss outreach for 2020, as well as the 2018 midterms.
Introduced to summit attendees, Parscale flashed a peace sign and began talking a mile a minute. Sitting by his side was a much quieter, more reserved deputy campaign manager and nephew to the vice president, John Pence.
The duo believe that a thriving economy will mobilize the youth coalition to the polls, as well as “second chance politics” like prison reform, recently championed by Kim Kardashian West.
“Anything that we can do that’s inclusive” will help win over more voters from the millennial and Gen Z demographic, Parscale recognized. He also acknowledged that young Trump supporters have it tough in today’s cultural climate.
“There’s no demographic higher where people are afraid to support Trump than young people … because of identity politics,” he explained.
According to an RNC research briefing from March, millennials have repeatedly rated the economy as the issue most important to them:
“A new study conducted after the election shows that the economy mattered most to millennial voters. The study by the Millennial Impact Report surveyed 350 young voters they had surveyed in different waves throughout the election. The organization found that millennials had considered education to be the most important topic during the election through each of three waves of surveying. However, this changed when respondents were surveyed between Nov. 9 and Nov. 14. The survey showed employment and wages were the primary concern for millennial voters.”
This coincides with a Pew Research poll which shows 80 percent of 18- to-29 year olds said “Economic Policy” was “Very Important” to them during the 2016 election.
The Republican Party believes that the tax bill has made a major impact on millennials’ economic standing. According to the GOP, millennials making the median income for their generation, $40,456, will see a 3 percent income tax decrease, resulting in a savings of more than $1,200.
Additionally, millennials, who are already more inclined to start businesses than previous generations, “are free to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which cut tax rates by 20 percent for businesses.”
Moving forward, the Republican Party plans to highlight that under President Trump, the unemployment rate for millennials has fallen by more than 13 percent and wages for millennials aged 20-34 have increased by an average of $23.50 in 2017, compared to $15 in 2016. “The Standard Deduction ‘Disproportionately Benefit[s] Young Taxpayers,'” boasts the GOP.
All of these economic opportunities are starting to show a positive effect in polling among millennials, as some young people are warming up to the Republican party.
According to Mitch Freckleton, RNC director of Youth Engagement, 54 percent of millennials consider themselves as independents.
Furthermore, Republicans often outpace Democrats during midterm elections. These statistics make a youth coalition rather important for election success.
RNC co-chair Bob Paduchik also hosted a conference call earlier this month for the Young Republicans National Federation to discuss the midterm elections and “the pivotal role Young Republicans will have in helping Republicans.”
On the call, Paduchik touted the mantra “promises made, promises kept,” citing reduced regulations, tax cuts, and an America First agenda coming from the White House. He also hammered home the success of the economy, specifically the thousands of jobs created since Trump took office.
“Walk into a McDonalds … There are help wanted signs every damn place ya go!” he joked on the call. “The best way to pay off those student loans is a job that pays well or a job that pays better … A good economy benefits everyone,” he said more seriously.
Paduchik also encouraged young Republicans to take the Republican Leadership Initiative program, calling it “a huge force multiplier.”
For the first time, millennials will be the largest eligible voting bloc surpassing baby boomers come November. RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany believes millennials will become majority voters by 2020.
“The difference between it being a young person’s party or an old person’s party is whether or not young people are involved in it,” Paduchik stated simply — and many are already at work to make sure the Grand Old Party becomes a young person’s party for 2020 and beyond.
