Young conservatives and Republicans began amping up their excitement and support for presumptive presidential candidate Mitt Romney Tuesday, after a Newt Gingrich aide leaked that Gingrich will drop out of the race next Tuesday.
After the news broke, Gingrich said he expects Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee and called on the party to unite behind the former Massachusetts governor.
The College Republican National Committee is one youth organization rallying behind Romney.
National Chairman of the College Republican National Committee, Alex Shriver, said that the organization now has 250,000 members on 1,800 campuses and will deploy 60 field staff to competitive swing states to help elect Republicans up and down the ballot, including Mitt Romney.
“From school choice to jobs, Romney showed his dedication to preserving Americans right to pursue prosperity. With unemployment nationwide at 8.3 percent, and just over 16 percent among young people, our country needs a man like Mitt Romney to reverse this failed course set out by President Obama,” Schriver said.
In 2008, young adults voted for President Obama by a ratio of 2:1, but the Obama campaign will have a harder time matching that feat this coming election.
The Romney campaign has released recent statistics that send a clear message to young people on the failures of this administration, including stats from a recent Associated Press article that revealed half of recent college graduates are either underemployed or unemployed. With an unemployment rate that is double the rate of other Americans and 5.9 million young adults being forced to move back in with their parents, young Republicans appear to be eager for what Romney has to offer them.
“Young Republicans are excited to see the RNC and Republicans across this country get behind Gov. Mitt Romney. Collectively, we now can all focus on shining a light on Barack Obama’s failed record,” said Lisa Stickan, the Chairman of the Young Republicans National Federation. “As unemployment/underemployment for recent college graduates hit 53 percent, Barack Obama called yesterday to raise taxes on small businesses. It is hard to imagine a someone more out of touch with America’s struggling young professionals”.
Though President Obama’s young voter support has dwindled, Republicans must find a way to convince young voters to come out and for Republicans this November.
