Reproductive freedom is No. 1 issue for young Democratic voters

A crowd gathered during a pro-choice protest

By Kerry Eleveld for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 10:40:24a MDT 

 

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As protests related to the Israel-Hamas war erupt at college campuses nationwide, it's worth looking at the recently released Harvard Youth poll to take the temperature of what's important to young voters.

Among Democrats age 18-29, women's reproductive rights topped the list, with young Democratic voters prioritizing it over other issues 68% of the time. Gun violence was a close second at 67%, and health care came in third at 63%.

That means many of the issues young Democrats prioritize are also issues that President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are running on nationally. That is particularly true of abortion rights, which continue to permeate the national conversation. 

This week alone, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether to strike down a federal law that ensures pregnant patients receive emergency abortion care; Biden campaigned in Florida, where he blasted Trump for creating a national 'nightmare' on abortion; and abortion news dominated headlines in multiple states.  

In the Harvard survey, Biden outperformed Donald Trump among registered voters under 30 by 13 points, 50% to 37%. But among likely voters, Biden bested Trump by 19 points, 56% to 37%. That's a handful of points shy of Biden's margin in the 2020 election, when he won 18- to 29-year-olds by 24 points, but not wildly off track.

Biden's support is variable in terms of age, gender, and race:

• His lead among the younger 18-24 cohort stands at 14 points, and among 25- to 29-year-olds it is 26 points.  

• Biden holds a massive 33-point lead among young women (nearly matching his +35 with the group in the 2020 youth poll), but leads young men by just 6 points (20 points lower than in the 2020 youth poll);

• The president’s lead among young white voters is a mere 3 points, but he notches a 43-point advantage among young nonwhite voters.

All in all, Biden isn't performing quite up to his 2020 levels with 18- to 29-year-old voters. But he's within striking distance among young likely voters, and the president’s campaign is laser focused on young Democrats' top issue.