With the 2020 General Election quickly approaching, President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee VP Joe Biden are pouring more and more money into advertisements that have one goal: electoral mobilization. Recent polls done by Rasmussen Reports show that Biden has 48% support among Likely U.S. Voters, with Trump lagging just behind with 42%. Real Clear Politics has Biden in an even further lead, with Biden at 50% and Trump trailing with only 41%. Even FOX NEWS has Biden ahead with 49% support compared to Trump’s 41%. With this polling data coming up so close, each candidate is focusing on maintaining their base of support while also reaching out to any new voters to better their chances of winning the contentious November election.
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| Graph that shows poll data for the 2020 General Election |
Biden’s campaign seems to
not be worried about winning battleground states that Trump won in 2016. His
ads are only airing in six of these states: Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan,
Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Arizona—all
of which he is leading in. Instead, his focus seems to be mobilizing young
voters through his new program, League
46. This program is comprised of three tactical teams, Students for Biden,
Young Professionals for Biden, and Young Elected Officials for Biden. This new
initiative is working to capitalize on the untapped potential of unregistered
Millennial and Gen Z voters and the already existing support base found in
these predominately Democrat leading age groups. In 2016, Gen Z made up only 4%
of the eligible voters and in this upcoming election, they are projected to
comprise one-in-ten of eligible voters. These voters combined with the
Millennials (who are projected to comprise 27% of eligible voters) are the
targeted electoral base of Biden and his campaign team. These voters, who are
more racially
and ethnically diverse than the older generations, are the main focus of
the Democratic campaign to build a coalition that prioritizes their ideas in an
effort to defeat President Trump—someone who does not appeal to many racial and
ethnic minority groups.
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| Graph that shows what percent of eligible voters belong to which generation. |
Scholars Robert Huckfeldt
and John Sprague wrote an article entitled Political
Parties and Electoral Mobilization: Political Structure, Social Structure, and
the Party Canvass that focuses on how political parties go about mobilizing
their targeted electorates and the ways in which previously existing social
institutions assist them in reaching as many voters as possible. One of their
main findings is that mass door-knocking is not as effective as focusing campaign
efforts on local advocates and activists who will then in turn endorse the
candidate to their entire following thereby lessening the amount of work
required from the campaign itself while also increasing the number of voters
who hear their message. VP Joe Biden has been engaging with national advocates,
such as National Women’s Soccer League star Megan Rapinoe, about the specific issues
facing the young voters such as free two-year community college and a Covid-19
stimulus package that would also cancel a minimum of $10,000 of student loan debt
during the current pandemic. Biden and his campaign are aware of the
figureheads that play prominent roles in advocating for the issues important to
young voters and is profiting from public speaking engagements and cooperation with
local and national activists. It is clear that the Democrat party is prioritizing
reaching the youngest voters in this upcoming election and wants to engage, mobilize, and empower young
people to elect Joe Biden in November.
Looking at the numbers,
it is clear that with his 6-9-point lead, Biden is feeling secure support from
the voters who are already behind him. However, in order to solidify his place
as the front runner, he is reaching out to local and national activists to
maximize the number of young voters who he still has yet to convince and get
more people registered to vote and on his side. He is less worried about swaying established voters and more concerned with motivating young voters to take advantage of the untapped power their vote can have in making sure their voices are represented in the White House.
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