Democrats, Republicans agree Wisconsin's young voters 'the key factor to victory'

Pessimism, the economy and social media will all factor into young voters’ decisions this November, according to two young political activists in Wisconsin.

Republican Party of Milwaukee County Chair Hilario Deleon and Wisconsin College Democrats Chair Matthew Lehner joined WisconsinEye on Monday to discuss the impact of young voters in the presidential election, and what issues most motivate Wisconsin youth in particular.

Both recounted how in their interactions with young people, youth largely lack faith in the government and think the country is headed in the wrong direction.

“Young people are facing a lot of challenges right now,” Lehner said, listing climate change, school shootings, corporate-driven inflation and wage stagnation. “And I think that makes them very pessimistic about our government, and it makes them pessimistic about who is in charge right now.”

Hilario said rising prices and unreliable employment opportunities are the top pressing issues young people are facing.

“I think we have to look at the economic situation that our country is in right now,” Hilario said. “Gas prices are still high, grocery prices are up. We see a lot of times that they're saying that there's a lot of jobs out there that are hiring, but a lot of times people aren't getting that call back from those jobs.”

The growing discontentment may help drive a record number of young voters to the polls in November.

“I think we’re going to see a lot more young people turn out and vote in this election cycle,” Hilario said. “I think it’s going to be one of the deciding factors.”

Younger voters have the largest percentage of undecided at 14%, according to a recent poll by Marquette Law School. And while young voters typically lean Democrat, there has been a slow shift toward Republican candidates–particularly among young men, whom Hilario says feel the Democratic Party has abandoned them.

“They feel undervalued and underappreciated by the Democratic Party. They feel that they’re just not welcome. They feel that their voice is canceled out and that nobody’s listening to them,” Hilario said. “It’s policies over personality. And if you look at President Trump’s policies there’s something for every single group, especially young people.”

According to recent polls, young people’s first concern is the economy, followed by abortion and the Israel-Hamas war.

Both Lehner and Hilario said young people are frustrated at the U.S. government’s policy toward foreign wars, with Hilario saying the youth he talked to opposed the massive spending bills funding the Russia-Ukraine war, and Lehner saying he’s seen young people the most upset over the loss of life in the Israel-Hamas war.

But social media may be the ultimate key to reaching young people and influencing their voting decisions, the two agreed.

“So many young people are involved on it,” Hilario said. “Social media is going to be one of the most important keys to any future election.”