Vice President Kamala Harris Taps Into Pop Culture, Social Media, Could Be Reaching A Younger Crowd

Vice President Kamala Harris is gaining popularity among young Oklahoma voters, particularly college students, who see her as relatable and in touch with their concerns, potentially energizing voter turnout in the upcoming election.

Monday, July 29th 2024, 5:42 pm

By: News 9, Haley Weger

OKLAHOMA -

Young voters across Oklahoma seem to be interested in Vice President Kamala Harris.

In less than a week, since Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, she has become increasingly popular on social media and seems to be reaching a younger crowd.

Kai Marron, the president of College Democrats at the University of Oklahoma, says he is noticing a shift in the mood of students on campus. Marron says there is a renewed discussion around politics.

“I do think that there is a demographic shift that is coming,” said Marron. “As we know Gen Z and millennial voters are becoming more and more involved in elections.”

Marron calls Vice President Kamala Harris a refreshing face for young voters.

“Vice President Harris, as a young woman of color, is much more relatable for young voters and seems to be more in touch with the issues that we really care about,” said Marron.

College Democrats at OU work to serve college students in the political realm, whether that be in a voting capacity or gathering information on local, state, and national races.

Marron says he’s seeing a generational shift in politics. “As we know young people these days tend to be more Liberal and more aligned with the Democratic party than older voters who tend to be more conservative and aligned with the Republican [party],” said Marron.

Harris has leaned into her social media presence, using pop culture and trends to reach a younger crowd.

“I think that it's very smart that her team is taking advantage of that and I think it will continue to build momentum for her campaign,” said Marron.

A CBS poll from July 18 showed Trump leading over Harris 51% to 48%. But that was before Biden pulled his name out of the election.

“Oklahoma in particular is a pretty interesting case because unfortunately, we have one of the lowest voter turnouts in the country,” said Marron. “Young voters unfortunately have this melancholy around voting where they don't think it matters and they think everything is already decided and they have no will, that's wrong, they do.”

Statistics show that out of about four million Oklahomans, around three million are eligible to vote, while around two million are registered to vote, and only about one million ever cast their vote.

“So that means about a quarter of the state’s population is making decisions for all of Oklahoma,” said Marron. “We really need to galvanize people to understand that their vote does matter.”

Young Democrats like Marron are hoping the renewed discussion and refreshing face will make a big difference in November.

“I'm very hopeful that her campaign can really galvanize young voters to get out and become more involved with politics in general, not just this election but moving forward as well,” said Marron.

Vice President Harris is expected to be formally named as the Democratic presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Haley Weger

Haley Weger joined the News 9 team as a multi-media journalist in August 2022. She came to OKC from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Haley began her career as a producer and multi-media reporter and then transitioned to a morning anchor position. While she was in Louisiana, Haley covered an array of news topics, and covered multiple hurricanes on the coast.