Young Wisconsin Democrats speak on youth vote at DNC

CHICAGO (WKBT) -- The Democratic National Convention kicked off Monday in Chicago and young Democrats from the Wisconsin delegation say they're fired up to vote for Kamala Harris.

"Young people are excited, they're thrilled to support a ticket that supports their values," said 28-year-old Trevor Jung, a Wisconsin delegate who is the transit and mobility director for the City of Racine.

Harris and Walz self-describe as "joyful warriors" and that optimistic energy is spreading to the party's youngest members.

"It's just been constant 'this is the most important election of your lifetime' and we're running off of fear," said Josefine Jaynes, standing committee member with the Wisconsin delegation. "For the first time — we're still nervous, but we're much more motivated by excitement."

Jaynes is going into her senior year at UW-Madison. In 2020, she ran against Republican Loren Oldenburg for Wisconsin's 96th District Assembly seat.

She and other young Democrats believe the switch at the top of the ticket has energized young people to get involved.

"In the beginning, students weren't excited to vote, they didn't really care who was the president and when Kamala announced, and Walz announced, I've seen people who weren't planning on voting at all so ready to vote for the ticket," said Landiran Kern Jr., an 18-year-old delegate from Fond Du Lac.

Those young voters could be the make or break in a state with razor-thin election margins. Massachusetts-based Tufts University says Wisconsin's youth are the most likely to impact the presidential election outcome in their state.

"The youth is very important. In this election and the next election, whatever election it may be, the youth will always be important," Kern Jr. said.

The young Dems at the DNC say the Harris-Walz ticket best represents the issues young people care about.

"One, you know, there's climate change. We want to make sure our planet is habitable as we grow in the workforce,"  said Henry Pahlow, delegate from the Green Bay area who also serves as the National Vice-Chair of the High School Democrats of America.

"There's a question of affordability," he continued. "Kamala Harris has just released her economic plan which makes college more affordable, housing more affordable, so that as we grow up and enter the workforce, we can afford those costs."

Pahlow added that Democrats' policies on reproductive rights better reflect the viewpoints of the younger generations.

Wisconsin's young Democrats are hoping to use both policy and positivity to continue building momentum for their candidates.

"You can see, by the masses of people who are taking to the streets, knocking on doors, talking to their neighbors that there's something special that's happening in this election with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz," Jung said.

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