Gen Z voters largely optimistic about Harris but say she needs to prove herself on the campaign trail

Rapid rise Kamala Harris As the Democratic front-runner for president, he is seen as a much-needed jolt by many Gen Z voters across the aisle. party and its prospectsHis Republican colleagues say his entry into the race won’t change their vote.

“There was more excitement around the idea that we could elect a young woman of color as president,” said 21-year-old Audrey Clayton. introduce himself to the country in a new way.”

Nabila Chowdhury, a rising senior at Harvard, said she was “shocked” by President Joe Biden’s decision to decline his re-election bid. “But I think the Democratic Party is fractured in a way that President Biden knows he can’t really heal, and I think Kamala could be the person who can heal that fracture.”

But he still has some reservations about Harris, especially when it comes to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Chowdhury said that while he was grateful for Harris’ calls for a ceasefire, “this is the minimum we want.”

“I think the main thing is that we don’t see any change. I think we will stick to our commitment until we can build trust,” he added.

Diva Patel, 21, said she was optimistic about Harris’ chances of winning in November. “He has a level of authenticity that you don’t often see in politicians,” Patel said.

Clayton, Chowdhury and Patel were among a group of Gen Z Democrats who spoke to NBC News in Michigan after Biden. withdrewew from the race and endorsed Harris for president.

A Tufts University study found that Michigan had the highest youth voter turnout in the country in 2022, and Democrats hope that if Harris, 59, is on the ticket, he will appeal more to younger voters than Biden, 81.

But Gen Z voters — people born between 1997 and 2012 — are not the same in their view of Harris.

Some were unhappy with how quickly Biden, Democratic lawmakers and party officials threw their support behind Harris.

“I would like to have a chance to see an open convention and hear from a number of Democratic candidates,” said Cooper Weisman, 18.

Young Republican voters who spoke to NBC News said it won’t affect their ballots this fall if Harris is on the ticket.

Ky Urban, 22, president of the University College Republicans of Southern New Hampshire, said he agreed with Biden’s decision to leave the race — and said it was helped by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

“Releasing Biden just gave Trump and Vance the presidency,” he said.

Ruby Macias, 25, of Phoenix, said she voted for Trump in 2020 and plans to reluctantly vote for Biden this time.

“It’s obviously declining very rapidly in more ways than one,” Macias said. “I think it was Harris who made all the moves.”

Danny Young, 18, of Philadelphia, said the potential change at the top of the ticket hasn’t changed his mind: He’s still not voting for Trump.

“The main issue of this era is definitely democracy and the preservation of democracy, because Trump is really going to hurt our democracy with all these election-denying ideas and things,” he said.