David Austin, 20, grew up almost a child from a “war room” in his mother’s home in South Jersey, decorated with political merchandise and “awesome memorabilia.” 18 million dollars For a super PAC trying to reach Gen Z voters like him, he argues, it takes a young person to communicate with young people.
“You need real young people,” said Austin, the founder Forward Blue. “And that’s part of what a lot of these big organizations are missing. Their staff is much older than the generations they’re trying to reach, and they’re relying on historical best practices that don’t apply to this generation’s communication style.”
Austin first became involved in politics nearly a decade ago as a high school tween, activated by former President Donald Trump’s first campaign. Since then, he says, he’s devoted as much time as possible to politics, putting off college and opting for typical teenage activities.
“I spent every minute I could after school volunteering for my state party, building websites for the Democrats, doing whatever I could,” she said. “My friends were playing sports, they’re in a band, they’re playing video games for hours and hours after school, and I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m volunteering to elect Democrats.'”
After high school, Austin worked on Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman’s 2022 campaign before founding ForwardBlue, which received an influx of donations last year around the time Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the party’s nominee. Austin says the group now has about 500,000 donors and has reached out to 3.5 million voters.
The group has so far spent $6 million targeting 18- to 24-year-old voters in Maryland, Montana, Ohio, where three of this year’s Senate races are being held, in addition to the presidential and Senate battleground states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
According to Austin, what sets the group apart from other Democratic groups trying to reach young people is not just its message, but how it delivers it. They’re using “everything but TV,” texting, digital advertising in non-traditional places like video game media and gay dating app Grindr, and in public places like bus stops and dorm hallways on and around college campuses.
While the themes are similar to those in the ads for the general population — cost of living, abortion and, in some places, Fentanyl addiction — the tone is different. The “annoyance” factor that’s common when older people try to speak the language of young people should be avoided, Austin said, while tailoring a message to what young people are experiencing.
For example, while abortion is a major motivator for young people, he believes that “dark abortion content” — ads that highlight the personal harm caused by abortion bans, sometimes graphically — can turn off young people who aren’t used to it. they are less likely to see disturbing content on their feeds and less likely to have personal experience with pregnancy or family planning.
But their best testing problem is the unaffordability of housing.
“The rent is too high,” Austin said a political moment that went viral when I was in first grade. ““Young people are interested in moving out of their parents’ house, and that may seem out of reach right now.”
But Austin, who can’t legally drink yet, is keeping his war room at his mom’s house, at least for now.