Biden’s progressive voter strategy must include a Gaza cease-fire

Young progressive voters, who are the backbone and future of the Democratic Party, are at increased risk of turning against the party as a whole as the war in Gaza continues.

Unless something is terribly wrong, foreign policy is rarely the top ranked issue in voting. However, this is a time when the United States is involved in multiple wars overseas, particularly in Gaza. Shift more people to prioritize foreign policy About the important issues of 2024.

Despite an onslaught of obstructionism by MAGA-supporting Republicans in recent years, the Biden administration and Democrats have achieved results or made concrete progress on a wide range of issues important to young progressives. Climate change countermeasures to gun control, Protection of sexual and reproductive rights, student loan cancellation more.

While there is room for debate as to whether progress has been made far enough or fast enough, the direction is undeniable. It’s a complete change from the days when Donald Trump and the Republican Party were in power.

Despite this administration’s accomplishments, visceral opposition to Washington’s support for the Gaza war risks turning young progressives into single-issue voters. To be clear, young progressives are unlikely to travel to the United States to vote for Trump, and will likely simply opt out of the election or vote for a third party. Even if you have knowledge That Trump is going to be even worse.

There is an overwhelming feeling among young progressives right now. general disillusionment Our dysfunctional political system repeatedly derails real progress and refuses to choose beyond the binary.

These 18- to 34-year-olds have spent their lives navigating the global war on terror, the Iraq War, the Great Recession, a global pandemic, mass shootings, and massive wealth inequality. Ta. Watching the party they supported and elected to power pursue a policy of unconditional support for the Israeli government’s invasion of Gaza for months has had a devastating effect on voter enthusiasm.

And Democrats not only need young progressives to vote, they need them to knock on doors, call phone banks, and mobilize their friends and family offline and online. Social media platforms have fundamentally changed the way voters receive information and perceive politics. Young progressives, especially young progressive activists, serve as important leaders, messengers, and validators in their respective social networks.

This is why, over multiple cycles, Democratic campaigns have successfully invested in developing and nurturing this decentralized relational organization with great success. As effective as it was in attracting Democratic votes, Over 100,000 “uncommitted” votes The Michigan primary shows that the opposite is also true.

by Center for Information and Research on Citizen Learning and ParticipationThis year, more than 40 million Gen Z voters (ages 18 to 27) in the United States could make up one-fifth of the total U.S. electorate. Combine these with the number of young millennial voters in the electorate and you have a population poised to capture a significant portion of the 2024 electorate.

More than 70 percent of these eligible young people are likely voters. Among that group, Democrats outnumber Republicans by double digits. That’s because the Biden administration and Democrats align with young voters on the issues that matter most to young people, including climate change, gun control, the economy and reproductive rights.

Conversely, Trump’s second term will leave a very different legacy on these issues for decades to come. We know what Trump’s second term will look like because the Heritage Foundation and more than 50 conservative think tanks have come together to plan right-wing policies. project 2025.Some of them are 900 page policy book It calls for a federal ban on abortion, the removal of protections for LGBTQ people, disbanding the Environmental Protection Agency and dismantling the social safety net, among many policy items that run counter to the values ​​of young progressives.

Needless to say, the second Trump administration will also keep pace Collaborating with the most far-right elements of the Israeli government – a fact openly acknowledged by the Israeli government member Member of the current Israeli war cabinet.

Despite this fundamental threat, young progressives are at risk of sitting out this election. History tells us that when foreign policy is top of mind for voters, a fierce anti-war movement cannot be ignored as an electoral force. Abstentions or defections by young progressives could be fatal for Democrats, regardless of whether they vote high or low.

Policy changes toward Gaza are likely to bring additional political benefits to President Biden. Public support for a permanent ceasefire extends far beyond young progressives.

The Democratic Party’s core constituency is united auto workers and American Federation of Teachers hundreds of black pastor called for a ceasefire.In Congress, there are 137 Democrats in the House and 26 Democrats in the Senate. called for a ceasefire. moreover, data for progress According to the survey, 67% of all voters (77% of Democrats, 69% of independents, and 59% of Republicans) support a permanent ceasefire.

In this turbulent moment, Democrats cannot afford to allow reprimanding, firing, and scapegoating young progressives who align with them without enacting major policy shifts to backfire. . With the recent hiatus in rhetoric from the Biden administration; Democrats in Congress The progress against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government is a welcome development, but it will not be enough as long as restrictions on the free flow of U.S. arms to Israel and humanitarian aid from Israel continue.

The 2024 election is shaping up to be a close one, and the Democratic Party will need young progressives to go into the election with all its might. But for now, there are visible cracks in the victorious coalition that could be glued back together.

There are only 8 months until November. Your campaign schedule will take you many times ahead. And the contrast between Trump and the Republican Party on issues that matter to young progressives could not be starker. But the path to a coalition victory in November lies in calling for a permanent ceasefire, securing the release of hostages, conditioning military aid to Israel, and providing sufficient humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip. start from.

In Hum I’m the campaign manager for Win Without War.