In the last days before Tuesday’s runoff, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is stepping up efforts to court a crucial constituency for his base: college students.
The Democrat has held at least five events targeting young people across the state in as many days. He kicked things off Monday with a student press conference at his alma mater, Morehouse College, and continued with stops at Kennesaw State University, Fort Valley State University, Albany State University and the University of West Georgia.
Earlier in November, Warnock headlined packed events at Georgia Tech and Emory University, two Atlanta-area schools he hadn’t visited during the 2022 general election cycle. His opponent, Republican candidate Herschel Walker, has not held any events aimed at younger voters during the runoff period.
Analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found voting dipped among Georgians ages 18 to 29 from the 2018 midterms to the 2022 general election, when they turned out at a rate of 27% despite an increase among registered voters in that age bracket. They had the lowest turnout of any age group.
Younger voters, however, remain a key part of Warnock’s coalition.
A November poll commissioned by the AARP showed the senator leads with voters between 18 and 49 by a 24-point margin, while Walker polls higher with voters over 50. That presents an opportunity for Warnock to make up extra ground with the youngest voters, with whom he has regularly had overwhelming support.
“There have been no great movements in our country without the voices of young people,” Warnock told reporters at the Georgia Tech rally. “Their passion, their impatience with the status quo and their desire to make things better is what fuels change in our country, and campaign season is just another opportunity to stir it up.”
Packed room at Georgia Tech for @SenatorWarnock as he holds a "Students for Warnock" rally with a couple hundred attendees at the Atlanta university. #gapol #gasen pic.twitter.com/hC7X6cETwu
— Anjali Huynh (@anjalihuynh) November 18, 2022
Democrats have tended to poll highest with young voters due to issues such as gun violence, climate change and abortion access. As candidates mobilize their bases in the final stretch, Democrats see young voters as an area with room to grow, said Andra Gillespie, a political science professor at Emory University.
“Despite the fact that youth voter turnout is low, young people are a Democrat-rich voting bloc, and college students are among the most likely voters among young people,” Gillespie said. “This race is expected to be close, so if Warnock can squeeze a few more votes out of this demographic group, that will help him get over 50%.”
While Walker has appeared regularly near his alma mater in Athens, he does not usually speak to students in the area. He spoke at an event hosted by the College Republicans in January, according to The Red & Black, the University of Georgia student newspaper.
The Walker campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Republicans “should not take any group of people for granted, but a runoff is a different animal,” said Martha Zoller, a conservative commentator. Zoller, explaining Walker’s lack of outreach to students, said that both candidates are appealing to groups where they feel they can make up ground and mobilize voters
“When you look at the overall percentages of youth vote, it does seem like a little bit of a waste of resources because that group of people, even when President (Barack) Obama was like the best vote-getter among young people, it was still only 1 or 2 percent more,” she said. “But in a race like this, 1 or 2 percent could win it.”
At the schools, Warnock has often reminisced about his own college experiences and centered messaging on college debt relief, abortion access and representation in politics — subjects many students said resonated with them.
“The senator, in his speech, really emphasized the issues and what he did in Congress when a lot of other people would have just attacked the other candidate, so I could hear his values in what he was saying,” said James Zou, a 19-year-old Georgia Tech student. “I’m just really excited to vote for Sen. Warnock again and really hope that he brings it home in a runoff election.”
