US Vice President Kamala Harris' late entry into the race for the White House has energized young Democrats, a group whose involvement will be crucial if the party is to defeat Donald Trump in November.
When President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he was withdrawing from the race and endorsed Harris, 28-year-old Stevie O'Hanlon felt "relieved."
Concerns about the mental acuity of Biden, 81, and his dismal poll results against Trump had created "a sense of dread among a lot of young people," said O'Hanlon, a member of the youth climate activism group Sunrise Movement.
But Harris, whose candidacy is less than two weeks old, "has generated a kind of enthusiasm that wasn't there for Biden," she explained.
For Ethan Nichols, a 22-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, this new energy is "palpable on the spot."
"My friends who are not politically engaged have been forwarding Kamala Harris memes and, you know, they seem so excited that they finally have a candidate that they feel inspired by," said the student Democrat, who is very active in politics.
Harris, 59, wants to capitalize on youthful enthusiasm and points to the fact that Trump, 78, is almost 20 years her senior.
Her campaign team bombarded social media, particularly TikTok, with videos of Harris surrounded by rap stars such as Meggan T Stallion and Quavo, who once fronted the hip-hop trio Migos. These clips quickly garnered millions of views.
Last week, Harris also appeared on an episode of the reality show "RuPaul's Drag Race" — taped before Biden left the race — and gave a virtual speech to a group of young Democrats.
"In these elections, we are counting on you to activate, organize and mobilize," she emphasized.
While young Americans traditionally favor Democrats over Republicans, and many of them live in key battleground states, it's also true that they don't always vote.
One notable exception was the 2020 presidential election, when young Democrats turned out in droves to vote against Trump.
This year, some 40 million people between the ages of 18 and 27 are eligible to vote - a potential jackpot in an election that promises to be extremely close for the two candidates.
In addition to a strong social media presence, Harris needs to "stand out, differentiate himself from Biden" to cement his support among young voters, noted Ruby Bell Booth, a researcher at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
Harris must "show that he can fight for the causes that concern young people, such as abortion rights, gun control and environmental causes," Booth told AFP.
Harris' big speech at the Democratic National Convention on August 22 will be an excellent opportunity for her to present her policy positions and priorities to voters.
Trump, who already secured the Republican Party nomination at its convention in Milwaukee last month, has made Biden's age and health the centerpiece of his campaign strategy.
Since Harris entered the race, he has had to make a U-turn. Now he tries to minimize the issue. I BGNES
