Opinion: Regardless of who wins the election, Republicans have a Gen Z problem

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris spent much of their last-minute campaigning on the Gen Z vote. They've done podcasts and shows that cater directly to young voters as a way to reach out.

It makes sense that the candidates are focusing on Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012. We're politically engaged, and we have shown a commitment to voting. However, this also shows that Trump and Harris didn't see a reason to reach across political aisles to convert voters, choosing instead to rally their young base.

Most people have decided on their vote, and Gen Z is no different. Rather than try to change minds at the margins, candidates have realized that they’re better off rallying their sympathetic voters than trying to persuade them.

We'll find out soon if my generation will respond by actually voting and if Republicans did a good enough job reaching out to young voters.

As Election Day looms, Trump and Harris focus on their base

As Gen Z ages into the electorate, Republicans have a big problem ahead of themselves. Young Americans overwhelmingly favor Democrats. Republicans cannot continue to push their appeal to young white men and expect to win in the future.

This is why you see such a partisan difference in the ways each candidate is trying to appeal. Their methods are the same, but their choice of messengers differs.

Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance are doing podcast runs on programs popular among young conservative men, such as Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and Adin Ross’ shows.

Harris, on the other hand, has opted for an appearance on "Call Her Daddy," a popular sex podcast among Gen Z women, and made an appearance on "Saturday Night Live." Meanwhile, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz has opted for live-streaming video games on Twitch.

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More important, this is why you don’t see Trump accepting the chance to go on "Call Her Daddy" or Harris being less than eager to speak with Rogan. Aside from the fact that these would likely be adversarial interviews, leaving the chance for messaging blunders, they would be speaking to an audience that broadly doesn’t want to hear from them.

Trump and Vance have taken even more advantage of this form of outreach than Harris and Walz, appearing on a fleet of podcasts with an overwhelmingly male audience.

Both candidates have decided that changing our minds isn’t worth the effort this late in the race, and it's now up to whether we vote. Since 2020, 8 million Gen Z voters have aged into the electorate, and though they overwhelmingly favor Democrats, there are stark differences between the two genders and how each party looks to secure their votes.

Republicans have a young voter problem. The GOP needs Gen Z.

Trump and Vance are naturally focusing on the economy, which is the No. 1 issue for Gen Z. It also is the only top Gen Z issue on which Trump and Vance hold an advantage.

Harris and Walz, on the other hand, have opted to focus on abortion legality and other social issues that matter to our generation, like gun violence.

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However, over the long term, the GOP can’t succeed by simply appealing to the slim portion of Gen Z that already agrees with them. Eventually, the demographics will make a Republican win increasingly difficult as older Americans, who strongly favor the GOP, are replaced in the electorate by young liberals.

Sure, there's the common theory that we will become more conservative with age, which has some merit to it. Even so, there hasn't been a generation as uniquely slanted in favor of one party in recent memory as Gen Z is.

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Naturally, I’d prefer if both party candidates were attempting to persuade my generation instead of pandering to their voters. However, the GOP, most of all, needs to deliberately appeal to Gen Z voters who might lean left if they want to have any success in the future.

The Gen Z voting base is growing rapidly, and soon, they will dominate elections. The GOP is in for a serious problem the more young voters age into the electorate, and they need to find ways to change minds rather than play the hits to their base.

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Opinion: Will Trump or Harris win? Gen Z could cost GOP in the future