November 08, 2024
Pedro Rodriguez
Unfortunately for Florida’s Democratic Party, staggering inflation cost them young voters — and Tuesday’s presidential election.
As the James Madison Institute Blueprint for Florida mentions, the American dream has been “on trial every day” for young Floridians like me, a fourth-year student at Florida State University in Tallahassee. November 2024 proved no different.
After Kamala Harris vowed to change nothing from “Bidenflation,” young voters turned away from the failed economic policies of the Democrats and their inability to address inflation.
In September, the Brookings Institute warned that while inflation had been rough on all Americans, “young voters are faring worse across most economic indicators and are facing tremendous economic challenges.”
The article concludes that “whether young people turned out in high numbers and who they voted for would largely depend on how well Donald Trump or Harris persuaded them that they can improve their economic realities and future opportunities.”
That prediction proved true in the ballot box. Exit polls revealed that Trump picked up more points than expected among key demographics, like young people and Black voters.
Now, with my background as a GOP congressional staffer, Miami-Dade Republican party executive committee member, former deputy campaign manager for a conservative candidate, and a current communications staffer with a think-tank that prioritizes free markets, my vote was unlikely to impact the Democrats this November anyway.
If it were, however, nobody could blame me for considering the state of the economy before marking a box on the ballot. The cost of living was already out of reach, even during recent economic prosperity. Now, the ability to afford today’s economy has become unattainable.
The recent survey from JMI revealed that 48% of likely voters in Florida perceive inflation as a ‘very serious’ issue.
The College Fix reported that “44 percent of college students — named the economy a top concern.” For example, I ventured to the Berries Coffee Shop in Coconut Grove to catch up with a friend the other day. Just in gas, my day was already off to roughly a $20 start. That’s not counting the coffee.
Financial uncertainty is undoubtedly at the forefront of nearly every young American’s mind. For someone working a part-time job and paying full-time college tuition, $20 on gas and $5 on coffee is not something we have to throw around.
As reported by Campus Reform, the economy is hitting young people so ruthlessly that many have opted not to seek early entry to the workforce instead of a college degree. For those who opt for a college degree, our late entry into the workforce will only prolong our ability to build up our savings account. Bankrate stated that inflation is a real threat to young Americans’ savings accounts, restricting how much we can save and how much we’ll have to dip into our savings to afford our everyday lives.
The annual income for a new graduate declined by over 10 percent, but inflation has also made essential goods and services less affordable for new graduates, according to Campus Reform.
By voting against Harris, young Americans decided they would not be forced to potentially give up dreams of owning a house, a car, a solid retirement, and peace of mind for the future.
