Millennial Vote

Nov. 3, 2016

Transcript:

JOSE: CHELSEA CLINTON AND DONALD TRUMP JUNIOR MADE RECENT CAMPAIGN VISITS SPEAKING ABOUT ISSUES AND COMING OUT TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY. JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES IMPORTANT FOR THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION ARE KEVIN WITH THE ASU COLLEGE REPUBLICANS AND LARSA FROM THE ASU COLLEGE DEMOCRATS. GOOD TO HAVE YOU. PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF THIS ELECTION AND WANT IT TO BE OVER. IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE HEARING FROM THE KIDS ON CAMPUS?

KEVIN CALABRESE: ABSOLUTELY. IT HAS BEEN A LONG JOURNEY SINCE THE CANDIDATES STARTED ANNOUNCING THEIR RUN. DEFINITELY TIME FOR A NICE BREAK.

JOSE: DOES THAT HAVE IMPACT ON PEOPLE SAYING LET'S JUST GET IT OVER WITH?

MANY MILLENNIALS WOULD HAVE PREFERRED OTHER NOMINEES AS THE CANDIDATES. THAT IS GOING TO BE AN OBSTACLE THE TWO MAJOR PARTIES NEED TO OVERCOME BUT IF THEY STAND UP FOR MILLENNIAL BASE ISSUES THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY.

JOSE: LARSA, EVEN UNDER THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES THE COMMON WISDOM IS YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T VOTE OR YOUNG PEOPLE OF WHATEVER GENERATION DON'T GET OUT AND VOTE. ARE YOU SEEING THAT SAME PHENOMENON THIS YEAR?

LARSA RASHO: 2012 WAS THE FIRST ELECTION WHERE MILLENNIALS HAVE A SURGE SHOWING UP TO THE POLLS. THIS TIME AROUND THERE HAS BEEN A DIP IN EARLY VOTING. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON NOVEMBER 8TH BUT THERE HAS BEEN A DIP. MILLENNIALS HAVE BEEN VOCAL ABOUT THAT. THEY ARE UNDECISIVE AND CAN'T DECIDE. ONE PERSON WANTS TO KEEP THEIR GUNS AND AGAIN DEMOCRATIC VALUES ARE NOT TAKING THAT AWAY. BUT SOME PEOPLE WANT UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE. THERE HASN'T BEEN A SLIGHT INDICATION THEY MAYBE LEANING THIRD PARTY.

JOSE: ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE THE THINKING IS MILLENNIALS ARE NOT AS INTERESTED BECAUSE THEY GOT REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BERNIE SANDERS BUT NOT AS EXCITED ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING ON CAMPUS?

LARSA RASHO: THE WHOLE MOVEMENT OF BERNIE OR BUST. HE DREW THEM IN A HUGE WAY. THAT ENDED UP SHIFTING AND BERNIE CAMPAIGNS AND SAID YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WRITE MY NAME IN AND IF YOU DO IT WILL NOT BE COUNTED.

JOSE: ARE PEOPLE GETTING EXCITED ABOUT HER?

THEY ARE. MILLENNIALS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO HILLARY. SHE IS CARRYING MOST OF THE MILLENNIALS. SHE HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT AND I THINK A LARGE PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE BERNIE SANDERS AND POPLAR CULTURE THAT ARE OUT THERE WITH CELEBRITIES ENDORSING HER SAYING MY FAVORITE PERSON IS OUT THERE AND LET ME SEE WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO MAKE CHOICES BASED ON THEIR RESEARCH.

JOSE: KEVIN, HOW EXCITED ARE THE YOUNG REPUBLICANS ABOUT THE EVENTS LIKE THE ONE WITH DONALD TRUMP, JR.? WHAT CONNECTION DO YOU HAVE THINK HE IS MAKING?

KEVIN CALABRESE: THERE IS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT TOWARD DONALD TRUMP AND DONALD TRUMP, JR. WHO SPOKE TO US. THE BIGGEST THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT DONALD TRUMP HAS THIS LEVEL OF ENERGY WE HAVE NOT SEEN FROM A REPUBLICAN NOMINEE IN QUITE SOME TIME. JUST THAT IN ITSELF HAS BROUGHT OUT A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM FOR HIM. ANOTHER ISSUE MILLENNIALS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IS FINDING A JOB WHEN THEY GRADUATE WITH STUDENT LOANS, ISSUES LIKE THE TRANSPACIFIC PARTNERSHIP THAT DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN AGAINST SINCE THE BEGINNING UNLIKE HILLARY CLINTON WHO ABOUT A YEAR AGO DECIDED TO GO AGAINST THE TRANSPACIFIC PARTNERSHIP.

JOSE: WHAT DO YOU HEAR FROM DONALD TRUMP, JR. THAT MAYBE REASSURES YOUNG REPUBLICANS WHO HAD QUALMS ABOUT HIS FATHER?

KEVIN CALABRESE: DONALD TRUMP, JR. HAS A LEVEL OF YOUTHFULNESS WE DON'T SEE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE. WITH HIM BEING A MILLENNIAL, IT ALLOWED HIM TO CLOSER RELATE TO MILLENNIALS ON CAMPUS.

JOSE: AND I DON'T REMEMBER BUT HOW BIG WAS THE CROWD?

KEVIN CALABRESE: WE DON'T KNOW THE OFFICIAL NUMBER BUT ESTIMATED 400-500.

JOSE: WHEN I TALKED TO YOU EARLIER ABOUT THE LACK OF ENTHUSIASM ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE. ARE YOU SEEING THAT ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE?

KEVIN CALABRESE: EVERYBODY HAD THEIR OWN CANDIDATE WHEN THEY STARTED. SOME WERE WITH DONALD TRUMP FROM THE BEGINNING AND OTHERS WERE NOT. SO AS WE SEE WITH THE DEMOCRATS AS WELL, THERE HAS BEEN A PUSH FOR PARTY UNITY.

JOSE: WHAT ABOUT EARLY VOTING? ANY SENSE WHERE THOSE NUMBERS ARE ON THE MILLENNIAL WITH THE YOUNG REPUBLICANS?

KEVIN CALABRESE: I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBERS ON THE TOP OF MY HEAD BUT WE HAVE BEEN URGING THE STUDENTS TO GO OUT AND VOTE EARLY. LAST THING WE WANT IS FOR THEM TO WAIT IN LINE.

JOSE: DONALD TRUMP IS THE MAIN ATTRACTION WITH THE REPUBLICANS AND THE OTHER PEOPLE SHOW UP MAYBE NOT AS EXCITING. ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE YOU HAVE THE FIRST LADY, YOU HAVE CHELSEA CLINTON, YOU HAVE BERNIE SANDERS COMING OUT, ALL OF WHO SEEM TO MAKE A BETTER CONNECTION WITH YOUNG PEOPLE. BUT CHELSEA CLINTON IN ARIZONA THIS WEEK. WHAT IMPACT DO YOU THINK ALL THAT IS GOING TO HAVE?

LARSA RASHO: IT A HUGE IMPACT. THE OBAMA'S HAVE SEEN A HUGE SURGE IN POPULARITY AND LEAVING OFFICE WITH 55% APPROVAL RATING. THEY RESONATE WITH MILLENNIALS EVEN IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THEIR POLITICAL IDEOLOGY I HAVE MANY REPUBLICANS WHO LOVE THEM. YOU SEE THEM ON TALK SHOWS AND TV AND THEY ARE OUT THERE. THEY RESONATE VERY WELL WITH THE MILLENNIALS. THEY LOVE THE OBAMA'S AND CHELSEA AND BERNIE SANDERS MADE A HUGE IMPACT WITH THE MILLENNIALS. NOW HE IS ABLE TO ATTRIBUTE ALL OF THAT TO HILLARY AND IT HAS BEEN AMAZING.

JOSE: YOU MENTION YOUR REPUBLICAN FRIENDS. DO YOU HAVE A SENSE, AS OTHER PARTS OF THE VOTING SEGMENTS, FEMALE REPUBLICANS ARE TURNED OFF BY DONALD TRUMP AND MORE LIKELY TO VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON?

LARSA RASHO: I KNOW REPUBLICAN FEMALE FRIENDS THAT ARE VOTING FOR TRUMP AND REPUBLICAN FEMALE FRIENDS VOTING FOR HILLARY CLINTON. SOME WOMEN OVERLOOK THOSE STATEMENTS AND PUSH THEM BACK AND THAT IS THEIR PREROGATIVE AND THERE ARE OTHERS THAT SAY AS A WOMAN OR MINORITY IT IS DIFFICULT TO GIVE MY VOTE TO HIM. A BIG THING WITH MILLENNIALS IS MY VOTE DOESN'T COUNT AND THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR SO MANY ELECTIONS IN THE PAST. IT IS UNTRUE. WE TRY TO FORGE THAT AND POST IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND GET OUR VOICE OUT THERE.

JOSE: STILL CONCERNS MAYBE PEOPLE WILL SIT IT OUT. WE WILL HAVE TO END THE DISCUSSION ON THAT NOTE. NEXT WEEK WE WILL KNOW WHERE THINGS STAND.