Activists mobilize to reach 1.5M young voters in swing states to defeat Trump

Edward Carver, Common Dreams
August 27, 2024

Kamala Harris takes a photo with young supporters at a rally at Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn., on Aug. 6, 2024. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Sunrise Movement on Tuesday launched a campaign program in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, aiming to reach 1.5 million young voters in key swing states

The left-wing, youth-led climate action group didn't endorse Harris—though it's part of the Green New Deal Network, which has— but announced that it would mobilize to help her defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump, whom Kidus Girma, the group's campaign director, referred to as "Big Oil's favorite henchman."

The group's program will include canvassing, phone banking, and digital outreach, as well as protests and the creation of social media videos aimed at stoking youth enthusiasm.

"Young climate voters could decide this election," Stevie O'Hanlon, the group's communications director, said in a statement. "The Harris-Walz ticket means millions more young voters are tuning in and considering voting. We're going all-out to reach those voters and mobilize our generation to defeat Trump this November."

Sunrise argued in the statement that Harris is polling better than President Joe Biden did because she has more support from youth and climate-minded voters.

The group also cited a recent poll commissioned by Climate Power, an advocacy group, that showed the gap between public trust for Harris and Trump is larger on climate—at 23 percentage points—than on any other issue, even slightly more so than abortion. Sunrise wants to see Harris to press that climate advantage.

The group's program marks an increase in organizational ambition from what was planned in support of Biden's reelection bid—before Harris replaced him, Sunrise's voter engagement goal had been 1 million.

"The difference in excitement between Biden and Harris among young people we've been talking to is night and day," O'Hanlon toldThe Washington Post.

Media outlets have in the last three months made much of Sunrise's refusal to endorse either Biden or Harris, starting with Axios in early June and continuing with the Post on Tuesday.

Sunrise has explained that it's waiting for more information on Harris' climate policies, as well as her approach to Israel's war on Gaza. So far, climate hasn't been a point of emphasis for her; the issue received scant attention at last week's Democratic National Convention.

The group took a similar tack in 2020, mobilizing in support of Biden but declining to endorse him. They are trying to steer the Democratic nominee toward stronger climate action.

"We will continue to urge the Harris campaign to put forward a bold vision that will energize young voters," O'Hanlon said.

Sunrise has long been a lightning rod for criticism, not just from Republicans but also from the more technocratically oriented establishment wing of the Democratic Party. Jonathan Chait wrote a scathing column, full of straw man arguments, about the group in New York in June.

The Post on Tuesday suggested that any attempt by Harris to draw in younger voters with new climate or Gaza policies could alienate "moderate" voters in swing states, where fossil fuel groups have launched ad campaigns attacking her climate record and claiming she would ban gasoline-powered cars. Harris has already walked back some of the climate pledges she made while running for president in the 2020 cycle, including a ban on fracking.

Amid the challenges of operating in a media sphere and political system heavily influenced by corporate interests, Sunrise has continued to work with Democratic leaders while also pushing them to be bolder. Many progressives see the group's past work as key to the development of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act—the most notable climate action law in U.S. history, however flawed it may have been.

O'Hanlon, in an interview with Mother Jones on Thursday, expressed optimism that more change could be forthcoming, pointing out that the Democratic Party's climate platform is in fact strong.

"The 2024 platform calls out Big Oil, pledges to make polluters pay, and targets oil and gas company subsidies, which is really substantial," O'Hanlon said.