Hillary Clinton has struggled with winning the millennial vote throughout the majority of her campaign. However, the recent televised debates have done a substantial job in changing the minds of younger voters. According to a poll by Quinnipiac University in mid-September, Clinton had won just 31% of the millennial vote. However, according to another poll by the University in mid October, Clinton was up to 57%. So what changed? The two televised debates that occurred within that period of time.

A majority of millenial’s problems with Clinton was that she comes off as scripted, fake, and hard to relate to. Her attempts at appealing to the millennial vote via social media were, for lack of a better word, cringy, and because of this she lacked substantially in her ability to make young voters feel valued and appreciated. However, the live debates gave Clinton an opportunity to show a side of herself that millenials have been waiting for all along.

In an article by Time, Sam Frizzel writes, “Still, it was in the debates when they [millenials] saw a candidate in her element, a lawyer-by-training who during three 90-minute sessions steadily cut into her opponent, goading him, baiting him and mocking him into making blunders.” Clinton was able to keep her cool in all of the debates, and came off as a strong, intelligent woman who can handle being interrupted and mocked by a man who had little evidence to back up his claims

It was in the debates where Clinton’s rhetorical objectives had very positive effects. Specifically, through her demeanor, practice, and logistical responses she was able to reinforce audience belief structure, modify her image, set the voter agenda and increase knowledge of issues, as well as build confidence in Democracy. Trump’s irrational outbursts and crude comments left voters, specifically undecided voters, feeling annoyed and quite frankly angry that someone so illogical could be running for president. This is how Clinton was able to also shift a limited number of millennial voters to her side.

In an article by New York magazine, Eric Levitz writes, “Harvard political scientist John Della Volpe, who studies youth voting patterns, told the site that a “significant number” of young people hadn’t seen Clinton in a “long format” until the first presidential debate, when “an overwhelming majority of millennials saw her with fresh eyes — and, generally speaking, they liked what they saw.” These presidential debates are the reason for Clinton’s recent surge in millennial support.

It wasn’t her appeals on Snapchat or her strange references to pop culture that won millennial support. It was showing the public her true, somewhat unscripted self, that made her relatable and appealing to the younger generation.

 

Millennial Voters: According to this article, millennial voters match the Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the United States…but the biggest question of all is whether or not they will vote, and if they do vote, who will they vote for? It is estimated that there are 69.2 million millennials in the United States who are eligible to vote. One common denominator between most of these millennials is social media outlets like Facebook.

Facebook’s Impact: Facebook has a huge impact on the current election. More than ever, voters of all ages, races and genders are turning to Facebook to get the latest election updates, debate results, and venting about their feelings on the two candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Millennial voters are typically the best at venting about their feelings on Facebook. According to this article , there has been a lot of consternation in recent months about Facebook’s impact on politics. Mostly, Facebook could have an impact on the election because of the hyper-targeted campaign ads, suppressed trending topics and partisan censorship. To say the least, Facebook’s biggest impact on the election is that it is actually motivating and driving millennial voters to the polls. According to THIS ARTICLE, the majority of these voters are likely to vote Democrat.

Facebook Raised Voting Numbers: As all millennials are aware, we spend the majority of our days scrolling through the endless NewsFeed of our multiple social media outlets. Whether its Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, the media has stamped our brains with political messages. It turns out, according to this article , that social media outlets like Facebook have actually raised the number of millennial voters in almost every state.

Facebook Demographics: According to this article , the demographics of Facebook show that Facebook users are young, people of color, and women…all characteristics of a Democratic vote. Facebook lately has been trending stories that would suggest favorability in Hillary Clinton. These millennial “Facebookers” are faced with trending anti-Trump political advertisements along with pro-Hillary campaign videos.

Facebook Venting: Facebook has also served its purpose as a free therapist for many young voters. As the images shown below suggest, millennial voters are not quiet about or afraid to show their political preferences:

Pro Hillary Clinton Posts:

Pro Donald Trump Posts:

How The Candidates Could Gain Millennial Votes: Both candidates are striving to gain the last minute millennial votes as their campaigns for President are coming to a close. With just 14 days left in their campaigns, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are aiming their campaigns in swing states and among millennial voters. Focusing on issues like the economy, jobs, education costs, climate change, and even pro-choice/pro-life opinions are topics that (according to Facebook) can get the millennials thinking. Hillary Clinton should continue to gain millennial female voters by discussing issues like Pro-Choice and continue gaining millennial voters by campaigning about the importance of climate change. Donald Trump could continue to gain both male and female millennial voters by campaigning about the importance of Pro-Life and how he will create more jobs, and cut taxes. Lastly, both candidates should continue their strong stance on how they will make education more affordable for students and families.

How Facebook Should React: Facebook should continue getting voters interested in the election, but it should focus more on promoting each candidate giving them fair positive and negative coverage. Facebook has shown multiple feeds of live campaign coverage and it should continue showing the live feeds of both Presidential candidates.

El voto joven hispano. The young hispanic vote. A demographic that is absolutely crucial to Hillary’s victory in the tipping point state of Florida (and beyond). Hispanic millennials “account for nearly half of the record 27.3 million Hispanics eligible to vote in November,” according to an article by the Boston Globe, and the 48% of them who support Hillary are doing so unenthusiastically. “64 percent,” of these hispanic millennials, “described their support more as a vote against Donald Trump than a vote for her.”

Because of this, the Clinton campaign has been very strategic in using rhetoric to appeal to the Hispanic millennial generation. Here are a few examples of how Hillary is trying to get these young hispanics fired up:

1. Hillary runs bilingual television, radio, and digital ads to appeal to Spanish-speaking voters and to show them that she views them as an integral and important part of our country. One of these ads entitled “Juntos se Puede,” which translates to “Together we Can,” features young families excited to exercise their right to vote and also features some beloved establishments in South Florida.
2. The Clinton campaign cut a powerful ad featuring former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado. In this ad, Machado, a hispanic icon, describes Trump’s verbal abusive behavior after she gained some weight. Machado explains, in Spanish, the eating disorder that she suffered from due to the scrutiny of Trump and the media.
3. According to the Boston Globe, “Clinton is also heavily courting Puerto Rican voters in Florida, given the tens of thousands migrating off the island each year to escape its financial crisis. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and can vote immediately.” “Caravanas” ride through the Puerto Rican-dense neighborhoods blaring salsa and reggaeton music waving Clinton campaign signs and Puerto Rican flags in order to stir up excitement for Hillary.

I believe that appeals such as these will be effective in gaining Hillary support among the young Hispanic demographic. However, in order to win this election, these efforts need to increase. Time is of the essence. The Hispanic millennials are not enthusiastic about Hillary, and she needs to give them reason to be. Through ads and blog posts and speeches, Hillary needs to show this group of millennials that she’s not just catering to them to gain their vote, that she actually cares about them and the issues that they stand for.

 

In the third presidential debate, Hillary Clinton addressed millennials by saying she wants more technical education and community colleges. She also mentioned working with Bernie Sanders to make public universities debt free for families who make less than $125,000 a year. This was the extent of her addressing millennials, making points which she had all ready made in previous speeches. Provided that millennials are one of the main demographics she needs votes from in order to win, she could have said more to them, or at least brought up fresh ideas.

The day after, she tweeted, “”If you’re a young person worried about affording college, [Hillary] has a plan to make your education tuition-free.” —@FLOTUS Flotus refers to First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. Younger black voters may find it easier to accept Clinton, assuming that they respect Obama.

I belive Clinton does not need to particularly emphasize any one group in order to win the election. In my opinion, Trump’s temper issues have made it nearly impossible for him to pick up more votes. Clinton does not need to use a particular type of rhetoric in order to win the millennial vote because she knows that Trump doesn’t address millennials at all.

Does Clinton need the majority of the millennial vote? Yes. Does she have it? The Ipsos poll conducted October 11-13 for United States citizens aged 18-35 have her favored over Trump. The communication strategies Clinton have used have not made her appear completely honest, but millennials trust her to make college less of a burden over Trump.

https://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=7421

 

Stephen Colbert’s cartoon version of Hillary Clinton might be more relatable to millenials than Clinton herself, certainly funnier. This video sums up why the younger generation is having trouble relating to Clinton. The majority of her appeals to millenials are disingenuous and easily discarded as fake, a quality that Hillary certainly does not need to expand upon throughout the remainder of her campaign. While I do believe it is important for a presidential candidate to reach out and try to relate to people of all ages, I don’t agree with accomplishing this task in an overtly phony manner.

The video shows Hillary wearing a “yas” hat, a “Bernie” t-shirt, and a gold chain, all articles that poke fun at Clinton’s failed attempts at relating to the younger generation. It also shows her using phrases like “bae”, “venmo”, “dog filter on Snapchat” …etc. which are all facets of current pop culture. The pure satire of this video is highly relatable because it shows everything that millenials find pretentious about Clinton. Millenials aren’t stupid, and it’s quite easy for us to tell when people aren’t being genuine. The reality of the matter is that Hillary is a grandmother and anyone of any age can determine that her appeals to the younger generation are drafted by a team of social media managers who quite frankly don’t relate that well to millenials either.

Due to Clinton’s email scandals she has already had trouble defending her integrity as a presidential candidate. A primary rhetorical strategy of her campaign has been to show the American public that she can be trusted. However, she is doing the exact opposite of that in the ways in which she has attempted to win the millennial vote.

The one way Hillary is going to relate to millennial voters is by acting her age and cutting the acts. The younger generation is tired of trying to figure out who Clinton really is. In an article by Wired, Issie Lapowsky writes, “when a candidate’s online persona is so vastly different from his or her offline persona, it creates a kind of cognitive dissonance that turns people off, instead of bringing them in.” In order to win the millenial vote over third party candidates, Clinton needs to stop talking down to us and talk to us. Her rhetoric needs to change, and she needs to address us as adults, rather than mindless teenagers who only care about fads and pop culture.

 

 

With the last Presidential Debate for the 2016 Election coming into play, millennial voters will be the focus of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and their campaigns. Through recent polls, millennials make up around 36% of the overall voters in this election, more than any other election in past years. Besides the white, middle-aged women voting in this election, the millennial vote comes in a close second in aspects of importance. With the election coming soon to a close, it is the question both candidates are pursuing to answer…Who will get the millennial vote?

With scandals like the recent NBC release of Donald Trump talking about grabbing women by certain body parts and Hillary Clinton and the WikiLeaks, which candidate seems less critical in the eyes of the millennial. According to this article, the WikiLeaks emails are not as damaging for Hillary Clinton compared to the NBC video release. In comparison, this article  displays how Hillary Clinton and her WikiLeaks scandal are just covered up by her meticulous and methodical political self. The article states, “In other words, she’s a Clinton-a Democrat who believes in progressive goals, but who’s willing to trim them, postpone them, and even throw them under a bus when practical politics requires”. According to this article, Hillary Clinton is at risk of losing the campaign because millennial voters just simply do not like her or feel that she is honest. Many millennials feel that actions speak louder than words, and this election is the perfect example of that. For both the Republican and Democratic parties, vigorous political advertisements from both sides of the campaign are focusing on one another’s campaign flaws to entice the millennial voter.

Throughout both Trump and Clinton’s presidential campaigns, the candidates have chosen surrogates to speak more effectively to millennials and grasp their attention. Whether the surrogates spoke to millennials about climate change, taxes, a better economy, or student loans, surrogates have been much more effective and relatable for millennials rather than Trump or Clinton. According to this article, celebrity support also helps boost the millennial support and voting. In some instances, the candidates have chosen past Presidents, Vice Presidents, and even celebrities and athletes to reach the realm of the millennial mindset. For example, Hillary Clinton has chosen Al Gore to preach about Climate change, while celebrities like Katy Perry, Eva Longoria and George Clooney have all voiced their support of Hillary Clinton.

On the other hand, Trump has had Paul Ryan campaign to young voters and has had many celebrities come out in support of Trump and his campaign. According to this article, Donald Trump also has quite the celebrity following to entice the millennial voters. These celebrities include Quarterback Tom Brady, Willie Robertson, Dennis Rodman, and Kid Rock.

After filtering through my own Facebook page, I have found it very interesting, amusing, and sometimes frustrating, to find out who supports Hillary and who supports Trump. As a millennial voter myself, I often find myself unsure of who to side with or if I even want to vote. Scrolling through the Facebook “newsfeed” has helped shape and discourage me at different times from both candidates. Facebook has been a continuous political advertisement since the Democratic and GOP primaries last year. When searching both candidates on Facebook, Donald Trump’s Facebook page has received “likes” from 160 of my Facebook friends, compared to Hillary Clinton’s “likes” from only 60 of my Facebook friends. I believe this holds true to the fact that millennial voters stay firm in their belief that they do not like Hillary. The Facebook posts I have come across in favor of Hillary come from extremely liberal Facebook friends across the United States.

Both candidates must focus on the last debate of this election and attribute much of their attention to the millennial viewers. Through campaign advertisements, millennials see much of each candidates abilities (and inabilities) to serve as the next President of The United States of America. Both candidates must express their sides on taxes, fixing the economy, creating jobs, and student loans. The candidates also should plan to discuss issues that could relate to millennial female voters such as programs like Planned Parenthood, abortion rights and maternity leave. Concepts like this could change the stance of many female millennial voters and sway them one way or another. Only time (and the next debate) will tell who is able to get one step close to attaining the millennial vote and becoming the next President.

4 years ago, I did not consider myself a feminist. I thought, “No, no, no…feminists are angry women who don’t shave their legs or their armpits.” That all changed when I saw Emma Watson’s address to the United Nations in which she exposes what feminism really means- the advocacy of women’s rights being the same as men’s. Gender equality.

I have noticed an upswing in modern day feminism. Powerful celebrities like Emma Watson and Lena Dunham and Beyonce are popularizing the term and making it more socially acceptable. Girl Power is here! It’s cool to be a feminist! Needless to say, it’s got a lot of girls very excited that there may finally be a female president come November. Especially one who has devoted much of her career to promoting gender equality. “Too often, these are called women’s issues,” Hillary has said, “Well, I am a proud lifelong fighter for women’s issues, because I firmly believe what’s good for women is good for America.”

Hillary, solely based on her gender, is a beacon of hope to thousands and thousands of women around the world. I believe that it is in Hillary’s best interest to emphasize her gender rhetorically in order to appeal to female millennials and positively affect her campaign. I believe she should continue to talk about women’s issues, continue attacking Trump for the disrespectful things he has said about women, and emphasize how legendary it would be to elect a female president.

Hillary is a strong supporter of equal rights, and she has fought for legislation advocating for gender quality on countless occassions. It is an issue that is very important to her. Before conducting my research on this topic, however, I did not realize what a champion of women’s rights Hillary was. She needs to speak directly to women on these issues more often. For example, Hillary wrote a blog post entitled “Hillary Clinton’s Powerful Message to Young Women” in Refinery29, a millennial-targeted style and beauty blog.

Outside pro-Hillary groups are also releasing ads targeting female millennials, which helps Hillary’s poll numbers. According to the New York Times, “Priorities USA, the “super PAC” supporting Hillary Clinton, and Emily’s List, the political action committee that works to elect Democratic women, have partnered” on a campaign to promote Hillary Clinton and rhetorically advance her as a champion of women.

Trump accused Hillary of playing the “woman card…” Well I think she needs to up the ante.

In the New York Post, students weighed in on their views of the communication Hillary Clinton they witnessed. Roberta Bertha, a 20 year old from Pennsylvania, believed that Clinton’s answers sounded “canned, delivered at times dispassionately and at other times arrogantly.” (NY Post) While Clinton admitted that the race has been long, it seems that millennials are looking for her to become more energetic about helping them acquire jobs.

Clinton spoke in Pueblo, Colorado on October 12th. She mentioned that she had been working with Bernie Sanders to “make college affordable and to pay back student debt.” This was an obvious attempt to recruit the skeptical Sanders supporters who still find it hard to support her as they did Sanders. She also said she would make public college free for working families and debt free for everyone else.

In this speech, she riled up the audience, raising her arms and saying that college debt is a burden. She addressed many other demographics, but I think it is to her benefit that she has put a calculator on her websites for students to be able to finance their student debts based on their income. She also has been working with Sanders, which will only benefit her in receiving millennial votes. This issue Clinton now faces is being able to win over independent voters and those who do not want to vote. For her to do this, she needs to continue visiting colleges and potentially high schoolers who may be discouraged from considering college based on their financial situation. If she can inspire more hope than Trump from millennials in this way, she will win.