69.2 million: the number of qualified voters in the United States between the ages of 18 and 34, according to an article by USA Today. Out of these 69.2 million, 60% said they’d consider voting for a third-party candidate. So what does this mean for Hillary Clinton? Let’s just say, she’s got some work to do.

I would like to focus on the rhetoric that the Clinton campaign has been using to appeal to the
millennial generation, specifically the t-shirts that Hillary’s campaign came out with in the hopes of gaining more support from the younger generation. These new yellow t-shirt’s feature the phrase “Yaaas, Hillary!” and a picture of her face from probably thirty years ago.

This strategy doesn’t make sense coming from a 68-year-old woman who most likely doesn’t even know where or how “yaaas” started. (It was Lady GaGa by the way). Also, using a photo of herself from 30-40 years ago on the shirt sends a false message to her millennial audience. We all know that Hillary is not a young, hip candidate that relates to our generation’s culture, so why pretend? It comes across as insincere and quite frankly, phony.

Realistically, Hillary is a grandmother and her disingenuous attempts to gain support via snapchat, GIF’s, Bitmoji’s…etc. are getting her nowhere. We don’t want the POTUS to pretend to know funny slang or be BFF’s with popular young celebrities. We want a POTUS that will help our futures and make us feel confident in the policies that she is planning to implement.

In an article by In These Times, Kate Aronoff writes, “For the most progressive and diverse generation in history, Trump represents virtually everything our generation is against. Clinton represents everything that hasn’t worked for us.” Hillary needs to step up and show our generation how she is going to help us get out of debt post college, how she is going to redistribute wealth, how she is going to make healthcare affordable and effective…etc. It can’t just be all talk that appeals to every age.

If Hillary does not start going out of her way to show millenials that she is going to make policies specifically for the betterment of our futures, then she is going to lose a lot of millennial votes to either Gary Johnson or Jill Stein. This generation wants to know that we aren’t just pawns in her campaign, but people that she genuinely cares for.

Hillary Clinton is ahead in the polls and with the release of Trump’s degrading language toward women, should be leading this 2016 Election. The second Presidential Debate on Sunday evening was a battle between who is more fit to be in office, which candidate is able to act the most presidential, and who’s past words and actions have been most inglorious to the candidate’s struggling campaigns. Both challengers’ campaigns have been at highs and lows. Highs would include Hillary’s ability to reach out to lower class voters and achieve a relatable character. Trump’s highs would include his strength and abilities to fix the nation’s undervalued economy. Lows for Hillary would include her terrible use of metaphors like “basket of deplorables” and Trump’s use of metaphor calling Hillary a “bigot”.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been caught in threatening circumstances which have made their campaigns unpredictable and difficult for voters of all’s ages, genders, and ethnicities to defend and support. From a rhetorical standpoint, knowing that Hillary Clinton is ahead in the polls and has an easy upper hand, due to this weekend’s Trump scandal, she should have been able to have a victory over Trump during this debate. Trump defeated Hillary and was able to control his past and blame the Clinton’s for their past actions. He continued to preach to the audience in the crowd and the audience watching through the screen that “actions speak louder than words” and if somebody with his power was the president then Hillary would be in jail for her 33,000 deleted emails when she was secretary of state.

Both candidates need to settle down and achieve one last final goal. To receive the millennial vote come Election Day in November. Polls show that millennial voters, alongside white middle-aged women, will be the determining factor in the outcome of this election. Millennials make up around 69.2 million votes, and have the great ability to sway the deciding result. This article emphasizes the importance of the millennial voters and touches on the point that they are key assets to winning this election.

This poll shows that millennial voters between the ages of 18 and 34 tend to agree and side with Clinton 56% of the time and Trump only 20%. According to this fortune article, Hillary Clinton is “tapping former Vice President Al Gore to help her win over millennials in the final weeks before November 8^th” (fortune.com). Clinton and her campaign have recognized the importance of climate issues and how millennial voters value the conditions of the globe and the treats of climate change the Earth is currently under.

This article shows that millennials would “flock to Clinton against Trump”. The picture also suggests that many female millennials are stating and showing that “I’m With Her”. On the other hand, this photo shows male millennials siding with Trump.

An article, written by USA Today, discusses how millennial voters are turned off by the two major party candidates and are choosing to instead vote for the third party candidates. According to USA Today, “A lot of people are trending away from the main parties and looking at the third party” (USA Today). The article continues to explain how many millennials feel strongly about gun rights, but feel that health care is a valuable asset to attain. Most millennial voters who feel this way are unsure of who will get their vote.

In conclusion, Hillary must continue on her route of gaining the millennial votes if she wants to win this election. She should continue to have surrogate speakers, like Al Gore, campaign for her when she is unable to campaign. Hillary must continue to state that Trump is unfit for office and that his words devalue women and the woman’s ability. She should also continue to bring up Trump’s taxes and his inability to show his tax records. Her campaign should press on the issues of the climate and suggest ways to fix the drastic current climate change. Clinton should continue to grant the wishes of health care, and continue to give health care to all citizens. Lastly, she should continue her streak of being relatable to all genders, ages, and races/ethnicities. She must continue to be strong and defeat Trump and not take his bait during debates. She must take a stance for women and all that she has to offer to play the role of The President of The United States of America.

The role of surrogates in a presidential election is both simple and crucial- to amplify support of a candidate or campaign message. They can say things that the candidate feels uncomfortable saying, speak to audiences, and aid in fund-raising.

Rewind a few decades and you find little Hillary volunteering for political campaigns at the astonishing age of 13. Adored by teachers. Voted most likely to succeed in high school. Graduating with honors in the top 10% of her class. She’s been a raging success for the entirety of her life- a token child, soaring above the rest- and perhaps for that reason, she is just not relatable to millennials. She’s not cool, she’s not hip. She’s “most likely to succeed…” that girl…

Luckily, Clinton has a multitude of #hip #trendy celebrities that are publicly “with her” because they can be extremely influential in attracting millennial votes- especially if these surrogates are themselves included in this generation. For example, the following young actresses and musicians had active roles in the Democratic National Convention: Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Lena Dunham, America Ferrera, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Silverman, and Demi Lovato. These big names functioned to show millennials how cool Hillary was and to say, “I may be ‘most likely to succeed,’ but I’m still friends with all the popular kids.” It gave her ‘coolness credibility’ among the younger vote.

…Hillary’s #1!

There are dozens of other celebrities that publicly support Hillary via social media, apparel, fundraisers. Here are some big names whose support speaks volumes to millennials:

Lena Dunham– actress, writer, producer, director, activist, and proud Hillary supporter. She gave a speech at the DNC, conducted an interview with Hillary for her widely received newsletter, and clearly has some pretty loud Hillary garb. She shared the ph0to above on her Instagram.

Lady Gaga- singer, songwriter, and actress. Gaga posted an Instagram of herself in an American flag swimsuit with a caption that says “#HILLARY2016 Nothing can keep a strong woman down. VOTE for the first female U.S. president in history. Shake it up America, this country needs a little rock n’ roll.” It received 365,000 likes. Hillary posted the Instagram of them pictured above.

Kim Kardashian- reality television personality, socialite, businesswoman, and model. Attends fundraisers for Hillary, and tweeted this picture (to her nearly 50 million followers) with her with the caption “I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country!” #HillaryForPresident”

Each of these celebrities and countless others are beloved by millennials. Though a simple social media post may seem insignificant, they reach thousands and thousands of young voters. And they are extremely important. Hillary’s campaign is greatly benefitted by the use of these celebrity surrogates because they function to convince millennials that Clinton is in fact #hip and #trendy because she has these celebrities by her side, taking selfies with her. I believe she will see positive results on her poll numbers if she gets more publicity of this sort.

As Donald Trump’s lewd comments about women have been released, Hillary Clinton has secured the endorsements of many female celebrities.  In a world consumed with social media, could Clinton’s celebrity surrogates be the difference in the millennial vote?

The video of Trump’s vigorously degrading comments to Billy Bush of Access Hollywood has taken the internet by storm. Many politicians and celebrities are stepping forward to retract their prior endorsements of Trump.  Hillary Clinton, pictured above with Britney Spears, has an overwhelming base of support coming from Hollywood. With the use of social media in campaigns at an all time high, the use of celebrity surrogates could gain Clinton the support that she needs from the millennials.

If Clinton is able to use the celebrities’ social media outreach, Clinton could capitalize on their followers and huge fan bases.

With the current trends of equality for women gaining attention with the younger vote, Trump’s comments made in 2005 will be a significant blow to his support from millennial females. Clinton has secured the endorsements of celebrities including Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Elizabeth Banks, Drew Barrymore, Mary J. Blige, Connie Britton, Ellen DeGeneres, Lena Dunham, along with many others. Barrymore said of Clinton, “Hillary Clinton is going to be the ultimate girlboss as our next president“.

Clinton can use these women with such a massive follower base to voice a message of disdain and disgust with Trump more harshly than she can as his opposition. While Clinton can and will react to Trump’s comments by messaging on her support of women, she cannot be too harsh while remaining presidential. These famous women are hugely significant in elections. For example, Donald Trump a mere few years back was just a celebrity entrepreneur himself.

Looking forward as the election moves closer and closer, Americans can expect Hillary’s celebrity surrogates to reach out to their fan bases to amp up their support. While celebrity surrogates lack the political background and credibility of a political surrogate, Clinton may be able to beat Trump at this own game. Trump’s celebrity status gave him a huge advantage in the Republican primary in terms of name recognition and media attention. His outsider approach to politics has been lucrative for him so far but he’s losing steam as Clinton displays a huge advantage of experience. If she can combine her experience and knowledge with the outsider approach of her celebrity surrogates, she may have the grounds to capture the millennial vote.

With the election for President a little over a month away, Secretary Clinton has got a lot to prove to court the millennial vote that came so easily to President Barack Obama and to her opposition in the primary, Bernie Sanders.  During the democratic primary contest, Sanders “captured over seven-in-10 Millennial voters against Clinton” says Ben Tulchin, a pollster for Bernie Sanders.

The real question for Secretary Clinton will not be whether or not she will be able to defeat Donald Trump’s appeal with millennials but whether or not she will be able to defeat Bernie Sanders?

Earlier this week, the Clinton leaks continue. The leak includes an audio clip of Secretary Clinton at a fundraising referring the supporters of Senator Sanders as “living in their parents’ basement” and being idealists who are “new to politics completely”.

It was not too much earlier this election cycle that Secretary Clinton nicknamed Trump supporters a “’basket of deplorables”.

Perhaps Secretary Clinton feels so secure for the November election that she is not concerned with the comments made about Trump supporters. But, the detachment from Bernie Sanders supporters could come back to bite her.

It seems that in recent weeks, Libertarian candidate, Governor Gary Johnson, has started sweeping Bernie Sanders’ millennial voters into his camp.  While Governor Johnson may not be a realistic adversary in the race to be President, he could steal enough of the millennials to take the victory away from Secretary Clinton and had the office to Trump.

A poll done in August shows Governor Johnson leading Trump and Secretary Clinton with registered voters under 25. The same poll shows that with voters 18-24, Governor Johnson polls at 12% unfavorably and Secretary Clinton polls at 65% unfavorably.

Secretary Clinton has less than 40 days to attract the millennial vote and convince Bernie supporters to come her way instead of to Governor Johnson.

(Source)

Hillary Clinton is a well organized, experienced politician, however, her appeal to the millennial vote is substantially lacking. After reading an article by Mother Jones, I considered more potential reasons why Clinton is not easily obtaining these votes. This article made an argument that the partial reason why millennials are still voting for third party candidates is because Clinton is doing nothing to differentiate her pitch to the younger generation. According to this article her only reasoning is “Elect me because President Donald Trump is too terrifying to fathom.” Honestly, one of the very few direct appeals to our generation was her debt-free college plan. This is obviously a concern for everyone who is currently in or about to enter college, however, you can’t gain the support of an entire generation with just one universally liked idea.

I believe that Clinton is struggling so much to gain these votes because her opponents are trying much harder to appeal to millennials than she is. Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are stealing 21% of these votes because they have revolved their campaigns around the values and goals held by our generation. The votes going to these third party candidates are dangerous for Clinton because they could ultimately help Trump. According to the National Review, “If Hillary Clinton loses in November, two reasons will be Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green-party nominee Jill Stein.” Clinton needs to make more direct appeals, specifically to the younger generation, and show them how electing her will positively affect their futures.

Millennials, for the first election, have become the largest voting demographic in the country. While Clinton has hinted at issues such as climate change to gain support from younger voters, she needs to do more. She needs to work around the fact that millennials are more selective about the news they receive, and are more aware of what she has done to not seem presidential.

The New York Times quotes Michelle Obama, saying that ““If you vote for someone other than Hillary, or if you don’t vote at all, then you are helping to elect Hillary’s opponent.” (NY Times) However, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are receiving increased support from younger voters, where normally their support has softened this far into the campaign.

While Sanders, a former independent and favorite of the younger generation, has warned voters of the negative implications of voting against Clinton, many voters believe that she is not genuine and is forcing relatability. Some Muslims would rather vote for a third-party, despite Trump’s racist rhetorical past. It was easy for younger voters and voters of many races to relate with Obama, but those who voted for him may not vote at all in this election.

A strategy Clinton is using to gain support from younger voters in swing states is by sending her daughter to colleges. She also did an interview with Zach Galifianakis to prove that she relates with the humor that the younger generation appreciates. The last line of the interview makes light of the email scam, and allows the audience to understand that the email controversy is something for them to move on from.

Capturing the voters: Capturing the votes of the millennial has become a focus of both Presidential Candidates in the 2016 Election. Hillary Clinton has finely focused on and made it her central role to capture young voters. It has been proven through past elections that young voters are a great majority of our country’s voters. Young voters helped Barack Obama, as he received 60% of young voter’s votes in 2012, resulting in over 20% of his overall votes. Clinton is in believe that the millennial voters make up for over 25% of the voting demographics in this election. Capturing their vote is ideal. But, she has one issue. The millennial are refusing to vote for her.

Who do the Millennial voters support? As a challenger facing Donald Trump neither candidate has the upper hand and they are both fighting for the same moderate, undecided voters like the millennial vote, Clinton nor Trump have captured the millennial voter’s attention for the right reasons. Neither candidate is viewed as trustworthy, honest or relatable. Young voters feel they do not connect with either candidate, leaving them unsure of which candidate to vote for in the Election. According to CNN, “while walking through the campus of East Carolina University, students were interviewed and only one student stated she was voting for Hillary” (CNN.com). Her last hope to gain these votes is to grasp on Bernie Sanders’s values and beliefs, as Bernie had captured almost all of millennial voters before he suspended his campaign.

She needs Bernie’s supporters: This image portrays young voters who were in support of Bernie. These same voters across the nation are now undecided, moderate voters who have one of the most difficult elections to vote in as their first election. Will the vote for Hillary or Trump? Only time will tell, but I believe they will vote against Clinton as millennial voters show little like for the candidate and tend to disagree with her beliefs. Many males and females also feel distant from Clinton, as she cares too much about gender issues rather than the more prominent issues in our country. Clinton has displayed many disappointing characteristics, including lying, which has guided young voters away from her. Along with lying, her deleted emails have also causes voters to dislike her and feel that she is untrustworthy.

Only time (and the Election) will tell: As each week, debate, and time passes the candidates are giving it their last push and all to capture the attention of the young voters. As for the results of the millennial voters, only the 2016 Presidential Election will tell.

Elizabeth Bowers