Millennials are reshaping everything from health care to the workplace to our political system. To find out what issues and candidates are motivating this influential demographic in Nevada, Reno Public Radio’s Julia Ritchey sat down with two friends: Hawah Ahmad, president of the Young Democrats of Nevada, and Miranda Hoover, president of the College Republicans, here at the university.
Below are excerpts of their conversation.
Q: What’s the energy level right now ahead of the caucus? Do college students care about this election?
Hoover: Yes, the way that I’ve seen it, we’ve had a lot of foot traffic. We try to table every Monday and every Tuesday for a couple hours trying to get interest not only for the College Republicans but also making sure that people understand there’s a lot of Republican candidates. …Every single one of our caucus trainings … they are all full.
Ahmad: …So right now you have his weird break where people who aren’t normally involved in politics *are*. So right now we’re just trying to harness that so that after the caucus we can still have an environment like that, to encourage young people to not only participate but to also step up and want to run.
Q: Do you think the surge of young people supporting Bernie Sanders is responsible for that?
Ahmad: I do think it’s because of the Sanders craze — I like to call it the Sanders phenomenon — because you have so many people participating that would never normally participate. However, on the other side, too, you have Clinton. ….She still does have a base that’s quite large of young people. It’s not necessary talked about and we aren’t really going to see its effects until the caucus day and we look at the numbers for people under the age of 36. …When it comes down to it, it’s because people are more passionate about the issues. …And it’s both sides really motivating young people to kind of start talking about the issues and reach across the aisle to talk to one another.
Hoover: You know, people can say whatever they want about Donald Trump, but my only thing with him is that he’s actually getting the young people really interested. I think he’s like our Bernie Sanders on this side. He’s getting the college students and millennials as a whole really interested and involved and excited about what’s going on.
Q: After the caucus, what do you hope the takeaway is about millennials as a political demographic?
Hoover: So Hawah and I participated in a millennials and health care event last week, which I thought was really fun. …Millennials really do care about health care and, myself, as a medical public health major, health care is really important to me and trying to figure out the money situation and the access situation. ….I see that a lot of people are really interested in health care with the Affordable Care Act and the Silver State Exchange, which directly affects our state, and millennials are going to have to decide what they support.
Ahmad: With the millennials, for the most part, they’re going to start looking at policy more. …I’m really hoping they’re going to be really involved and really excited to look policies.
Hoover: We’re there to provide the venue for them so that we can continue that active discussion. If the College Republicans and Young Democrats can work together — and Hawah and I work together all the time. Very civil all the time. I consider [her] one of my friends. I think it’s important for students to see that. That people from all different political parties can work together.
