November 8, 2024
It’s always nice to be vindicated – to know that the work you’re doing is appreciated, seen, and making a difference. For Students for Life Action (SFLAction), we saw our impact directly in the results of the 2024 Presidential Election.
According to reporting from the NY Post, “Among those in the coveted 18-29 age group, Harris beat Trump 55% to 42%, a margin of just 13 points, according to estimates from exit polls conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool. This represents a significant under-performance compared to President Joe Biden’s 2020 election showing, in which he took the youth vote by a sturdy 24%, besting Trump 60% to 36%.”
It’s a story that echoed elsewhere. In reporting from DW.com a 10 point swing towards Trump was reported, in addition to reporting that Vice President Kamala Harris’ big play to make abortion the cornerstone of her election failed, saying, “A pro-choice stance on reproductive health in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade ruling was seen as an advantage for Harris coming into the election and the Democrats chased the women’s vote hard. The numbers show her advantage with women aged 18-44 was half of Biden’s four years ago.”
The fact that all the celebrity support of Taylor Swift and Beyonce’ didn’t change the youth vote substantially is no less surprising than the news that abortion through all nine months didnt appeal to young voters either.
The Pro-Life Generation’s Students for Life of America (SFLA) & Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement (IPA) poll found that more than six in 10 (65%) of the Youth Vote support limits on abortion, in all or some circumstances.
But only 14% knew that all states protect women’s lives in the law, with 35% believing most protected mothers, while 49% believed only some or a few protected pregnant mothers. Shockingly, 2% believed women’s lives were not protected at all.
The media worked so hard to hide the abortion extremism of Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, while pushing false narratives about life of the mother and abortion restrictions killing pregnant women.
Education and engagement were key. Telling the truth about late-term abortion, infanticide, and the value of preborn life would (and did) change minds.
SFLAction’s strategic Get-Out-The-Vote model targeted the Youth Vote for pro-life wins. Campus tours, door knocking, digital ad campaigns, social media outreach, and viral videos; it all made a difference and reached voters where they are. After all, those viral TikToks from the progressive side of the internet weren’t going to tell the truth.
We can document almost 24,000 confirmed minds changed through outreach, which is especially impressive when considering that the “last two presidential elections were effectively decided by 78,000 and 44,000 votes, respectively,” as reports the Washington Post.
Fundamentally, the Youth Vote wanted more than abortion when it came to questions about family and children. A Pro-Life Generation’s Students for Life of America (SFLA) & Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement (IPA) poll found that almost a third of youth voters are more likely to support limits on abortion when support for families is increased. And two out of three would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports family and medical leave.
So, is it any wonder then that the political party focused on replacing American families with illegal immigrants and actively worked against family formation would be unappealing to young voters who want good jobs, good homes, and a chance to have a family?
They weren’t the only demographic that SFLAction targeted that was won over to the pro-life, Republican side.
The Catholic vote turned out big for Trump. According to reporting from Fox News, “Catholics across the country swung 9 percentage points in Trump’s favor, with the former and now-future president winning Catholics by 10 points.”
It appears Kamala Harris skipping the Al Smith dinner was a fatal mistake after all. That, and promising to go after Catholic Hospitals that refuse to provide abortions in violation of their values.
Men likewise felt threatened (rightly so) by the Harris-Walz campaigns constant two-faced messaging. Fox News reported that “Democrats’ advantage with young men is ‘completely gone’ as former President Trump is successfully appealing to Gen Z with his ‘macho brand.’”
The now infamous “White Dudes for Harris” initiative was more insulting than inspiring, and even their ad campaigns couldn’t escape the left-wing trap of thinking that men inherently suck.
READ: Kamala Harris’ Male Voting Problem is Getting Worse
When a campaign has actively, or even accidentally, worked to turn away young voters, Catholic voters, and male voters, how can there be a path to victory?
There can’t be – and it’s why Donald Trump is now going to be the 47th President of the United States.
