COMPILED BY TIMOTHY WALLACE/THE HUFFINGTON POST; SOURCE: CIRCLE; NATIONAL ELECTION POOL STATE EXIT POLL VIA CNN
pletely disgusting and frightening,” she says. “I definitely
knew hope and change was not
really happening. I’ve had to ask
myself, ‘And I voted for this?’ I
felt kind of hoodwinked, but he
was our anti-war choice in ‘08.
Maybe I was just naive.”
By the time Obama endorsed
same-sex marriage last month
— a step that should win favor
among many young voters —
Meghan was unimpressed.
“Too little, too late,” she says.
THE SYSTEM ISN’T WORKING
The Obama campaign is counting on contrasts with the other
guy to carry the day, crafting
plans to portray Romney as an
artifact of the failed policies that
delivered the Great Recession,
while emphasizing his support
for restrictions on contraception
and abortion, and his professed
skepticism about climate change
— issues that would seemingly
make it hard for him to gain
traction among younger voters.
“This guy is going to have
real problems,” says Obama’s
campaign manager, Jim Messina. “They are just not going to
have an easy time having a fertile conversation.”
The president has been sparring with Republicans in Congress to prevent the interest
YOUNG
VSvs.
OLD
In all but one swing state,
Young
Old
younger
voters
arestate,
more
likely
toare
vote
In all but
one swing
younger
voters
moreDemocratic
likely to
thanvote
their
30-and-older
counterparts.
Democratic
than their 30-and-older
counterparts.
Dem
50%
Rep
18-29
30+
AZ
CO
FL
IO
MO
NC
NH
OH
NV
PA
VA
USA
Sources: CIRCLE; National Election Pool State Exit Poll via CNN
rates on federal student loans
from doubling. He has been emphasizing how his health care reform allows people under 26 to