Young Republicans seek different message for 2016

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Young Republicans still stung by Mitt Romney's defeat in November are looking for a White House candidate with a message they can run with. For some, that means going back to basics - and leaving divisive social issues behind.

Fed up with a Republican Party strongly associated with anti-abortion, anti-gay and anti-environment stances many younger voters do not share, some young Republican groups are shaping their own message.

Concord 51, a new political action committee, bills itself as "the voice of the young, fiscally conservative professional" with a focus on the "three core issues of fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, and energy advancement."

Matthew Swift, chairman of the New York City-based PAC, believes an economic message will win young converts.

"I think it's about embracing the fights we're already in," Swift said. "We're not afraid to disappoint some people and frankly we're not afraid to tick some people off."

There's nothing left to lose - except the White House again.

In the last two presidential elections, Republican candidates lost the youth vote, and the race. As many as 23 million voters under age 30 turned out in 2012, analyses show, and Democratic President Barack Obama could not have been re-elected without them.

The so-called millennial voters, aged 18 to 29, represent an important segment that Republican leaders know they need to cultivate if they hope to ensure victory in 2016.

"The Republican establishment isn't going to win anymore if they keep writing off the youth vote," said Celia Bigelow, a 23-year-old conservative columnist from Detroit.

Looking toward 2016, young Republicans are excited about the possibility of a younger nominee like Marco Rubio, 41, the U.S. senator from Florida who loves hip-hop and recently quoted rappers Wiz Khalifa and Jay-Z on the Senate floor.

Many showed up Thursday for a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Committee in Maryland to scope out possible candidates like Rubio, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, 50, and U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, 43, of Wisconsin, the party's unsuccessful vice presidential candidate in 2012.

As young Republicans analyzed how to fix their party's problems, they often said national party leaders need to do more to win their vote.

"It's not quoting Jay-Z on the Senate floor that gets it done," said Swift.

In interviews, many pointed to the party's emphasis in recent years on divisive social issues such as abortion rights and gay marriage.

Miranda Onnen, vice chairwoman of the Ohio State University College Republicans, said her group avoided those topics.

"I know our club, and probably other collegiate clubs around the country are split on some social issues, so we choose as an organization to not pursue that message," she said.

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How to reach the next generation?

[Valin]

Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Young Republicans still stung by Mitt Romney's defeat in November are looking for a White House candidate with a message they can run with. For some, that means going back to basics - and leaving divisive social issues behind.

 

How to reach the next generation?

 

 

Has anyone tried talking to them and explaining what we believe....and why?...... and not just once 3 weeks before an election.

[nickydog]

It sounds to me like they have plenty of good ideas on their own.