GOP Targets Young Swing Voters

With the economy still showing lackluster growth and the unemployment picture improving only modestly, Republicans have decided to go after President Obama’s most devout voters — those still in, or recently graduated from college.

College-aged voters flocked to Obama during the 2008 campaign, and the president continues to enjoy strong support from those under 30. However, the economic downturn has hit recent college graduates especially hard.

With unemployment among the recently-graduated still near an all-time high, and current college students increasing worried about the job prospects after graduation, Republicans think they have an opportunity to sway younger voters away from the president this time around, the Associated Press says.

To accomplish that, Republicans have formed Crossroads Generation, a super PAC (political action campaign) to fund advertising aimed at younger voters in key states.

The PAC will kick off a social media-based advertising campaign today and will ultimately launch campus-based promotions building on established GOP groups like College Republicans, which has 250,000 members on campuses across the U.S.

The Obama campaign has responded to rising concerns among Millennials by advocating plans to reduce the cost of college and lower interest rates on student loans, which now account for about $1 trillion in debt facing Americans.

If the employment outlook for younger workers doesn’t improve significantly before November, the GOP thinks it can convince at least some Millennials — especially those who find themselves jobless and living with mom and dad — that Obama wasn’t the change they were looking for.

The opinions contained in this column are solely those of the writer.

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