Ronna McDaniel: How Republicans can win Gen Z voters

As Michigan residents, my family and I have seen our fair share of political ads over the last several months. And as a political junkie who once ran a state and national party, I have always paid close attention to them. My kids, who have never been old enough to vote in a presidential election, mostly tuned them out.

But this year is different. My college-aged daughter and son are two of the roughly 40 million Gen Zers who are eligible to vote in this year’s election. Conversations with them about politics usually had something to do with their mom’s job. Now they revolve around the issues they care about — and their jobs as new voters.

As their mom, I wish these conversations were more optimistic than they are. Both kids were attending our local public high school when the pandemic hit. What we all thought would a be few months of virtual learning stretched into years.

Democratic governors — including many in battleground states like Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — kept schools locked down for far too long. Our kids were forced away from their classmates and teachers. As a result, students fell behind in math and reading. Their GPAs and test scores suffered. Isolation led to greater levels of depression and anxiety.

Those that went on to college did so at a disadvantage compared to the generations before them. On top of the educational challenges, many have found it difficult to get by financially. The pandemic hurt millions of families’ finances. The costs of nearly everything has skyrocketed, too.

My daughter is a college senior. It should be an exciting time for her and her fellow graduates. Instead, they are anxious as they begin their search for jobs to start their careers. Their futures feel a lot less bright than mine did at their age.

The housing crisis has led to high rents for everyone, but no one is more affected than young adults. In one recent survey, inflation and the cost of living was the top issue for Gen Z voters — a bigger issue for these kids than abortion, threats to democracy and health care combined.

Owning a home, starting a family and establishing yourself financially are quintessential pieces of the American Dream. If young people feel that dream has slipped away, it’s because it has for many.

Democrats’ policies that put young Americans in this situation. Home prices and rents are skyrocketing in large part due to policies enacted or vetoed by Democratic governors and mayors.

A Washington Post analysis found that eight of the 10 states building the most homes are run by Republican governors, while seven of the 10 states building the fewest are run by Democrats. The Post also found that red counties permit more housing than blue ones. According to the National Association of Home Builders, government regulations account for 40 percent of the costs to construct new apartment buildings.

Kids are struggling with their mental health and their education, and those most likely to vote care about policies that will help them get ahead financially. Democrats have made their problems worse, and our Republican candidates need to go on offense here. Vice President Kamala Harris may want to turn the page, but she can’t rewrite history. It is the job of Republican campaigns to remind young voters who is to blame for the issues they face — and what they are going to do to fix them.

In an election that will be won on the margins, the failure of Republicans to engage these new young voters would amount to a missed opportunity. Already my kids have been inundated with Democratic mail and texts, and my son has even had Democratic organizers knock doors in his college apartment complex.

When I was chair of the Michigan Republican Party in 2016, we delivered our electoral votes for the GOP presidential nominee for the first time in nearly 30 years. We won because our broad coalition included people who traditionally voted Democrat. This year, we have a good opportunity to add more young voters to that coalition and put a Republican back in the White House, keep control of the House and win the Senate majority. We just need engage them.

Ronna McDaniel was the longest serving chairperson of the Republican National Committee and the second woman to ever lead the Republican Party. She also served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party, winning the state for Republicans for the first time in 30 years.