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Democrats want the young North Carolina vote, but Gen Z's feelings are complicated

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Democrats are looking to strengthen their base in 2024, and one of the states they're targeting is North Carolina. Trump won the state in 2020 by less than 75,000 votes. For Democrats to win there, they need to maintain support with young voters. But many members of Generation Z who are now eligible to cast ballots next year have mixed feelings about the party and President Biden. NPR's Elena Moore reports.

ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: It's hot and sunny at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro as new student orientation is in full swing. A&T is the largest historically Black university in the country, and many of those students are gearing up to vote for the first time next year.

SOLOMON HAYES-BROWN: I think it would be a nice refresh for us to get someone even in their 50s, you know? Like, even that will be good.

MOORE: That's Solomon Hayes-Brown, a sophomore from Charlotte who's working orientation. He says he'll still vote Democrat next year, but he says young folks are turned off by the older front-runners.

HAYES-BROWN: Biden is 80, and Trump - he's, like, 77, something like that. So they're getting up there. So if we saw a younger candidate, I think that would be beneficial.

MOORE: A&T is no stranger to political drama. The campus was split into two separate congressional districts, giving Republicans a distinct advantage in this part of the state. Courts ruled that unconstitutional, and now the campus sits in one district, filled with young voters and Black voters - two groups that Democrats count on to show up to the polls. That's why the president and first lady visited the school last year. Rising senior and Greensboro native Charity Ewing remembers that.

CHARITY EWING: And it was just really nice to be able to see what their future plans are. So I would love to see him carry that out.

MOORE: Ewing isn't excited about a Trump-Biden rematch, and she's not alone. According to NPR's latest polling, Biden's approval with voters under 30 is just 38%. That's lower than any other age group. Elena Moore, NPR News, Greensboro, N.C. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Elena Moore is a production assistant for the NPR Politics Podcast. She also fills in as a reporter for the NewsDesk. Moore previously worked as a production assistant for Morning Edition. During the 2020 presidential campaign, she worked for the Washington Desk as an editorial assistant, doing both research and reporting. Before coming to NPR, Moore worked at NBC News. She is a graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is originally and proudly from Brooklyn, N.Y.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.