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This story was originally published by Mirror Indy.

By Claire Rafford
Mirror Indy
November 19, 2024

The presidential election exposed an increasing gender divide in politics that reached into a demographic that Democrats have counted on for years — young voters.

Though a majority of young women voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, President-elect Donald Trump made inroads among young men.

And, as the political saying goes, “It’s the economy, Stupid.”

Tufts University research, in fact, found that the economy was by far the top issue among young voters, which drove support for Trump.

The idea that young people are more progressive and civically engaged has driven Democratic campaigns for years. There’s good reason for that, as Democratic presidential candidates have reliably gained at least 60% of the youth vote since 2008, according to NPR.

But in the 2024 election, young voters did not turn out for Harris in the droves Democrats expected. Tufts found that Harris won just 51% of voters between ages 18-29, edging out Trump by just 4 percentage points. In 2020, President Joe Biden won 61% of those voters — and beat Trump by 25 percentage points.

Mirror Indy spoke to college students at Ivy Tech and Indiana University Indianapolis to learn why they supported Trump or Harris — or neither — for president.

Charles Smaagaard, 19

Smaagaard voted for Harris, even though his family voted for Trump.

“If you want to be a leader, you have to be honest and reliable,” the Ivy Tech first-year student said. “And I feel that is not what Trump is.”

Bethzaida Roman, 22

Roman, a first-year business student at Ivy Tech, comes from a family of Mexican immigrants. She said her older sister was undocumented, eventually gaining citizenship two years ago.

Given Harris’ policy positions on birth control, education and especially immigration, Roman said “it was very much obvious that I was going to vote for her.”

Though Roman wanted Harris to win, she’s now paying more attention to what’s happening in politics nationally to prepare for a second Trump term.

“I have to step aside and put my emotional feelings behind and just look at who won and what’s to come,” she said.

Will Thornton, 19

Thornton didn’t know much about Trump until the former president went on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

During the three-hour episode, the Ivy Tech second-year student said he felt like Trump was more authentic than other politicians.

“He acts like he cares,” Thornton said. “Other people act like they just care about power.”

Thornton, an automotive technology student, believes Trump’s presidency will help the automotive industry, including getting more hybrid and electric cars on the road.

Mory Kaba, 19

Though Kaba, a first-year information technology student at Ivy Tech, heard from many people who planned to vote for Harris, the vice president’s campaign wasn’t strong enough to draw him to the voting booth.

He’s just not convinced that politicians are going to enact policies that will affect him.

“I feel like none of them are really gonna change my life,” he said.

Moumita Islam, 20

Islam, an IU Indianapolis first-year student, voted for Harris because of her promises to protect reproductive freedoms and because she believed the vice president was a better fit to address the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

But she’s still not happy with the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of Israel’s ongoing military action in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, and believes that what she perceives as a lack of meaningful action tanked Harris’ chances.

“Based on the research I’ve done, that if Kamala were to not be complacent in the Israel-Palestine conflict, I think that’s the biggest thing that contributed to her losing,” Islam said.

Though Islam voted straight-ticket Democrat, the candidate she agreed with most was Jill Stein from the Green Party because Stein’s views tend to fall further to the left.

But Islam didn’t want to vote for Stein, saying she didn’t have a realistic chance of winning.

“It felt like I would just be throwing away my vote,” Islam said.

Ally Sheets, 19

When Ally Sheets cast her vote for Trump, the economy was at the forefront of her mind.

“Financially, I want to be able to afford the basic things that are needed,” the IU Indianapolis sophomore said. “I want to be able to afford to go to the store and to get gas while being a college student.”

Though she was happy Trump won the election, Sheets has noticed a growing divide on social media in the days since. People she’s known for years have put posts on social media saying that people who support Trump are not welcome in their lives.

Sheets wants those people to see her as the same person she feels she’s always been — even if they disagree politically.

“Why does this election have to change anything about that? We can disagree and be friends. We can have a cordial relationship,” she said. “That should not change, and unfortunately, it is changing quite a bit.”

Nedal Ramadan, 18

When Nedal Ramadan was asked why she voted for Harris, the answer was a no-brainer.

“Realistically, I voted for her because she’s Black, and she’s a woman,” said Ramadan.

Ramadan, a first-year IU nursing student, agreed with some of Harris’ policies, especially her support of women’s rights. But she was also deeply opposed to Trump, especially because of his criminal record and history of sexual misconduct, including being found liable for sexual abuse in civil court last year.

Ramadan is worried about what a second Trump term could mean for her as a student and as a Black woman, but doesn’t feel like she can do much to fight back.

“I’m just a regular middle class college student,” she said. “There’s not really much I can do, but try to go through it.”

Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire at claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org or on Instagram/X/BlueSky @clairerafford.