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Republicans have a narrow window to prevent a realignment among young voters that could haunt them for decades.
Ohio State University political science professor Paul Beck says the party needs to present a less ideologically rigid, more pragmatic image that doesn’t shun social issues such as abortion, but doesn’t let them dominate the agenda, either. Social conservatism doesn’t appeal to the majority of young Americans.
GOP faces future without youth vote
COLUMBUS, Ohio - In the post-mortem dissection of the Republican election defeat, the most dire indicator of the party’s future prospects may be its woeful performance among young voters.
Democrat Barack Obama won 61 percent of Ohio voters under 30, compared with Republican John McCain’s 36 percent, according to exit polls from the Nov. 4 election.
The Grand Old Party is increasingly becoming the bastion of its middle name. And without cultivating a younger generation of stalwarts to continue the tradition, it will have difficulty remaining grand.
"It is my belief that our party has lost a generation of young voters," incoming Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine told reporters after the stinging election defeat.
Republicans have lost that generation at a time when young people are forming the political beliefs and associations they will likely carry for the rest of their lives.
The Republican fall from power has Ohio State University political science professor Paul Beck looking back to a previous era for guidance.
