According to a Pew Research Center study, more 18 to 29-year-olds are identifying themselves as republicans, while fewer are registering with the Democratic Party.
In the last two years, the percentage of young democrats dropped eight percent, while the percentage of young republicans rose 10 percent.
David Patlat, operations director of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, said he does not think the interest of young democrats decreased everywhere in the U.S. He said that in Miami-Dade County identification with the Democratic Party is going up and that democrats have the majority of the registration.
However, the Pew study showed that since the presidential election in 2008, the percentage of young democrats dropped from 62 to 54 percent, while the percentage of young republicans rose from 30 to 40 percent.
But Patlat said this is not out of the norm.
“We expect the youth to be more disinterested in the midterm elections because the presidential elections always attract more attention,” he said.
Gary Gershman, J.D., Ph.D., associate professor of legal studies in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, said the rise in the number of republicans could also be due to the fact that the Democratic Party is in power.
Sheela Venero, NSU alumna and staff on gubernatorial candidate, Republican Rick Scott’s campaign, said the state of the economy caused students to gravitate to the conservative side.
“People are looking to the Republican Party for our conservative ideals like fiscal responsibility, which includes lowering taxes and balancing a budget,” she said.
Evidence of this trend is the formation of the NSU Republicans club. The club was started by students who said they hoped to empower others to make informed decisions and actively participate in the political process.
The founders of NSU Republicans spent the first weeks of the school year structuring the executive board and clarifying their mission and goals. Within the next month, it will officially be a club.
After meeting many students that support the Republican Party’s agenda, Gustavo Martinez, junior legal studies and business major said he felt the need to create the club.
“Given the importance of our current political events, we aim to educate young college students and promote the ideals of the Republican Party,” he said.
NSU Republicans is actively seeking membership from students who wish to become involved. Once the club is chartered, it will host events on campus. The club’s goals are to publish a pamphlet that addresses contemporary issues, to bring guest speakers to campus, and to actively support the election of republican candidates.
“It is a necessary movement that will continue to gain strength as more students realize the importance of becoming politically involved and how the ideals of the Republican Party fit with the current needs of our nation,” Martinez said. “It is something I hope to be a part of in a positive manner.”
Anthony Campenni, senior economics major and former president of NSU Conservatives, a now defunct club that had similar aims, said, “I think it’s really good to see republicans take a stand around campus. Whether you’re republican or democrat, I feel as long as you know the different views and take a stand for something you firmly believe in, you’re doing your part to make our country as best as possible in making your voice be heard.”
