Democrats Can Win If They Keep the Students

The last two weeks in the United States have seen nationwide protests against ICE, Donald Trump, and the actions of the DOJ within the last year. In those two weeks, students took to the streets in droves, participating in school walkouts, chanting, and claiming intersections and/or sidewalks in massive crowds. Although some in more organized manners than others, students have provided the bulk and blade of anti-ICE attention & action as of late. Local partisan groups have the choice to either side with their own high school students or condemn and antagonize their attempts to use their freedom of speech.

Local party representatives and volunteers have already taken to Instagram and Facebook to praise or vilify students. The Democratic Party has the perfect opportunity to secure its position as the party for humanity, for the young & educated, and for the rule of law rather than executive overreach. To do so, it has to present a unified front that applauds & elevates walkout student organizers and participants, while reforming its establishment machine to run candidates that will invigorate/excite voters. Making it clear that the Democratic Party supports student advocacy of this sort could very well be the deciding factor for the midterm elections.

The actions of ICE have been so depriving and disturbing to the general public that we are starting to see early indicators of swinging districts. The turnout of the walkouts, even in counties as conservative as Placer County, California, and Hamilton County, Indiana, has been remarkable. Today, students feel the need to take matters into their own hands: hundreds are reportedly walking out of West Park High, Carmel High, and many others. Many high schools are following suit if they haven’t had a walkout already. Rallying the anti-ICE and the pro-students message under the Democratic Party on social media could put the walkouts of high school students and their associated popularity under a blue banner.

ICE has largely become the common enemy number one for students around the United States, and if the Democratic Party presents itself as a viable and strong choice of opposition to the current administration and its policies, it is likely to win control of the House. The party seems to generally oppose ICE and the hardline conservative agenda, but its lack of a strong adaptable message and leadership – where MAGA has the Dems beat – leaves many voters unconfident in the ability of the party to be real opposition. This is where the Dems have lacked and frequently lost friction with young, idealistic voters.

The solution to this recurring problem is, instead of organizing a Republican-like hierarchy of party politics that revolves around a key figurehead, giving a platform to progressives and rallying behind them without hesitation if they win the party’s endorsement. The party’s handling of Zohran Mamdani’s endorsement was undoubtedly a notable strategic misstep, as many young voters – many supporters of Mamdani – grew skeptical of the Democratic Party after the reluctance of Hakeem Jeffries, among other influential Democrats, to support Mamdani in his bid for mayor.

Simply put, all it takes for the Democratic Party to retain already-favoring students and win the midterm elections is ‘getting it together’; a.k.a presenting a unified front that stays relevant on social media, supporting student organizations, and empowering even the endorsed“extreme” candidates that want to make buses free. Now, image and maneuvering will be everything to the party.