Since the 1960s, college students have been vocal and radical, pushing for systemic change in the United States. From Columbia University students protesting the Vietnam War in 1968 to Jackson State University students speaking out about racial injustice in 1970, young voters often drive calls for radical change.

Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2006, includes the youngest eligible voters, many of whom are college students. History repeats itself, with many Gen-Z at the forefront of protests and calls to action on social and political issues in between the 2020 and 2024 elections.

Younger generations often set trends in fashion, music, culture and even social justice: from mod fashion, Beatlemania and Civil Rights movements to thrifted clothes, ‘brat Summer’ and climate change marches.

When President Joe Biden announced on July 21, 2024, that he would not seek reelection, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. The next day, pop singer Charli XCX made a post on X, simply saying, “kamala IS brat.”

kamala IS brat

— Charli (@charli_xcx) July 22, 2024

The post immediately went viral, garnering over 56 million views to date, and fueling a social media campaign like no other.

Since then,“Kamala HQ,” the Harris campaign’s official TikTok account has been posting videos with trending audio clips, poking fun at Republican opponents and accumulating a staggering 4.8 million followers and more than 197,000 likes on the platform.

Shortly after Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, the campaign released official merchandise featuring “Harris-Walz” embroidered in orange on camouflage hats. Young voters quickly commented on the similarities to pop star Chappell Roan’s merchandise, which uses similar camouflage patterns and orange text reading “midwest princess,” a nod to her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

This sparked a new social media trend, with Harris dubbed “brat” and Walz “midwest princess” by young supporters, fueling even more online buzz.

The Harris-Walz social media team has successfully harnessed momentum from social media and music trends and turned them into positive assets for their 2024 presidential campaign. In June, prior to Harris’s nomination, 34% of U.S. adults had a favorable opinion of Harris; by August, that number had risen to 47% according to a Gallup poll.

I believe that the single most valuable aspect of the Harris-Walz campaign and its connection to popular culture and social media is that it highlights the voices of Gen-Z in a way that has been widely perceived as authentic as opposed to forced, like many attempts by political figures to connect with younger generations via social media trends.

Before Harris became the Democratic nominee, many Gen-Z voters were choosing not to vote for President Joe Biden had he run for reelection. More than 500,000 voters had chosen to remain uncommitted during the 2024 primary elections, largely in protest of Biden’s support for Israel since October 2023.

Though Harris has not won back all of the uncommitted voters from the primaries due to her similar positions on Israel, many voters feel that she is the better candidate because of her progressive stances on reproductive rights, gun control and supporting the middle class.

One of the most striking differences between Harris, Biden and former President Trump is her age; at 60 years old she is 21 years younger than Biden and 18 years younger than Trump. Young voters find her age far more appealing and sparking a renewed sense of optimism.

With her favorable policies and engaging social media campaign, Harris-Waltz campaign has harnessed the power of Gen-Z. Historically, the youngest generation of voters have been underutilized in American politics, often dismissed as radical or, more recently “woke.”

I believe that the Harris Walz presidential campaign has taken vital steps in recognizing the importance of having young people, in this case Gen-Z, on your side, and the power of these young voices. Should these young voters turn out in the election, Harris and Walz may just, “get it hot like Papa John…it’s a DEMininomenon.”