Here's How Republicans Should Be Talking To Millennials

The GOP needs a makeover and social media might be their best bet.

Many people criticize the GOP for its inability to connect with younger voters. Twitter and Facebook have become main sources of information for millennials and are often times overlooked by candidates. However, this set of GOP candidates seem to be catching on. The GOP debate on CNN tonight will be a good indicator of which candidates are getting serious about reaching out to younger voters. Both networks and the candidates are trying to figure out how to optimize these paths of communication.

Kristen Soltis Anderson came on PoliticKING in August to speak with Larry about her book, The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up). She defines millennials as people who were born between 1980 and 1999. She says that her book is about helping Republicans figure out where this generation is headed and how the GOP can get back in touch with a demographic who they’ve lost in recent elections.

She says that the millennial's common perception of Republicans as close minded, racist, rigid, and old fashioned is incorrect. But she says that Republicans have not done a good enough job to dispel that myth. The debate tonight will be an excellent stage for candidates to do just that. Donald Trump sets the bar high with over 5 million Twitter followers. The challenge for him will be turning followers into voters.

Candidates like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio who are more reserved on stage could seriously benefit from mastering the art of social media. According to Anderson, millennials appreciate when candidates make an effort to reach out to them. This election more than any other is being discussed over social media. Many say that this democratizes the process. This could either hurt or help candidates depending on how they decide to conduct themselves on social media. 

Make sure to watch the GOP debate on CNN tonight to see how social media is changing the way we conduct politics.

-Bronte Price

Which candidate do you think uses social media most effectively? Let us know in the comments below!

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.

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