23 Aug ‘Kamala IS Brat’: Will Gen Z Rally Around Kamala Harris?

Then-California Sen. Kamala Harris poses with a young person at a 2017 healthcare rally at the U.S. Capitol. (“Future VP Kamala Harris in 2017” by Mobilus In Mobili / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 license)

By Natasha Kaye

If you ask anyone what the quickest way to Gen Z’s heart is, the most likely answer would be memes. And the eruption of memes once Vice President Kamala Harris announced her bid for the presidency in 2024 in July after President Biden dropped out is living proof of that generational enamorment with viral internet moments.

From her now iconic “you think you just fell out of a coconut tree” quote, to remixes of her speeches with songs from pop stars like Charli XCX and Chappell Roan, Harris’ virality has garnered millions views on social media, making her a nearly inescapable figure for anyone on the internet.

@casadimusic Kamala Harris – We’re Not Going Back Remix, Not Like Us Mashup Edit #kamalaharris #werenotgoingback #kamalahq ♬ Kamala Harris Were Not Going Back Remix Mashup – CasaDi

Her campaign has tapped into the power of these memes, with X and TikTok accounts like “Kamala HQ”, an official Harris campaign account, re-creating videos with viral TikTok sounds and even updating its X banner to be a nod to Charli XCX’s hit summer album “Brat.”

But will internet savviness popular with the youth be enough to secure her the win?

The Contra Costa Pulse spoke to several members of Gen Z to see how they’re feeling about the new presidential candidate.

Sylvie Gizzi, a 24-year-old law student from Oakland, said Harris’ ticket gives her more hope than Joe Biden’s.

“I’m feeling a little better about it now than I probably did a month ago when Joe Biden was the candidate,” Gizzi said. “I think she has her issues. Obviously, I think every single politician has their issues, but I like that she’s younger. I obviously like that she’s a woman, especially a woman of color.”

>>>Analysis: Weighing the Issues, Gen Z Poised to Play Big Role in 2024 Election<<<

As the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian person to be elected into the vice presidential seat, Harris has already broken countless boundaries in politics. These aspects of her identity have been a green flag for many Gen Z voters, like Gizzi and Sarah Hamza, a 22-year-old recent UC Berkeley graduate from Tustin, Calif.

“We’re ready, like as a nation, especially the amount of young voters who are coming out and who are so excited. We are so ready for a woman of color president,” Hamza said. “Me and all of my friends are kind of just sick of this, old white man versus old white man. I think we need something new, something different, and this is exactly what we needed.”

For other young voters, the identity politics don’t hold the same value. For instance, Zachary Andrews, a 24-year-old grassroots organizer from Washington, is not convinced Harris will be any different from her presidential counterpart, Biden.

“I voted for Biden in 2020 and I feel like I’ve kind of come to regret that, given what the administration has done on a lot of things, especially around Palestine in the last 10 months,” Andrews said, “and Harris hasn’t indicated that she’s going to have any different kind of approach, which makes me feel like nothing is going to change.”

The ongoing war in Gaza has proven to be a major issue in the upcoming election, especially amongst young voters. For a generation raised by the internet, the images of the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians at the hands of Israel have been difficult to ignore.

“A lot of people my age are waiting to see what she’s going to speak out about in terms of the war in Israel and in Gaza,” Gizzi said. “Part of me feels like, if she is able to make even just the slightest bit of progress, like getting a cease-fire or something, that could drive up enough voters to maybe seal the deal.”

Speaking at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Harris said, “President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.” She made similar remarks in July after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also saying, “We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.”

In addition to the turmoil occurring in the Middle East, other hot button topics like inflation, gas prices and abortion access are the biggest issues swaying young voters’ minds. In fact, one Statista poll from 2023 said inflation and gas prices were the most important issues for Gen-Z and millennial voters.

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“I just want to be able to afford gas, man,” said Carlos Mendoza, a 26-year-old mechanic from Castro Valley. “I don’t like either of them, really, but I don’t think Kamala is going to be lowering the gas prices anytime soon.”

Gas prices are not up to the president, however, nor are the prices of anything else. NACS, the association for convenience and fuel retailing, says gas prices are something presidents “have very little control over.”

“Yes, policies and legislation can certainly play a role,” it continues, “but gas prices are largely dictated by oil prices and oil prices are dependent upon supply and demand.”

Whether or not these big ticket issues will be enough to bring Gen-Z to the polls this November remains to be seen, though the voting habits of younger demographics have historically swayed left.

With Election Day fast approaching, Harris only has a couple months to convince young voters, and the rest of the country, of her strengths. Perhaps her team’s internet savvy will be enough to secure her the vote, though only time will tell.