The Young Voter PAC is dedicated to helping Democrats win by engaging young voters. The youth vote has emerged as a critical base of support for electoral success, but campaigns and Parties still struggle with how to effectively engage these important voters. Young Voter PAC supports candidates and Parties with financial resources and strategic consultation to build a winning record based on outreach to the youth vote and to raise the profile of those candidates and state parties who are doing the best job.

This past November, with your help, Young Voter PAC and our Young Voter PAC State Fund worked with four state parties, helped elect 3 new members of Congress, 1 new US Senator and 6 State officers – ranging from State Representative to Governor.

2006 was also a big year for youth turnout, increasing 3 points (15%) from the 2002 midterm election. And they voted the right way too. Young people are the most Democratic age group by far, with a margin of 60-38 in ’06.

Check out our 10 winning campaigns and some campaign highlights below.

Contribution + Endorsed Candidate Overview:

Federal
2006 Money Raised: $9,972
2006 Money Contributed: $10,500
Total Contributors: 214

Non-Federal
2006 Money Raised: $23,100
2006 Money Contributed: $19,500

Winning Candidates:

• Harry Mitchell (AZ 05)
• Patrick Murphy (PA 08)
• Jon Tester (MT SEN)
• Steve Kagen (WI 08)
• Mark Ritchie (MN SoS)
• Ted Kulongoski (OR Gov)
• Chet Culver (IA Gov)
• Mark Strama (TX State Rep)
• Chris Edwards (OR State Rep)
• Martin O’Malley (MD Gov)

Losing Candidates:

• Scott Kleeb (NE 03)
• Matt Dunne (VT Lt. Gov)
• Patricia Madrid (NM 01)
• Mike Hatch (MN Gov)
• Darcy Burner (WA 08)
• Lois Murphy (PA 06)

Win Numbers:

50% Federal win rate
5% Non-Federal win rate
63% Total win rate
67% Open seat win rate
100% Incumbent win rate
55% Challenger win rate
50% Win rate among those who were down in the polls when we endorsed
75% Win rate among those who were in a statistical dead heat when we endorsed
100% Win rate among those who were ahead in the polls when we endorsed

Campaign Stories + Young Voter Highlights:

• With weeks to go before the election in Oregon, polling suggested that young male voters were the key to success in Chris Edwards race for the state legislature. Our support, financial and strategic, helped Chris win with a 1,063 margin. This race also helped Democrats win a majority in the Oregon House.

• Scott Kleeb worked with YVP to figure out key strategies for targeting young voters. Although he lost narrowly in a seat that is deep red, Scott’s campaign worked with YVP to develop the most effective strategy for the rural district, inspired new chapters of Young Democrats of America along the way and helped to make young voters an important constituency in Nebraska Campaigns.
• Steve Kagen was still in a primary and running in a conservative open seat against the Republican Majority Leader in the state. Kagen was a first time candidate and immediately began reaching out to young voters, with organizers active on the many state college campuses in the district. Young voters helped Steve win 51-49.
• The MN coordinated campaign reached out to us early in their effort to build young voters in to the state’s many key elections. We were able to support key field and messaging efforts that helped move many races to Democratic Victories. The MN Youth Coordinated Campaign now serves as a model for youth outreach by state parties and coordinated campaigns and has been sharing their success at conferences and meetings nationally.
• Young people were the most Democratic age group by far in the last election with a 60-38 margin.
• Partisanship is habit forming. If campaigns reach out to young voters today, they can win and build a base for the next couple of decades. This is critical since this generation will be 30% of the electorate in nine years. The Republican Party did this in the mid-80s and the young voters for Reagan have voted more Republican than any age group since then. Democrats have a chance to do this now, with 2007 and 2008 being key election cycles.

Posted on January 5th, 2007
Categories: 2006 Updates