Kamala Harris may be ‘brat.’ But is that enough to sway young voters in Washington?

Vice President Kamala Harris has been collecting key endorsements all week as the Democratic Party coalesces around their new likely presidential nominee.

But as important as figures like former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may be, they don’t have the same viral appeal as one unexpected political influence: Charli XCX.

“Kamala IS brat,” the pop star wrote on X this week, giving Harris what amounts to a glowing endorsement. (Charli XCX explained “brat” on TikTok: “That girl ... who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like, parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile.”)

This isn’t some passing social media moment. It indicates a younger candidate’s potential ability to appeal to younger voters. Republicans are trying to appeal to younger voters, too; Republican nominee Donald Trump notably chose 39-year-old Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate.

Democrats have historically had the edge with voters under 30. And that increased during the 2004 presidential election, according to the Pew Research Center. Before then, there were “modest” differences in the ages of Democratic and Republican voters. By 2008, when Obama first ran, Democrats had far more young voters; that year, 60 percent of voters 18 to 29 voted for Obama. In 2020, according to Pew, 59% of voters under 30 turned out for Biden.

Rohana Joshi, the 18-year-old chair of the King County Young Democrats, said pop culture icons like Charli XCX have the power to get young people involved in politics – and politicians must take that power seriously.

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“Most of what comes onto my TikTok ‘for you page’ or Instagram feed is political information, or it is, like, memes or jokes about politics,” Joshi said, referring to content suggested to her on social media platforms.

“There's so many people everywhere who are really getting on the Harris train because of, you know, how iconic her laugh is, for example, and how she really emits joy everywhere.”

Shortly after President Joe Biden announced he was ending his reelection bid and instead endorsing Harris, memes referencing Charli XCX’s “brat” post and Harris’ now famous coconut tree line flooded the internet.

“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Harris said with a laugh before turning serious. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”

She said that back in May 2023, referencing something her mother used to say to her. It has reemerged online, particularly among young people. Joshi said she changed her Instagram bio to the quote as a demonstration of her support for Harris.

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Being 59 years old may not make Harris young, exactly, but it does seem to be making her that much more exciting to voters like Jonnika Kwon.

Kwon is the chair of Washington High School Democrats, and 42 years younger than Harris. She’ll turn 18 on October 20, mere weeks before Election Day and, incidentally, Harris’ birthday. Kwon is also the youngest Democratic delegate who will represent Washington state at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago come August. She said she’s excited to give Harris her support – at the DNC and the ballot in November. That’s not just because of celebrity endorsements. Kwon said Harris has shown voters like her that their voices matter.

“This campaign, it's seeming to hearken back to the Obama years a lot, in that we're fighting for the future,” she said. “We're not just voting and organizing and everything out of fear. We're doing it out of hope.”

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As a first-generation American, Kwon said Harris embodies her vision of the American dream. If she does become the Democratic nominee in August, Harris will become the first woman of color and the first Asian American person to win a major party’s nomination for the presidency.

“I think we'll see higher voter turnout numbers, because representation matters,” Kwon said. “We know that people feel more engaged, like their interests are truly heard in government, when they have people that look like them.”

Other young progressives aren’t as enthusiastic about Harris.

Historia Gentry, 24, wants to see the Democratic Party adopt more aggressively progressive policies – and candidates.

Harris’ experience as the district attorney of San Francisco, then attorney general of California has drawn criticism from progressive corners that are skeptical of law enforcement.

Gentry would prefer to see someone like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders lead the Democratic ticket. Although she also takes issue with Sanders’ age; at 82, Sanders is a year older than Biden.

But Gentry thinks Harris is a better option than Biden.

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“She’s going to be more appealable to average people,” she said.

Gentry said she wants to see a Democratic Party that is more pro-Palestine when it comes to the war in Gaza, and she takes issue with what she called the “neoliberal” policies of the Democratic establishment. She wants a progressive future for the party, but she said that’s not going to happen in 2024.

“Right now, it has to be vote blue no matter who,” she said.

For Gentry, a transgender woman, this election comes down to Democrats – or Republicans who “want me dead.” That’s not much of a decision.

“I want to make sure that people like myself, my friends, and people of the community that I'm a part of aren't hurt too badly,” she said.

Still, Gentry said she won’t be a Harris super fan. She won’t attend a Harris rally. She won’t actively campaign for her. But she will encourage the people around her to vote for Harris and whoever she chooses to be her running mate.

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Rohana Joshi said she has heard from young voters like Gentry, too, who are afraid of former President Donald Trump and the Republican platform. But she said she believes Harris could turn the tide for the party, in 2024 and long after.

“We are not going for perfection. We are going for progress,” Joshi said. “Progress is what's on the ballot this year.”