This afternoon, 150 young people rallied outside of the DNC Headquarters to urge Kamala Harris to put forward a comprehensive plan on the economy and climate. They held signs reading “6 Years to Stop the Climate Crisis” and “The Heat is Killing Us.” This was the first protest at the DNC since Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Sunrise Movement called on President Biden to pass the torch to a new nominee.
The rally comes just an hour after Sunrise volunteers confronted JD Vance over his flip-flop on climate change following donations from oil and gas lobbyists and CEOs. The activists at the DNC urged Harris to put forward a vision that could confront the false-populism of Vance and the far-right.
“I’m from Oregon, where every summer now, wildfires fill our air with smoke and burn down peoples’ homes. Every year I see it getting worse. I want a future in the place I love and call home.” said Adah Crandall, 18. “I’m here because young people need politicians to boldly confront the climate crisis. If Kamala Harris wants to be taken seriously by Gen Z, she needs to show us she’s serious about protecting our futures. That means campaigning on investing in green schools and housing, protecting our air and water from polluters, and rapidly building an affordable and renewable energy system.”
The past few days have seen promising youth polling for Harris, suggesting she could turn the page on Biden’s struggles with young voters. In an Axios poll, Harris turned Biden’s 6 point lead with voters under 34 to a 20 point lead.
“VP Harris has the opportunity to put forward a bold climate plan that mobilizes young voters and faces the scale of the climate crisis,” said Sunrise Movement Communications Director Stevie O’Hanlon. “Polls show that climate is where voters trust Harris most over Trump. Making climate core to her campaign is not only the right thing to do for the planet, but it's a good political strategy.”
The protest comes after Sunrise released a memo on Thursday outlining the kind of plan they say young people want to see from Harris to tackle climate change and cost of living. Sunrise has pledged to run a large youth voter engagement program aimed at driving record youth turnout in this election.
