Clock ticking on Biden’s chances with progressives and young voters, key groups say

Young voters played a critical role in helping elect President Joe Biden to the White House. But now some progressive groups warn that the president will have to do more to win back support among these voters on issues such as gun reform, student debt, climate change and the Israel-Hamas war.

Dakota Hall – executive director of the Alliance for Youth Action, a national network of local organizations that aims to mobilize young voters – told CNN that Biden is running out of time to demonstrate to these voters, who were key to Biden’s coalition in 2020, that he will fulfill his 2020 campaign promises even as the president’s efforts to sign more bills into law are likely to be stalled in a divided Congress.

Hall was elated when he received an invitation last year to the White House for his progressive group to attend a youth summit, which made him feel optimistic that Biden was finally making good on his promise to keep listening to young voters. But now, nearly a year later, Hall says his hope is beginning to fade.

“Young people work so hard to get them (elected) in 2020 … and they’re not necessarily feeling valued or like their work was appreciated because they’re not being listened to,” Hall told CNN.

Hall and other groups have said that they are giving Biden until the summer to see him heed their call or else they warn that he could lose a significant part of his base.

Since Biden came into office, he has fulfilled several promises from the 2020 campaign trail. For instance, last year, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, which includes key provisions to reduce carbon emissions. The president has also recommitted the United States to the Paris climate agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which the Trump administration had withdrawn from, claiming that it would undermine the country’s economy.

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