Will Republicans Start To Compete on Youth GOTV?

Sen. Obama's impressive 66 - 32% margin among young voters represents the culmination of 4 years of aggressive youth outreach by progressives aimed at young voters. But it's important to remember that we pretty much ran uncontested in those years. While the conservatives have an impressive leadership pipeline in for the form of groups like the Leadership Institute, YAF, and the Heritage Foundation program, and while I think we've all thrown food at our TV when Jason Mattera's mug came into view, conservatives really didn't have much game when it came to GOTV, and they threw far less muscle into youth GOTV than we did.

That may be about to change. Some of the smartest young operatives in the Republican Party have thrown down the gauntlet, demanding that the GOP modernize and Rebuild the Party. Part of that effort includes upping the ante on young voter outreach:

2008 made one thing clear: if allowed to go unchecked, the Democrats' structural advantages, including their use of the Internet, their more than 2-to-1 advantage with young voters, their discovery of a better grassroots model -- will be as big a threat to the future of the GOP as the toxic political environment we have faced the last few years. [...]

At the same time, waiting for a political savior to materialize out of thin air is not an option. Eventually, strong new leaders will emerge. And when they do, they must inherit a party stronger than the one in its current state. Our grassroots must be stronger and more open. We must inspire young leaders to want to run for office as Republicans. [...]

A "40 Under 40" initiative. Undoing the damage to our party's brand among America's youth will take more than new slogans and hip spokespeople. It will mean making young voters the face of the Republican Party, and not just another target group with its own bulleted list of "outreach" talking points. To that end, the next Chairman should commit to a simple goal: working towards a Republican Party where at least 40% of our challenger and open seat candidates for Congress are under 40. Such a party will send a signal to all Americans that the GOP is once again the party of the future.

We can't yet be sure, but it seems likely that young McCain supporters decided to sit out this last election. If Rebuild the Party gains traction within the GOP, that might not be the case in 2010.