An issue in the 2024 Presidential election is sure to be age. At 80 years old, Joe Biden is America’s oldest serving President, and there are a lot of questions as to whether he would be capable both mentally and physically of doing the job if reelected. Should Biden get the Democrat nomination, his most likely opponent, former President Donald Trump, should he win reelection, would be 78. Trump does not have the obvious cognitive difficulties that Joe Biden seems to struggle with, but the question of age is a valid one for both men. Over the weekend, Turning Point USA, one of the largest non-profit organizations working with college students and young people, held their annual Action Conference. As they do every year, there is a presidential straw poll taken on who attendees would like to see be elected in 2024. Some of the results are a bit predictable, but others are a very interesting snapshot of what young voters are thinking and why Republicans ought to be paying attention.

🚨ACTCON2023 STRAW POLL RESULTS ARE IN🚨

Trump dominated with 85.7%

Vivek wins 51.2% of second choice votes, ahead of DeSantis and Tim Scott

Kari Lake wins VP vote with 30.8% followed by Byron Donald’s with 24% and Vivek with 22.7%

77.3% of respondents say they do not plan to…

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 16, 2023

As one might expect, Donald Trump ran away with the presidential straw poll. He came in first with a whopping 85.7 percent of the vote. Businessman Perry Johnson, whose campaign has not gotten much recognition, came in a very distant second at 7.8 percent, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in third at 4.3 percent. Vivek Ramaswamy came in at two percent; no one else got any percentage of votes. It was when conference attendees were asked if they had a second choice for the Republican nominee that things got interesting. In that poll, Ramaswamy was the clear winner at 51.2 percent, Trump at 21.4 percent, and DeSantis at 13.5 percent. When asked about a nominee for Vice President, former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake came out on top with 30.8 percent.

Perhaps we can assume that those who voted for Johnson as their choice for the GOP nominee have taken the time to find out who he is. A quick perusal of his campaign website reveals that, as someone who has created and run businesses, many of his views and proposals he would implement as president are similar to Trump’s. But at 75 years old, even if he were not the long shot he is, the age factor would most certainly come into play. While the choice of Perry Johnson is definitely a standout, it is attendees’ second choice that Republicans really should give a second glance.

Massive crowds have arrived to hear Trump’s Turning Point speech. Ron DeSantis could never draw a crowd this large. Young GOP voters want a party that’s America First. That’s why Trump is beating DeSantis by a lot.
pic.twitter.com/qnWyuUAJ4v

— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) July 15, 2023

Of the approximately 6,000 people that attended the conference, half of those voted in the poll. Half of all attendees were between the ages of 18-21. It’s those youngest voters that chose Vivek Ramaswamy as their second pick for president. And it’s those youngest voters who are the future of the Republican Party, and the party had better take notice. Why Ramaswamy? First and foremost, he is a young man. In fact, at 37, he is not too far removed from those who picked him as their number two. But it also means that he has plenty of time to rise to the top in the party. He also has very similar views to Trump.

Many of the candidates invited to speak did not attend, including DeSantis. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said that many attendees voiced their disappointment to him that DeSantis was a no-show. Other candidates who skipped the conference included former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. It is this appearance of dismissal of the importance of younger voters that no doubt propelled Ramaswamy into the top spot in the second-choice category. Young people at this conference, while perhaps just a snapshot of that group of voters, clearly sent a message to the Republican Party. They are looking for palpable change and those who will take the party in a new and bold direction. Part of the message is undoubtedly that “losing with honor” is no longer an option. Kirk also called the conference and those that attended the “pulse of the grassroots.”

Ronald Reagan once said, “I believe the Republican Party has a platform that is a banner of bold, unmistakable colors with no pale pastels.” We are seeing the generation of young people in the Republican Party that the will hoist that banner.

“No one is punished for lying. People are only punished for telling the truth.”@TuckerCarlson speaks at the @TPUSA Action Conference in Palm Beach, Fla. #ACTCON2023 pic.twitter.com/LGk3WMxT9b

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 15, 2023