海角大神

Kalyn DaSilva, a student at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H., is all in for Bernie Sanders.

She鈥檚 been doing 鈥渄orm storms鈥� at her school 鈥� knocking on doors, telling fellow students about Senator Sanders, offering bus rides to the polls. Finally over the weekend, just days before Tuesday鈥檚 New Hampshire primary, Ms. DaSilva got to see the rumpled septuagenarian in the flesh at a raucous rally at her school鈥檚 fieldhouse.

鈥淏ernie speaks the truth, and everything he says he believes in now he believed in 30 years ago,鈥� says DaSilva, a psychology major wearing a bright blue 鈥淪tudents for Bernie鈥� T-shirt.

And what if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee?

鈥淚鈥檓 not sure. I鈥檝e always been, 'I wouldn鈥檛 vote Republican,'聽but it depends,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have one Republican in mind who I鈥檇 probably vote for: Marco Rubio. He just kind of seems like the most realistic out of them.鈥�

Such a response is a dagger to the heart of the Clinton campaign. Not only are they counting on young voters to turn out for them in November 鈥� including those who go for Sanders in the primary 鈥� they are counting in particular on young women to be inspired by the prospect of the first woman president.

Democratic voters like DaSilva are the exception. When push comes to shove, most say they鈥檒l vote for their party鈥檚 nominee come November. But the lack of enthusiasm for Mrs. Clinton by many young Democrats could present a profound challenge for the former secretary of State.

Despite her big loss to Sanders among voters under age 30 in last week鈥檚 Iowa Democratic caucuses 鈥� 84 percent to 14 percent 鈥� and an expected loss Tuesday in New Hampshire, Clinton is still favored in national polls to win her party鈥檚 nomination. Where she loses among the young, she wins big among older Democratic voters, especially women. And she鈥檒l need all the ground troops she can muster to get out the vote in what is expected to be a closely fought general election. Young voters, a key part of the Democratic base, were critical to Barack Obama鈥檚 victories in 2008 and 2012, both in turnout and in volunteering.

鈥淪enator Sanders has eroded Hillary Clinton鈥檚 appeal to the idealist, sometimes unrealistic, change-oriented young who want to challenge the established order and with it, politics-as-usual,鈥� writes Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, in an e-mail.

鈥淗e's accomplished this by successfully associating the Clinton campaign's fundraising from large donors, her speaking fees, and her advocacy of nuanced Wall Street reform with corruptive power arrangements that advantage the 鈥榰pper 1 percent.鈥� 鈥�

Social media and the lure of outsiders

Historically, young voters have been a particularly tricky bunch, not known for being loyal voters. Today, the so-called Millennials, those under age 35, have little trust in the pillars of society, including the government, Wall Street, and the media, according to by the Harvard Institute of Politics. So for a candidate like Clinton, a Washington 鈥渋nsider鈥� for decades, tapping into youthful idealism has been a stretch 鈥� especially with the idealistic Sanders on the scene.

The spread of social media also has been a boon to the top outsiders in the 2016 race, Sanders and Donald Trump.

鈥淭here is a common level of frustration, and anger, and so I think that they have captured the first digital response to political activism,鈥� says Andrew Card, president of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, speaking of the Sanders-Trump phenomenon. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e able to speak with very little filter.鈥�

Indeed, young Democratic voters talk about Facebook feeds that are 鈥渙n fire鈥� with the debate over Sanders vs. Clinton. Shawn Bond, a college student from Louisville, Ky., who is volunteering for Clinton in New Hampshire, says his Facebook feed is mostly Clinton-oriented, though he鈥檚 been 鈥渦nfriended鈥� by a couple of Sanders supporters.

鈥淗aving an argument on social media is fruitless, but on Facebook it鈥檚 all there,鈥� says Mr. Bond, a student at American University in Washington, taking part in a canvassing event Saturday at Clinton鈥檚 Concord, N.H., office. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 very easy for a post to be hijacked by someone who doesn鈥檛 believe the same things I do.鈥�

Bond says in his work for Clinton, he asks his peers to look at who鈥檚 more capable of 鈥済etting things done.鈥�

鈥淭hat was a big reason why I picked Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here was a time when I had this existential crisis, and I felt like my friends were supporting Bernie Sanders, and I was supposed to be supporting Bernie Sanders. But once I gave the candidates a real look, it became very clear that one has always been a fighter, one has a record of getting things done.鈥�

One challenge for Clinton, which stems from the social media phenomenon, is the challenge in correcting misimpressions. One Franklin Pierce student said she couldn鈥檛 support Clinton because she, Clinton, 鈥渨as not always pro-choice鈥� on abortion. Clinton, in fact, has a record of supporting abortion rights since she became a public figure.

鈥淏ernie has always been pro-choice and always favored equal pay for equal work,鈥� says the student. 鈥淗e almost has more feminist ideals that she does.鈥�

'Being a woman is not a reason'

Some young women bristle at the notion that they should support Clinton because she鈥檚 a woman.

鈥淚鈥檓 waiting for the day when I can vote for a woman president who I can completely support who鈥檚 not Hillary,鈥� says Emily Brisson, a social work student at Franklin Pierce. 鈥淏eing a woman is not a reason to cause me to want to vote for her.鈥�

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a Clinton backer, may not have helped matters over the weekend when she asserted at a Clinton event here that 鈥渢here鈥檚 a special place in hell for women who don鈥檛 help each other!鈥�

Still, the frustration by older women over younger women who shrug at Clinton鈥檚 history-making potential is palpable.

鈥淕enerally, young women grew up with less discrimination, and didn鈥檛 have to go through the abortion battles,鈥� says Barbara Landwehr, a lawyer and Clinton supporter in Concord, N.H. 鈥淏ernie is more exciting, and for some, she isn鈥檛.鈥�

Some observers also note a double standard in the words and actions a male candidate can take versus a woman candidate. At Franklin Pierce, Sanders at one point theatrically doffs his jacket and hands it to a student sitting behind him.

鈥淚 feel like a rock and roll star!鈥� Sanders says to cheers. 鈥淣othing more is coming off, that鈥檚 it!鈥�

It鈥檚 probably not something a serious female presidential candidate could say.

Some Democrats plead for perspective over the hand-wringing at Clinton鈥檚 enthusiasm gap among young voters. Wait for the Republicans to settle on a nominee, and then get the word out on that person鈥檚 policy views.

鈥淭he choice is going to be very stark no matter who the [Republican] nominee is,鈥� says Democratic strategist Peter Fenn.

He notes, for example, that Senator Rubio does not allow for any exceptions on abortion, including cases of rape and incest.

鈥淚 think Hillary is very appealing,鈥� says Mr. Fenn. 鈥淪he鈥檒l have to work it, and get down to those college campuses and get those folks fired up.鈥�

It won鈥檛 be 2008, when Obama lit up campuses with 鈥渉ope and change,鈥� he adds. But he鈥檚 confident Clinton can pull it off.