Andra Gillespie Discusses the Appeal of Stacey Abrams

A recent discussion at NPR’s affiliate WXXI looks at Stacey Abrams and her campaign to end voter suppression. Abrams narrowly lost the race for Georgia governor in 2018 — which was clouded by allegations of voter suppression — but long been rumored as a viable pick to join whoever the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee is as the vice presidential nominee. WXXI spoke to PRRI Public Fellow and Emory University professor Andra Gillespie about what makes Abrams so interesting. “Her story was compelling. She got a lot of attention by being the first black woman to be nominated by a major party for a gubernatorial seat. And she was really smart and, you know, struck while the iron was hot in order to put that type of organization together,” Gillespie says. PRRI data shows that Americans face obstacles that make voting more difficult across the country, not just in Georgia. A 2018 PRRI/The Atlantic poll about voting found that one issue some voters experienced was not being able to get time off from work to vote. More than one in ten (11%) Americans say they or a member of their household experienced this problem the last time they attempted to vote. Black (16%) and Hispanic (16%) Americans are more likely to report this experience than white Americans (8%).

Study Paints Grim Future for Republican Party

New data from IGNITE, compiled in partnership with PRRI Board Chair Melissa Deckman, shows the high degree of political engagement in young women. IGNITE, founded in 2010, strives to forge a path for young women to pursue careers in public office. Their data shows that across all demographics, Generation Z men and women are more likely to identify as Democrats or Democratic-leaning than to identify as independent or Republican. Only white Gen Z men are more likely to identify as Republican or Republican-leaning. “Our findings with respect to Gen Z political engagement among women are important because this represents the first generation of young Americans in which women are surpassing their male peers in terms of political engagement,” Deckman writes. “Given their left-leaning tendencies, Gen Z women will likely not just impact the 2020 election results but are poised to shape the future direction of American politics in a progressive direction to come.  Given that Generation Z and Millennials will make up the largest share of eligible voters in 2020, both parties should pay heed to the concerns of these voters.” PRRI data shows that 50% of Americans believe that electing more women to political office would make things better for the country. Seventy-two percent of Democrats agreed compared to 26% of Republicans, and 63% of Repu