Think of a politician from the Republican Party. What do you envision? What is the first image that came to your head? Chances are pretty high that you immediately pictured a stuffy, old, rich, white man. He probably looks like the kind of man that eats steak and lobster for dinner everyday. You imagine him driving a stuffy car, and holding his nose high up in the air. He looks demeaning, unrelatable to the common man, and slimy. Why is this the first thing that most people think of when they think of a Republican? This is because this is the stereotype that has come to represent our party. What is the problem with these affluent, well-educated individuals running our party? Well, at first thought, nothing is wrong with this. But, there is actually so much wrong with this.
Young people in my generation generally associate a negative connotation with the word "Republican". According to Merriam-Webster, a republic is "a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law." A Republican is one who represents the republic. Now what about this sounds bad? Now let's take a look at the Urban Dictionary definition of a Republican. According to Urban Dictionary, a Republican is "an individual who believes that the white male Christian God should be the only object of worship on the planet, that power and wealth should remain in the hands of 1% of the world's population while the remaining 99% starve, that health care should be privatized so the poor can't afford basic medication, that a rape victim living on welfare should be forced to care for a baby she didn't even ask for, and that America is the only real country on Earth while all those other countries they read about are just fakes invented by communists...oh wait, it's terrorists now, isn't it?" Why is it that young people feel so repulsed by Republicans? It's because they only know about the stereotypical Republican.
The Republican Party is going to be in some serious trouble when people my age can vote. Nobody wants to vote a Republican into the White House, because nobody likes them. How on Earth is a 60 year old, white-haired, estate-owning, billionaire relatable to the average man? He is not. Young voters vote for Democrats because they are viewed as relatable, down to Earth, realistic, friendly, and make promises that help the average person. The Republican party is relatable to white people with steady incomes, conservative beliefs, comfortable retirement, and decent money. The only way that the Republican Party can innovate it's image is to bring some new, young faces to the game.
The Republican Party needs a new face. If the Republican party had more representatives who were non-white, women, young, and more liberal, the appeal to general population would triple. Republicans have a bad reputation, but it can be repaired with time. The Republican Party needs to be able to appeal to more voters, make themselves seem relatable, and separate themselves with the idea that they are superior. Even with the progressive era that we exist in, there still remains few Republicans who stray from the bleak stereotype that gives our party a bad name. Politicians like Marco Rubio give the party a good name, which is why I was a supporter. Marco Rubio is 45 year old Cuban American, born in Miami, Florida, from a middle class family, and holds mildly conservative views. Donald Trump is a 70 year old white man, born in New York, from a wealthy family, who runs a multimillion dollar company. Which sounds more relatable?
Young people like me generally do not like the Republican Party for these reasons. The small minority of young people who identify with conservative beliefs do so because of family, or personal research and opinion. Democrats easily target youngsters with laid-back policy, and candidates that seem more like the usual man. The Republican Party can not continue to fill itself with stuffy, old, white men, and expect to thrive. The Republican Party has some serious reputation patchwork to do in order to attract young voters.
