Vivek Ramaswamy epitomizes GOP’s problem with young voters

Raising the voting age to 25 and using a citizenship test as a barrier to voting. Rolling back environmental protections. Supporting strict bans on abortion. Railing against schools and businesses that wish to discuss social inequality. Vowing to lop off 75% of the federal workforce and shut down several agencies, including the Education Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

You wouldn’t know it from his policy stances, but conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who just turned 38, is the youngest candidate in the Republican presidential primary — the youngest in either of the major party’s primaries, in fact. 

But he has an old soul — and not in a good way.

Ramaswamy is among a sea of hopefuls who seemingly have no chance of beating Donald Trump in the GOP primary. But some recent polls have shown Ramaswamy gaining ground on non-Trump opponents, even as high as second place.

He has earned praise from Tucker Carlson. And when conservatives praise Ramaswamy, they tend to say things like he “understands the power of the youth vote,” giving an air of freshness to a man whose policies sound like they come straight out of the 19th century.

The candidate — who often heaps praise on Trump — has become a darling to the leaders of Turning Point USA, an organization that has tried — and failed — to convert masses of young voters into conservatives. And Ramaswamy has pitched his youth to voters as a boon to his campaign, calling it a “cultural campaign” for the next generation.

But there’s little evidence that Ramaswamy’s hyperconservative message is actually going to resonate with the young voters needed to win a general election.

If you’re unconvinced his policy platform is a clear sign of his disconnect with the average young voter, I’d argue Ramaswamy’s recent performance of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” at the Iowa State Fair is a perfect reference point:

It’s a cringeworthy moment, but I think it says a lot more than meets the eye.

The insipid corniness. The muted response from the mostly white crowd. The way Ramaswamy awkwardly bails out during the chorus, seemingly understanding how ridiculous he sounds.

It’s not exactly a moment that shows a party in touch with youth culture. It’s like those people at the Iowa State Fair were thinking, “We think this old song is cool. But we really can’t tell.”

Ramaswamy is the first millennial to seek the GOP presidential nomination, but it’s hard to see how the party benefits electorally from his presence if he’s just offering old, curmudgeonly politics in a young, curmudgeonly body.

Message to the Republican Party: If your cool, young star in 2023 is performing an Eminem song from 2002 at the Iowa State Fair, he’s not as cool or as young as you seem to think.