At age 24, Alan Vargas wants to lead the California Democratic Party.
Sporting a beige cowboy hat and a pink shirt, the young progressive running for party chair evoked waves of cheers as he vowed to shake things up at the Democrats’ annual convention in Anaheim this weekend.
“I feel our party has moved away from its roots,” he told Democrats Saturday. “We cannot rely on fear to gain votes, nor can we assume the support of any minority, so we must act.”
It was a long shot: Incumbent Rusty Hicks, who did not even show up to make a campaign speech, secured another term swimmingly. Among 2,600 delegates, Vargas persuaded just over 600.
But Vargas’ attempt sends a clear message: Young Democrats are growingly frustrated with the party’s struggle to resonate with their peers, especially after Democrats hemorrhaged support from young voters, who either shifted toward President Donald Trump or sat out the November election altogether. Turnout plunged among young Californians, particularly Democrats.
Party leaders took notice. Hicks, who deemed the low turnout “gut wrenching,” said Democrats must speak up for marginalized communities and reach out to young voters year round.
The stakes are high: As California Democrats aim to retake the U.S. House in battleground districts next year, young voters could be key to their victory. Some candidates for governor are already courting their support: Veteran lawmaker Toni Atkins and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra headlined the California Young Democrats reception at the convention. Both of them called young people the “now” — not just the future — of the party.
“You are my future, and I am counting on you,” Atkins told young Democrats Saturday night.
Others hope their affordability-focused policy proposals will resonate.
All the gubernatorial candidates pledged to build more housing faster to lower costs. Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction running for governor, pointed to his push for students to attend college free and to pay back tuition later as well as his advocacy for paid internship programs and workforce training. Former state controller Betty Yee touted her experience managing California’s bank account and stressed her focus on making more reproductive options affordable. Becerra pointed to his effort negotiating with drug companies to lower medical costs.
But party officials delayed considering a resolution urging a mandatory retirement age for state and local politicians, to the disappointment of many young Democrats who feel disenfranchised and fear many elected officials are getting too old to be effective.
“When you have 70-year-olds and 80-year-olds running for office, how is that supposed to inspire us when we are living in a completely different world than they ever did?” said Lauren Hassett, an 18-year-old college student from Orange County.
To make inroads with young voters, party leaders and candidates must focus on making California affordable and not shy away from progressive issues that resonate with young people, according to a dozen young Democrats who spoke to CalMatters at the convention. Some stressed that campaigns must also reach young voters at town halls and on campuses and learn to use social media and podcasts to engage them.
But most importantly, the message must be simple.
“At the end of the day, politics is personal, and people want to vote for someone who’s going to make their lives easier,” said Carter Beardsley, 18, from Bakersfield.
Simplifying affordability
There’s a consensus among young Democrats that the party got pummeled on cost-of-living issues in November. Latinos, particularly young Latino men, flocked toward Trump, in part because of economic pain at the grocery store and at the gas pump.
Feeling like Democrats were absent on “working-class issues” was what inspired Vargas, a son of Mexican immigrants and a content creator from Corona, to run for party chair. While Democrats did try to address economic concerns, the messaging was too complex, Vargas argued.
“A lot of working people don’t have the time to do the research working two or three jobs,” he said. “I think we need a message in a way that is much easier and more digestible for our working communities, so they can listen to it on the radio rather than having to go on the phone and research five different articles.”
Hassett said many Democratic politicians have been criticizing Trump’s economic policies, such as tariffs, without offering digestible policy alternatives. Nor have they successfully explained how their own policies would benefit voters instead, she argued.
Last November, there “was a lot of ‘Here’s what Trump’s going to do and we are going to do the opposite,’” Hassett said. “A normal voter is not going to know really what a tariff is, really how a tariff is going to impact their life.”
Affordability is still top of mind for many delegates, including young ones. Carter Beardsley, 18, from Bakersfield, said rising health care costs could deter young people from going to the doctor or having a child. And college students fear a hike in tuition, especially as Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed to slash hundreds of millions of dollars from public university budgets.
“Students who might be living off Top Ramen can’t afford that increase,” Beardsley said.
Despite polls showing that the electorate is shifting away from liberal social views, young Democrats this weekend said they want to see candidates take progressive stances on issues such as LGBTQ rights and the war in Gaza. Young Democrats in California are generally more liberal than their older peers.
Some grew frustrated at Newsom’s comments on his podcast, where he said allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports is “deeply unfair.” Trump is threatening to withhold funding from California for allowing trans athletes to participate.
“That’s not an area that I think there’s common ground to be found on,” Beardsley said. “We need to protect trans kids, period.”
And many want to see candidates who will fight to stop the United States from supplying weapons to Israel. At last year’s convention, pro-Palestinian activists flooded the venue as they called on Democrats to support a ceasefire in Gaza. This year’s protest was more muted, with just a dozen pro-Palestinian signs dotting the halls as speakers avoided mentioning the war.
Let’s talk about age
Though the topic of age was in the air, Democratic leaders postponed discussing a resolution backed by San Francisco Democrats to explore capping the age for state and local officials. The resolution’s author said it was born out of frustration that former President Joe Biden, 82, remained in the presidential race too long last year, and that some older Democrats — namely former U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein who died at 90 — held onto their seats instead of yielding to younger peers.
Hicks, the party chair, brushed aside concerns about age and defended the party’s decision to delay the discussion.
“At the end of the day, whether you are 25 or 75, the question is: Are you delivering for those that voted for you?” he told reporters.
Some young Democrats agreed, pointing to the success of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, 83, and former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, 78, who was recently elected mayor of Oakland, in connecting with young progressives.
George Balan, 17, the chair of the California High School Democrats, said what ultimately matters is how much young people feel like they can benefit from someone’s policies.
Many Democrats running for governor argued that age is just a number. Becerra, speaking to a roomful of young Democrats on Saturday night, repeatedly defended Biden’s performance. “Joe Biden will tell you he’s old. But can you deliver?” Becerra said.
Becerra’s speech did not sit well with Annie Koruga, a Bay Area delegate in their early 20s. Being able to deliver is the “whole point of being in elected office,” Koruga argued, and old age could cloud a politician’s ability to do just that.
Koruga noted that several older Democratic members of Congress have died in office since 2022.
“I’m trying to be respectful, but when we have people who are 85, 90 years old in these offices, many of them are not able to effectively perform their functions,” Koruga said.
And other young Democrats told CalMatters they feel turned off when the candidate field is crawling with seniors.
“There are people in Congress right now that have been there since before the (smart)phone,” said Kelly Merchant, a 22-year-old from Indio.