Young Democratic voters in Sonoma and Napa counties express despair after presidential debate

Trevor Merrell entered Thursday night’s presidential debate with cautious optimism.

“I think Joe Biden and his record speaks for itself as far as his governance,” said Merrell, 23, a member of the Sonoma County Human Rights Commission who just completed a certified nursing assistant training program at Santa Rosa Junior College. “I think history will look back on the last four years of his presidency with a lot of dignity.”

By the end of the evening, Merrell’s mood had completely changed after watching, along with 51 million others, as the 81-year-old Biden mumbled, froze and failed to effectively counter the barrage of lies from his 78-year-old opponent, Donald Trump.

“I think a lot of young people who saw that performance, myself included, had feelings that were a mixture of sadness, fear and also some anger,” said Merrell, who describes his political views as moderately progressive. “Many of us live in a state of sadness today. We want to look forward to a future for ourselves and our children. We have done everything we have been told. But it increasingly looks like our goals are unattainable.”

That’s a lot of baggage to process in a 90-minute debate. And not every young voter watching was similarly affected. But for many progressive voters in North Bay in their 20s, Thursday night was a moment of truth.

For them, Joe Biden was not necessarily their first choice in 2020, or even their second. They accepted his leadership because they considered the alternative – a second Trump term – unthinkable. They still do.

But now they are questioning whether President Biden has the strength, stamina and mental agility to win the presidential election in November, widely considered one of the most consequential in U.S. history.

They are not alone. Even some Democratic officials are openly questioning Biden’s suitability. “Not good,” Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman of San Rafael wrote in a text message to Politico, summing up the president’s performance at the debate.

Mason Koski, vice president of the Wine Country Young Democrats, wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about the debate as Merrell. In fact, he chose not to watch it.

Koski, 21, was not surprised by the outcome and the reactions that followed. He said that immediately after it ended, many of his friends who were less politically engaged texted him saying things like, “We are lost.”

Young voters have long expressed concerns about the age of the candidates and Biden’s ability to lead with the same energy and competence he has shown in recent years, Koski said.

He said it was a comfort to see similar discussions emerging online following the debate, as it seemed as though the concerns of younger voters were finally being taken into account in the wider debate.

“Nobody wanted this,” said Koski. “It is, as my grandmother calls it, revenge from hell.”

Eric Vazquez, chairman of the Wine Country Young Democrats, said the debate did not change his view of the campaign or his attitude toward November. However, he said the debate “caused a lot of concern and fear for the future” among people who are not as politically engaged.

He described these concerns as “founded”.

Not all Democratic voters who watched the debate were so dejected.

Logan Warren, 20, who just graduated with an AA in political science from SRJC, was already frustrated early in the televised event, wondering why Biden didn’t make a more substantive argument. That feeling intensified when the two candidates “went on three minutes talking exclusively about their golf swings.”

However, he argued that Biden made a strong comeback as the debate progressed.

“There were moments when he really shined,” said Warren, speaking for himself despite being a member of the Redwood Empire Young Democrats Club. “He has a great smile. And he denounced Trump’s lies. I feel like Biden was honest with the audience when he talked about ‘all that bullshit.’ When he makes those personal connections, he’s at his best.”

A common theme among voters on the left is the feeling that Biden’s team has let him and America down.

Lopez said his confidence in the administration Biden has assembled around him gives him some comfort, but that confidence now comes with an asterisk.

“I don’t know if I would have let him on stage,” Lopez said of the debate. “And that’s where I start to question the team a little bit. How could you let him on stage?”

Merrell called it a “denial of any responsibility” on the part of the Democratic Party leadership and White House staff, who downplayed the deteriorating physical and mental condition of the president, “who we now see can barely organize a thought.”