With the top two candidates - sitting Gov. Pat Quinn and businessman Bruce Rauner - vying in a competitive, mud-slinging race for governor, Millennial voters will decide by Election Day which Baby Boomer candidate can better bridge the generational gap, address their issues and get their support.
During the campaign season, Quinn and Rauner have tried to win over Millennials by airing Internet ads, visiting college campuses and attending the NextGen Illinois Convention at the UIC Forum last month, impressing upon young voters how next Tuesday's election will affect them. With a Tribune poll this month putting the two candidates in a dead heat, young voters can carry a lot of political power if they cast ballots.
"In a close race, like the governor race, they could definitely decide the outcome," said Peter Levine, director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. "They have lately, not always, lately have been a pretty strong Democratic voting bloc."
Young voters have proven their impact by pushing Democratic candidates over the top. Consider the 2008 presidential race in which Barack Obama won Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia thanks to voters younger than 30. Had young voters in 2012 stayed home or thrown their support behind Mitt Romney, Obama would have lost Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and collectively 80 electoral votes enough to make Romney president, according to CIRCLE.
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The main question now is, are the candidates for Illinois governor doing enough to court young voters, particularly for a midterm election where voter turnout is generally lower than a presidential year?
Rauner's campaign pointed to setting up nearly 20 chapters of Students for Rauner on high school and college campuses. They counted more than 1,000 active student members who combined have volunteered more than 20,000 hours since the beginning of the school year.
"Bruce is running for governor to provide a brighter future for the next generation of Illinoisans," campaign spokesman Mike Schrimpf said in an email.
Students from all over Chicago showed up for our Students for Rauner event today! pic.twitter.com/FV2a6sezQV
- Bruce Rauner (@BruceRauner) September 27, 2014Meanwhile, Quinn touted his fight to increase access to higher education and support for marriage equality - issues important to young voters. His campaign said it has engaged young voters by delivering Quinn's message on mobile devices and in digital ads on social media, the Internet, and Hulu, Xbox and Pandora.
"This is a critical election for the young people in our state, and we're working night and day to ensure they know what's at stake and how Governor Quinn is fighting for them," Quinn's spokeswoman Izabela Miltko said in an email.
On Twitter, Rauner posted photos with college students and young professionals at events. Quinn's YouTube channel has a video ad calling Rauner the "Wolf of Winnetka" inspired by the "Wolf of Wall Street" movie trailer featuring Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" song.
But the candidates' efforts to reach, connect with and persuade young voters may not be enough.
"I'm definitely not seeing much [of the candidates] on social media, which is where we're at all the time," said Jarrod Simpson, 35, an undecided voter in Logan Square.
Megan Leahy plans to cast her vote for Quinn. "I obviously don't think he's perfect by any means. But in comparison to Rauner, I would say I agree with more of his policies," said Leahy, 27, who also lives in Logan Square. "With Rauner, I don't feel any sort of connection to him with our generation."
On whether the candidates are trying to reach voters his age, Dan Kornas, 32, of Noble Square said, "I don't really think so, at least not for younger voters. I'd like to see a governor bring industry or work into Illinois."
Dick Simpson, a political science professor at UIC and a former alderman, underscored the importance of candidates addressing the issues that most concern young voters. Issues such as pensions and nursing homes, also the subject of numerous campaign attack ads, are not youth issues because the topics don't affect them immediately, he said.
Having a conversation with young voters in person or over the phone is effective, Levine said. "It is an opportunity for young people to get their questions answered," he said. "It's motivating to have individual contact because it shows somebody cares."
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Among the hot button issues for young adults are student loans, the job climate and of course minimum wage.
"They're really worried that when they get out of college, they will not have a job, and if they do have a job, it will be low paying that it won't pay off their loans," Simpson said.
With 71 percent of workers paid at or below the minimum wage under the age of 35, the issue of minimum wage is one of the biggest topics for young voters. A non-binding, advisory referendum on the ballot asks whether the minimum wage should be increased to $10 an hour.
"It's absolutely a sign our issues are paramount to this election and being talked about," said Rebecca Reynolds, executive director of Chicago Votes, a nonpartisan organization to engage young Chicagoans in the political process.
However, more work can done by the candidates on addressing access to affordable education and reforming the justice system, she said.
Corey Algie, 22, is undecided on the governor's race but plans to vote, particularly because the issue of minimum wage is on the ballot.
"It would be a good thing if we saw an increase in minimum wage, especially in the city. Everything is obviously way more expensive than the outlying areas," said Algie, a delivery driver who makes minimum wage and lives in Logan Square. "$8.50 doesn't really cut it for a large amount of young people."
RedEye reporter Rachel Cromidas contributed.