Poll: Young voters give Obama 2-1 edge over McCain

WASHINGTON -- Some voters under 30 are conservatives. An equal number are liberals. But a striking majority of the Millennial generation agrees on one thing: who should be the next president.

Some voters under 30 are conservatives. An equal number are liberals. But a striking majority of the Millennial generation agrees on one thing: who should be the next president.

A USA TODAY/MTV/Gallup Poll of registered voters 18 to 29 years old shows Democrat Barack Obama leading Republican John McCain by 61%-32%, the most lopsided contest within an age group in any presidential election in modern times. Obama's margin is overwhelming across four groups of younger voters, divided by their engagement in the election, their optimism about the future and other factors.

"I think he can actually relate a great deal more to our interests and values and beliefs," says Lisa Kettunen, 24, of Otego, N.Y. Kettunen, an administrator at Hartwick College who was among those polled, particularly likes Obama's stands on protecting the environment and forging better relations around the world.

"We have a lot of really great ideas and hopes for change," Kettunen says of her generation, "and he's really speaking to what we want."

Some Republicans fear that whatever the outcome Nov. 4, movement of this generation to Obama could set political views through their lifetimes, reverberating in future elections.

"This is the equivalent of the Reagan brigades, where a whole class of people identify with a politician," says Dan Bartlett, a veteran of the Bush White House, calling it "a real wake-up call" for the GOP. Bartlett, 37, grew up during Reagan's presidency, which begat a generation of young conservatives.

If young people vote for Obama by current margins, he says, "Katy bar the door."

"This is the time in life you really start to grow your political roots," Obama adviser Linda Douglass says of those under 30.

Obama's strength among younger voters has offset his relative weakness among older ones and reshaped the electoral map. It has helped put states with comparatively young populations, such as Colorado and New Mexico, in Obama's reach and made older states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio a harder sell for him than for previous Democratic candidates.

From the opening caucuses in Iowa — where he organized at every college and many high schools — Obama has targeted young voters with his political messages and campaign methods. He has made unprecedented use of online fundraising to finance his campaign and social networking and text messaging to reach voters. Those techniques have underscored his connection with younger Americans.