College Republican National Committee
For Immediate Release:
November 5, 2014   

CRNC Field and Advertising Efforts with Young Voters Deliver Republican Victories

 Washington D.C. – Today, the College Republican National Committee (“CRNC”) concluded its field and advertising program known as “Operation Red Campus” in sixteen targeted states, which yielded record youth support (18-29 year olds) for Republican candidates, proving to be decisive in some key races.

  • In Florida, youth turnout nearly doubled from 2010 (8% to 14%). Governor Rick Scott increased his youth vote support by 2 points and cut the Democratic advantage in half among young voters by more than 10 points. These efforts are especially noteworthy given the $150 million that was spent in this race. The CRNC spent approximately $150,000 on advertising to persuadable 18-29 year olds online and field staff on college campuses to cut Democrats’ lead in half (while youth vote turnout doubled) in a race that was won overall by only a point.
  • In Arkansas, youth vote turnout increased by 50% from 2010 (8% to 12%). Republicans won young voters 50% to 45%, in sharp contrast to 2010 when the Republican candidate lost these same voters by 38 points. The CRNC spent $75,000 on advertising to persuadable 18-29 year olds online and field staff on college campuses, particularly in the student-rich northwest part of the state, to achieve this.
  • The CRNC spent approximately $1.5 million to achieve strong victories with young voters in other states like Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Iowa, and Ohio, in addition to states like Connecticut and Colorado, where these close races are still too close to call.
CRNC National Chair Alex Smith remarked, “These strong numbers prove what we have said for nearly two years: when the Republican Party is able to make even marginal gains among young voters, we ensure our chances of winning statewide. We do this by speaking directly to young voters where they are: online and on campus.” She added, “That is precisely what the CRNC’s revolutionary new field program accomplished.”

As of Election Day, the CRNC had 30 field staff in 16 states, in addition to delivering more than 30 million online advertising impressions in 24 states to persuadable 18-29 year olds. The CRNC invested over $2 million dollars in the project “Operation Red Campus” as a result of the organization shattering the Committee’s previous fundraising records.

The College Republican National Committee is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most active youth political organization. The independent 527 group is more than 120 years old and boasts more than 250,000 members on over 1,800 campuses.

Contact: Gus Portela –  gportela@crnc.org – 202-285-4221

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