{"id":86904,"date":"2020-02-26T13:12:15","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=86904"},"modified":"2020-02-26T13:12:15","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:12:15","slug":"kids-in-iowa-get-involved-in-the-2020-presidential-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/kids-in-iowa-get-involved-in-the-2020-presidential-campaigns\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids in Iowa get involved in the 2020 presidential campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ellen O’Brien<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

Kathleen McKean stood in the back corner of a Joe Biden campaign event, listening to the former vice president\u2019s stump speech. At McKean\u2019s feet, her two young children alternated between scribbling with crayons on \u201cGo Joe!\u201d coloring sheets and playing iPad games.<\/p>\n

For McKean and her husband, Ryan, if both of them wanted to see a candidate on a Saturday morning, it meant bringing their two boys along.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what it\u2019s like to be a kid in Iowa,\u201d McKean said. \u201cGrowing up in Iowa is the place to be for politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Long before they can vote, children raised in Iowa possess a unique opportunity for unfettered access to presidential candidates. The candidates themselves welcome the presence of children on the campaign trail, often answering questions from children and teens during town hall sessions.<\/p>\n

At a Saturday afternoon rally, Sen. Elizabeth Warren responded to a question posed by a young student on healthcare. The following day, a 10-year-old girl asked Pete Buttigieg a question about college affordability, signing her written question \u201cfrom the class of 2028.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the children attending these events are years away from casting their first vote in an election. However, attending campaign events and the caucuses with their parents may increase the likelihood that they will vote in the future.<\/p>\n

Forming a habit of talking about politics, going to campaign events and voting can instill in children the feeling that civic participation is an obligation, rather than a choice, Perri Klass, a professor of journalism and pediatrics at New York University, wrote in a piece for The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether or not these children will match their parents\u2019 political preferences is unknown. A 2018 Vox article<\/a> cited a study conducted by political scientists Christopher Ojedaa and Peter Hatemia, which found children are more likely to share the political views of their parents when they feel bonded with their parents. According to the study, the frequency of political discussions in the home had no significant impact.<\/p>\n

While waiting to enter a Warren event, two friends, Jennifer Adrian and Gina Rogers, snacked on chocolate chip cookies from the local co-op with their elementary school-aged daughters, Hannah and Willa. The girls danced around in line as they waited for their chance to enter the gymnasium, handing the half-eaten cookies to their mothers for safekeeping as they twirled.<\/p>\n

Rogers said her daughter, Willa, has supported Warren since the launch of her campaign last February. She planned to bring Willa to caucus with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people ask Willa why she\u2019s a Warren supporter, I want her to be able to articulate that reason a little bit more than just \u2018she\u2019s a woman,\u2019\u201d Rogers said. \u201cI want her to hear from [Warren] and see who she is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearing the entrance to the high school gymnasium, the two girls raced ahead of their mothers. Their breakaway did not last long, as a young Warren volunteer called them back to wait by the entrance doors.<\/p>\n

At a rally for Buttigieg, Illinois resident Julian Balboa stood in a crowd of his classmates from West Leyden High School, raising a \u201cPete for America\u201d sign amidst claps and cheers for the former South Bend mayor. Although Balboa is not eligible to vote in the 2020 general election, he said he finds ways to get involved in national politics.<\/p>\n

Balboa chose to come to Iowa with his school as part of a class field trip, which he referred to as a \u201cpolitical retreat.\u201d Balboa was not even enrolled in the 12th-grade class that organized the trip, but he said it was important for him to come and see the candidates up close.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know a lot of people who say, \u2018My parents like this candidate, so I\u2019m going to vote for them,\u2019 which is very closed-minded,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m lucky to have the chance to interact with different candidates and venture out of that reality on this trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Iowa native Jennifer Adrian, the motivation to involve her daughter in politics stems from her own regret at not participating in the caucuses until 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis election is going to impact them and their lives,\u201d Adrian said. \u201cIf I can model being politically engaged, I\u2019m hoping they will be more politically engaged themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo at top: A young boy awaits the arrival of Joe Biden at a campaign event in North Liberty, Iowa. (Christian Surtz\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ellen O’Brien Medill Reports Kathleen McKean stood in the back corner of a Joe Biden campaign event, listening to the former vice president\u2019s stump speech. At McKean\u2019s feet, her two young children alternated between scribbling with crayons on \u201cGo Joe!\u201d coloring sheets and playing iPad games. For McKean and her husband, Ryan, if both […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":611,"featured_media":86978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4946,2951,4892],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-election-2020","category-politicsnational-security","category-winter-2020"],"yoast_head":"\nKids in Iowa get involved in the 2020 presidential campaigns - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/kids-in-iowa-get-involved-in-the-2020-presidential-campaigns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kids in Iowa get involved in the 2020 presidential campaigns - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Ellen O’Brien Medill Reports Kathleen McKean stood in the back corner of a Joe Biden campaign event, listening to the former vice president\u2019s stump speech. 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