How young voters feel about the presidential candidates and nation’s political divide

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• Amna Nawaz:

  The winner of the Republican primary won't be officially decided until the party's convention this July.

  But this past weekend, in the small town of Lexington, Virginia, nearly 2,000 college students held a convention of their own.

  Judy Woodruff visited the conference to speak with young Republicans and Democrats about their views on politics in America during this unusual primary season.

  It's all part of her ongoing series America at a Crossroads.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Despite looking like a wild party, this raucous parade in Lexington, Virginia, kicked off one of the most accurate political prediction projects in the country, Mock Con, a simulated convention students at Washington and Lee University have put on every four years for over a century.

  As the students put their creativity and passion on display with floats for each of the 50 states and U.S. territories, some of the biggest names in the Republican Party descended on their small town.

  Donald Trump Jr. .

  Donald Trump Jr. ., Son of Donald Trump : I want to thank the support that we're seeing out here, which is absolutely incredible.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

• Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA):

  So, if there has ever been a time in our country and our nation's capital when we needed new ideas and fresh perspectives, it would be today.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.

• Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA):

  Since 1948, you have been 100 percent accurate in nominating the eventual Republican nominee.

• Judy Woodruff:

  And Many others.

  The weekend was the culmination of years of preparation, with students from across the political spectrum staging a presidential nominating convention of the party that doesn't currently hold the White House. So, this year, it was the Republicans' turn.

  Connor McNamara, President, Washington and Lee University Democrats: Mock Con really is a, like, bipartisan organization. We have a lot of liberal students and a lot of conservative students.

• Judy Woodruff:

  On a campus that students say is roughly split between Democrats and Republicans, 98 percent of them participate in Mock Con to try to accurately predict the outcome of this summer's Republican National Convention, down to the delegate.

  Connor McNamara is the president of the college Democrats.

  Connor McNamara So, it's been really interesting looking at each state and each — all the polling and all the demographic information to see how that affects the race.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Just like the actual Republican primary right now, this year's Mock Con felt like a foregone conclusion, as former President Trump appears to have all but sewn up the nomination long before most states cast their votes.

• Man:

  It's my honor to welcome our next speaker, Donald Trump Jr. .

  Donald Trump Jr. .: There is a reason, I can assure you, that they're trying to put my father in jail for 700 years. And it's not because anyone really believes January 6 was an insurrection.

• Judy Woodruff:

  But among the students we sat down with, we found views across the spectrum after they listened to this year's speakers.

  What do you make of all the issues out there swirling around former President Trump?

  Beau Hancock, Student, Washington and Lee University: What I make of that is, what's the alternative? I have seen nothing but more chaos from the Biden administration, from the Trump administration. Trump, yes, mean tweets. He's going to say some off-color things, which isn't great.

  But, at its core, what's better, a loudmouth president who gets things done, or a quiet, politically correct president that does nothing for the American people?

• Judy Woodruff:

  Angel Pilkey-Chevez, a self-identified Democrat, not surprisingly, disagreed.

  Angel Pilkey-Chevez, Student, Washington and Lee University: I think Biden has done a pretty good job. There are some grievances. But I think he's doing a good job with what he's been given.

• Judy Woodruff:

  The students heard different perspectives from other Republican speakers, like Virginia Governor Youngkin.

• Gov. Glenn Youngkin:

  We must come together around a nominee with universal support in order to usher in a new era, not of Republicans versus Democrats, but of an unrivaled America.

• Judy Woodruff:

  And Georgia Governor Kemp.

• Gov. Brian Kemp:

  This election should be about results, not personalities. It should be about the future of our country, not a race to the bottom.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Robert Mish is a junior on Mock Con's political steering committee who applauded their focus on the future.

  Robert Mish, Student, Washington and Lee University: Somewhere along the line, Republicans basically said we're going to try and align ourselves with Donald Trump .

  And I don't think that's a smart strategy, but I'm constantly reminded by people like Glenn Youngkin, people like Brian Kemp how Republicans can win and also appeal to the middle of the country, who's not necessarily liberal or conservative, but just wants to see strong, competent leadership.

  Claire Cerone, a senior, wrote this year's Republican platform for Mock Con.

  Claire Cerone, The Republican Party platform is a dedication to the American voter.

• Judy Woodruff:

  That process was complicated by the fact that the party hasn't actually produced a platform since 2016.

  Like Many students who participated in the research from Mock Con, she had to take a hard look at the party's current policy positions coming into 2024, as well as her own.

• Claire Cerone:

  I would say I'm more of a moderate Republican. The platform language, it was just — it's so different than anything I have ever written ever, because the rhetoric is so negative. And a lot of it's just like tearing down Biden and the Democrats and sort of getting at the other side. And it's not very, like, goal-focused or like, here's what we're going to do about X, Y and Z.

  I definitely kind of stepped away from this process maybe a little bit less Republican than I was. And I guess that's kind of the goal in everything you do, to learn something about yourself.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Was it a particular issue or a collection of issues?

• Claire Cerone:

  I kind of disagree with the party on abortion, gun rights, and some foreign policy issues. It was hard to write something I disagree with.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Across the country, a large majority of young Americans align themselves with Democratic ideas. And President Biden will need those voters to turn out this fall to hold onto the White House.

  But even among college Democrats like Pilkey-Chevez, there was something to learn from seeing and studying the other side up close.

• Angel Pilkey-Chevez:

  I don't believe all Trump supporters are racist. They're just very discontent. And I think Democrats hear everything that's being said. I don't think they listen to what's being said.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Do you have confidence that we can get to a place where people can have disagreements, but not hate each other over it?

• Angel Pilkey-Chevez:

  For the most part, people aren't happy with the current political environment. Maybe being around like all these different views this weekend with Mock Con maybe has inspired me a little bit.

  I am confident that we can push forward. I think we have so Many different people and so Many diverse ideas. I think that does make us stronger.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Student Republicans said they too look forward to a time when the country isn't so divided.

• Beau Hancock:

  I think the average American doesn't want to hear about politics every day. And so I try to surround myself with people like that, because I know that I can be annoying if I'm just spewing my political views all the time.

• Robert Mish:

  I think there's a spotlight on that polarization now and people are kind of opening their eyes and being like, wow, is this healthy for the people in our country to spend their lives worrying about disagreements with one another, rather than trying to focus on the things that bring people together?

• Judy Woodruff:

  FreshMan Alex Kagan says he's able to maintain relationships across political divides.

  Alex Kagan, Washington and Lee University: I do relate more to people that have similar values to me, similar life experiences, but I'm able to be friends and I have friends that politically disagree with me. And I think that's great.

  Donald Trump , Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: Respect for your school. I have known a lot of people that have gone to Washington and Lee University. It's a great school. I hope I get your endorsement.

  (Cheering and applause)

• Judy Woodruff:

  Despite the doubts and questions, Donald Trump got the prediction he wanted.

• Man:

  The 28th Washington and Lee University Mock Convention has nominated Donald John Trump.

  (Cheering and applause)

• Judy Woodruff:

  It was a 50-state sweep. As Billy Ray Cyrus brought the convention to a close, the final tally was decisive. Donald Trump won all but 76 of the 2,429 delegates at stake. Nikki Haley picked up 64 from seven states in the District of Columbia, Ron DeSantis took nine, and Vivek Ramaswamy three, both in Iowa.

  We will be watching come July to see how close these numbers are to the real GOP convention outcome.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Judy Woodruff in Lexington, Virginia.