This past weekend, Conservative leaders and activists came together at the Gaylord National Convention Center & Resort in National Harbor, Maryland for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. From prominent media talking heads, to potential presidential hopefuls, CPAC was the No. 1 spot for all things politically conservative.

This year, the American Conservative Union, which hosts the event, made a few changes to the conference. The most important one, however, was that it made its target audience clear: young voters. By making this crucial alteration to such a major event, the ACU is paving the path for the party itself to follow. If the GOP takes this advice, then the 2016 presidential election will be a walk in the park.

While the issues and policies discussed throughout the four-day conference affect each and every person in attendance, they have more of an affect on young voters. In a majority of speeches given at CPAC, it was said that reform is necessary to alleviate the financial and social burdens on the future generations. The cohort politicians were referring to is current millennials.

Four notable speakers who appealed to the younger crowd were Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) and Donald Trump.

Paul had one of the strongest fan bases at the conference, which explains his third consecutive victory in the straw poll. Despite the heavy content of his speech, mainly focusing on foreign policy and the Islamic State, the crowd cheered “President Paul” like there was no tomorrow. Christie and McMorris Rodgers both spoke about their humble beginnings. Christie reminisced about growing up in a middle class family with hard-working parents, and McMorris Rodgers spoke about her journey from working as a McDonald’s drive-thru cashier to becoming a member of Congress. Lastly, Donald Trump was a major hit with college Republicans, but that was not because of his speech. If anything, his speech detracted from the overall wow factor that came with Donald Trump’s attendance.

Despite some Republican political actors taking necessary steps to appeal to young voters, the party at large needs to do the same. It will take more than former Gov. Jeb Bush taking selfies at happy hour to do that. That doesn’t mean that it’s not a starting point, however. Politicians need to overcome the cold, robotic, bland stereotype that GOP members are associated with. By Republicans humanizing themselves, they will attract younger voters regardless of political affiliation. The Democratic Party has one thing going for them, and that is its strategic utilization of social media. If the GOP wants to become the party of cool, they can start taking notes from President Barack Obama’s campaign in 2012.

The Republican Party has already started to make strides to achieve this goal. It wasn’t just the conference that charmed young Republicans, but the various events occurring outside of CPAC itself were targeted to that key demographic. From the College Republican National Committee hosting happy hours and brunches with potential presidential candidates, to the Young Conservative Coalition’s annual Reaganpalooza, college-aged Republicans were bound to find something to do after convention hours.

The convention’s planners took necessary measures to appeal to youth this year, however, they still have more work ahead of them. Young voters are a crucial demographic that the party needs to reclaim. Come election season, it will be important to captivate Generation Y if leaders want to obtain or remain in power.

Vanessa Salman is a sophomore policy studies major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at vksalman@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @VanessaSalman.

Published on March 4, 2015 at 12:05 am