20-somethings jump into super PACs

20-somethings jump into super PACs
By ANDREA DRUSCH | 8/24/13 5:09 PM EDT

What’s cool for America’s youth this election cycle isn’t putting an Obama poster on your wall or tattooing the Romney R on your face. It’s starting your own super PAC.

In 2012, groups like Restore Our Future, American Crossroads and Priorities USA spent millions — reshaping the campaign landscape around the chase of big — often older and male — donors. Now, America’s youth are ready and eager to get in on the game.

In the past month alone, four super PACs were formed by people younger than 35 with the intention of advocating for young people. Often, the idea is to push back against political parties they say are drifting off course.

“When we’re talking about people our age, in their mid-20s to 30s, a lot of the candidates don’t represent exactly what we want,” said Sarah Ponn, 25, president of Pass the Torch PAC in Manchester, N.H.

Frustrated with what she sees as parties and politicians that are disinterested in the needs of young people, Ponn, 25, started a super PAC with two of her friends.

She says her group wants to rebrand the message of the Republican Party. They want to see the economy back on track, student loan rates fixed and politicians taking their focus off of social issues. “We’re trying to steer clear of issues like abortion and gay marriage,” she said. “With a lot of candidates … it’s hard to separate out what they really stand for and to get behind them for everything.

“That’s why we went with a super PAC,” Ponn added. “It gives us that ability to step outside the party lines.”

It’s a sentiment young super PACs from both parties share: National candidates either don’t align with their views, or they don’t prioritize the issues that matter to them.