This essay addresses voter turnout and candidate support among African American and Hispanic youth in the 2004 presidential election by exploring the relationship between candidates' rhetorical messages and those racial identity factors known to influence voting behavior. These factors include a sense of collective identity and political cynicism for Blacks and “wedge-issue” politics and personal Hispanic-voter contact for Latinos. The successes and failures of the presidential candidates and their supporting organizations are explained by examining how the two campaigns' rhetorical strategies were or were not appropriate in addressing these factors.
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