Though most kids his age are worried about dating and grades, Mike Knopf, 17, is driven to politics.
Knopf, who is one of 40 Iowa delegates at the Republican National Convention, will turn 18 just in time to vote in November.
“Many young voters these days, they’re very susceptible, especially people in my age bracket," he told CitizenLink. "They want somebody else to make up their mind for them.”
Matt Reisetter, a coordinator with the Iowa Family Policy Center, said young people like Knopf give him hope for the future of the GOP.
“If you get some young people that are critical thinkers and consider the issues by their own merits rather than sound bites, you’re going to find young people who line up on the conservative side," he said.
Reisetter said Republicans will keep the youth support only if they stay on message.
“I think people are more attracted to the values and the convictions of the conservative platform more than they are to the Republican Party," he said.
