Why Young Liberals on One Campus Are (and Are Not) Supporting Hillary Clinton

Danni Gonyo is exactly the kind of young voter a Democratic politician hopes to attract. The George Mason University freshman, 18, is communications director for the campus’s College Democrats, has worked on multiple local campaigns, and loves phone-banking for candidates.

But even though she sports a Bernie Sanders button on her backpack, she didn’t know this week whom she was voting for in Virginia’s “Super Tuesday” primary.

Ms. Gonyo was one of many students who turned out Monday afternoon to see Hillary Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state and favorite to win the Democratic nomination for president, speak on the campus.

Polls have suggested that Mrs. Clinton is likely to win Virginia on Super Tuesday, when delegates in 12 states are up for grabs. But the early success of Mr. Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, through better-than-expected showings in early primaries and a big turnout among young voters, has signaled gaps in Mrs. Clinton’s appeal.

A Monmouth University poll, released late last week, projected that 60 percent of likely Democratic voters in Virginia would vote for Mrs. Clinton, while 33 percent would vote for Mr. Sanders. The poll showed the candidates in a dead heat among voters under 50, but a CBS News poll found that a great majority of 18- to 29-year-old voters were siding with Mr. Sanders.

George Mason, the largest public university in Virginia, has hosted multiple candidates already. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, spoke on the main campus here last week and at the Arlington campus on Tuesday, also the day of his party’s primary election.

College campuses — generally liberal and chock-full of prospective voters — are regular stops for presidential hopefuls. And on Monday, Mrs. Clinton seemed keen on capturing that energy. She spoke to the crowd here about her plan to make college more affordable and to relieve student debt, an issue where Mr. Sanders’s platform has resonated.

Among Mrs. Clinton’s biggest advocates on the campus of more than 33,000 students is Kate Barton, who was poised but passionate as she helped local lawmakers introduce Mrs. Clinton at the rally. Ms. Barton and a classmate founded Patriots for Hillary, named for the university’s mascot, in September and have been on the road and on the phones for the candidate ever since.

Ms. Barton said she had been drawn to Mrs. Clinton’s stances on minority and women’s rights and her plan for criminal-justice reform, all issues she said are important to her and her peers.

The Relatable Candidate

Many students who showed up at the rally weren’t as sure.

Devyn L’Heureux was at the very front of a long line waiting to enter the Hub student center hours before the doors opened, even though she had already filed an absentee ballot for Mr. Sanders. As the sun shone brightly, she said it was just a nice day to sit outside and wait to hear what Mrs. Clinton had to say. Ms. L’Heureux said she believes Mrs. Clinton will ultimately clinch the party’s nomination.

Early Monday afternoon, a freshman, Andrew Millin, grabbed lunch in the student center and opened up his laptop, on which he proudly displays a red, white, and blue “Bernie” sticker.

So why Mr. Sanders over Mrs. Clinton? “I think he has been very genuine in his discourse, and I think he just connects with young voters better than other candidates,” he said. “I think if we vote in Bernie, he will do all the stuff that Hillary wants, but then go an extra step.”

Others, like two seniors, Olivia Gardner and John Roberts, said Mrs. Clinton has a record of “getting things done.” Ms. Gardner, who wore a small pair of red-and-blue donkey earrings on Monday, said that while Mrs. Clinton could work on being more relatable to young people, it’s not as big a concern as others say.

“I mean, look around here today … I am certainly a young voter,” she said.

Many other students touted Mrs. Clinton’s record and experience as reasons for their support. Some noted her stance on women’s rights, and others cited her immigration plan. But for every supporter, there seemed to be a skeptic.

Perhaps no one better summed up the campus’s Democratic divide than two friends, Diamond Lanehart and Orienna Schanks. While Ms. Lanehart is ready for Hillary, Ms. Schanks is feeling the Bern. But Ms. Lanehart acknowledged that her candidate had struggled to excite young crowds.

“A lot of people my age think she’s trying too hard,” she said. Without skipping a beat, Ms. Schanks said, “she is.”

The College Democrats’ Ms. Gonyo, a native of Richmond, Va., said she thinks fellow students will turn out to vote. But as of Monday afternoon, Ms. Gonyo had not yet decided whom she would vote for.

Still, she said, that’s a good problem to have. With a heavy sigh, she added, “I just want a Democrat in office.”