Democrats counting on young voters in N Carolina

LAURINBURG, Aug 31 (AFP): For several months, Yampiere Lugo has been going door to door, urging young people in North Carolina to vote in November.
With Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race and Kamala Harris's arrival atop the Democratic ticket, the party activist says his generation-a key voting bloc-is fired up.
"I've talked to a lot of people around my age who have sort of all expressed the same sentiment-that they're just so much more excited to have someone who's just younger, more energetic," Lugo told AFP.
The 25-year-old, who works as an administrative assistant at a local school, says even people he thought might skip the election altogether have said the vice president has their support.
The enthusiasm marks a sharp contrast with the situation Lugo was facing just over a month ago, when he was canvassing for Biden in Laurinburg, the seat of Scotland County, not far from the border with South Carolina.
At the time, the activist admitted to AFP that young voters were "frustrated" with their options, facing a choice between the 81-year-old Biden and Donald Trump, the 78-year-old Republican former president.
Now, Lugo believes Harris, 59, can win North Carolina, one of a handful of swing states likely to play a pivotal role in the race for the White House.
Winning here will be an uphill battle-the southern state has not voted for a Democrat in the presidential election since Barack Obama in 2008.