History
The College Democrats of America organization was founded in 1932 to further the election campaign of presidential nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt. It had a good deal of success during its first decades, and claims on its website to have been "the largest student organization in the nation" during the 1940s. However, in 1967, the CDA took up a position opposing the Vietnam War; this enraged President Lyndon B. Johnson, who cut the CDA out of funding from the Democratic National Committee. It was eventually revitalized by Senator Al Gore, and by the time Gore became Bill Clinton's vice presidential nominee, there were more than 50,000 members.
Since 1992, CDA has actively promoted the Democratic legislative agenda and Democratic candidates for office. Thanks in part to the work of CDA activists, John Kerry won 54% of the youth vote in 2004.
Read more about this topic: College Democrats Of America
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