Bernie Sanders now aims to win over older voters
Sen. Bernie Sanders has already shown he’s a hit with young voters, but the 74year-old Vermont independent will have to work to win over his contemporaries.
Iowa caucus entrance polls show Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton was heavily favored by the 45-and-older set. And in New Hampshire, where Sanders is favored to win Tuesday’s primary, Clinton supporters in that voter-rich age range say Sanders wouldn’t be able to make good on his “pie in the sky” promises if elected. They’re more impressed with Clinton’s realism and foreign affairs experience.
They also like the former secretary of State’s so-called “establishment” connections and her potential to become the first female president.
“He’s a nice person who has a lot of good ideas, but I don’t think they’re achievable,” Diane Zito, 75, a retired elementary school teacher from Bedford, N.H., and a Clinton volunteer, said of Sanders. “Hillary is more substantive, she’s more realistic.”
Sanders says he’s surprised he doesn’t have stronger support from seniors, because there’s “nobody in the Senate who has fought harder” for them.
He long has opposed efforts to cut or slow the growth of Social Security benefits and has intro- duced legislation to expand benefits by lifting the cap on taxable income above $250,000 a year. He also has introduced legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and let people import lower-cost prescriptions from Canada.
“We are going to focus on senior issues, and I think you’ll see us do a lot better in that age category,” Sanders said on MSNBC on Wednesday.
His campaign has worked hard to draw young people and firsttime voters into the political process. In Iowa, Sanders bested Clinton by a stunning 84%-14% among 17- to 29-year-olds, according to The New York Times entrance polls. Clinton topped Sanders 58%-35% among Iowans between 45 and 64, and more decisively, 69%-26%, among those 65 and older, polls showed.
Now, Sanders’ campaign aims to expand his appeal to seniors by reminding them of his positions and record. He plans to hold more town meetings with seniors and do more targeted advertising ahead of March 1 Democratic primaries in 11 states. Given his strong showing in Iowa — he trailed Clinton by only 0.3 points — Sanders says seniors and other voters may be ready to consider him as a serious alternative.
“Right now, we think we’re going to have a much bigger target universe in terms of voters,” said Tad Devine, Sanders’ senior media adviser. “We think seniors are going to be a big part of that.”