Has the Presidential Campaign Reached A Senior Moment?

SadTrumpHillary

The Wall Street Journal reports that Donald Trump is trailing Hillary Clinton among voters 65 and older in the most recent round of major media polls:

She was winning among older voters, 44% to 42%, among registered voters in the latest Wall Street Journal poll.

She was also ahead in this age group, 52% to 44%, in a Washington Post/ABC poll published Sept. 20. Mr. Trump had a three percentage point advantage among older voters in the New York Times/CBS poll on Sept. 11, but that lagged well behind Mr. Romney’s lead of 15 percentage points in the same poll at this point in the race four years ago.

[. . .]

A Mason-Dixon poll last week showed Mr. Trump ahead of Mrs. Clinton by six percentage points among voters 65 and older. Mr. Romney won them by 17 percentage points four years ago, and lost the state.

Advertisement

This is notable because over the last couple of decades voters who are 65 and older have been trended Republican. No Democrat presidential candidate has won older voters since Al Gore in 2000, exit polls show. Now, the trend may be reversing.

seniormoment

If the Journal is correct, such a senior moment could have a yuge impact in the key battleground state of Florida, where one of every five residents is a senior citizen — the highest ratio in the country.

According to the Journal, most older voters view Trump as more honest and better to deal with the economy than Hillary. But older voters overwhelmingly view Mrs. Clinton as having the better temperament, more suited to be in charge of nuclear weapons and more knowledgeable to handle the presidency.

We have previously reported on the Clinton campaign’s panic about and efforts to win Florida. The Trump  campaign is also working the state — planning state-level advisory boards, “senior day door knocking,” tele-town halls and phone banks aimed at older voters in Florida.

Advertisement

Recommended

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on RedState Videos