Posted on 05/08/2020 1:54:50 AM PDT by Drew68
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden is in no danger of losing young voters to President Donald Trump. But he faces a lack of enthusiasm among Millennials and Gen Z voters with the potential to decide his fate if they stay home or vote for a third-party candidate.
Many of these voters preferred Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary and perceive Biden as a blank slate. They aren’t sure that he’s a change agent or that his policies match the scale of their problems. Some worry about his age and fitness. Most seem open to supporting Biden to stop Trump but need to hear more from him.
That’s the conclusion of new focus groups that delve into the mindset of Millennial and Gen Z voters who self-identify as Democrats or independents in 11 battleground states. They were conducted in late and mid-April by the political consulting firm Global Strategy Group on behalf of NextGen America, a youth-focused progressive advocacy group.
The good news for Biden is that many voters are persuaded by the argument that his views aren’t so far from those of Sanders, and by endorsements from leaders whom young people trust, including Sanders himself. Biden also benefits from the contrast with Trump, who is immensely unpopular among young Americans.
“On the other hand, there are clear warning signs,” the firm wrote in a PowerPoint presentation on the findings. “For now, perceptions that Biden is too close to corporate interests or that he is dishonest often appear linked to more general perceptions of him as a ‘typical’ or ‘career politician,’ rather than someone who is particularly bad.”
'Blank slate isn't going to cut it'
Some voters brought up recent sexual assault allegations against Biden as a concern, while others cited his past ties to credit card companies. The focus groups found that Sanders-to-Trump crossovers are an “idiosyncratic and marginal group” — more prevalent are wait-and-see voters who aren’t committed to turning out and potential third-party defectors, an unusually large group in the 2016 election.
Biden has sought to appeal to young voters by moving toward Sanders' platform on free public college and adopting bankruptcy overhauls pushed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. At virtual fundraisers recently, he called himself "a transition candidate" interested in elevating younger voices, and said he recognizes that "I have to make sure you know I’m listening" to avoid a 2016 repeat.
His campaign responded on Thursday.
"As President Obama has said, Joe Biden is running on the most progressive platforms in modern history and laid out bold ideas to tackle climate change, expand health care, and make college affordable," Biden spokesman Matt Hill said in an email. "Joe Biden knows that young Americans are a driving force of the progressive movement and will work hard to earn their votes, unite our country, and ensure we achieve the ultimate goal we all share: defeating Donald Trump."
Young voters are economically anxious as the first two generations in U.S. history that risk being worse off than their parents, coming of age in the Great Recession and the coronavirus outbreak. They worry about basic economic security, high costs of education and health care, and climate change. They vote irregularly compared to older generations but their attitudes can make or break campaigns.
For Biden, there is tension between his outreach to these young voters and his pitch to older, suburban and moderate Americans who aren’t looking for radical change but rather a safe alternative to Trump. He leads Trump in recent polls, but his low-key campaign isn't reaching many young people.
Millennial voters ping
Tip to Plugs: Molest more young voters.
That’ll get them motivated.
What lyin’ dog-faced pony soldier wrote this utter malarkey?? All them young whipper-snappers love them some Grampa Joe.
FAKE NEWS!!!
The AOC generation just can’t wait to grab their dead great-grandparents and fill out those mail-in ballots by the THOUSANDS
I don’t think it really matters. All they need to do is turn over their mail-in ballots to Nancy Pelosi...and she will take care of everything.
These Sanders supporters already feel slighted by the DNC in the way Biden suddenly surged to take the nomination.
If they replace Biden with anyone but Sanders, this support is gone from the DNC for a generation.
That is why they must hold together and keep Biden together.
The Democratic Party depends on this....at least the Clinton/Obama cabal running the party needs this. They cannot turn the party over to the Sanders wing, which would purge all the Clinton/Obama people from their jobs.
Lol
Replace Bye-done with Hitlery. That should bring the youthful voters back into the fold.
“Wait and see” for what? I hate these “undecideds.”
Anyone with a half a brain decided a loooong time ago. You either like President Trump or you don’t. It’s pretty simple actually.
Ahh, really? I would have thought they’d just love to vote for Mr. Greenjeans.
Joe ‘ought to take him out behind the gym.
1) Biden hasn't worked hard since he declared he was running.
2) He most definitely hasn't worked hard sitting in his basement puzzling over cue cards.
3) The progressive movement and unity are a contradiction in terms.
4) Campaigns that are aimed against a person, ie an incumbent or a candidate, are almost always doomed to fail. One could claim that Trump ran against Hillary Clinton but he had a clear platform/agenda. The 'defeat Trump' dream is largely a media creation and the refrain of the noisy 5% on Twitter. But voters aren't necessarily into mere nihilism or revenge.
By the same token, candidates running against Pelosi or AOC get a lot of initial notice but usually lack any traction because their platforms are indistinguishable from their targets.
Anyone who votes for Biden are just as brain dead as he is. Stupid is as stupid commies do.
Voter 1: Bernie's views are full of s###!
Voter 2: Biden's views are full of s***!
Pollster: So you both agree, Biden's views aren't so far from Bernie's views?
Voter 1 & 2: Well, Yaeah???!!
he is too befuddled to be in public a lot.
That will cost him the states that switched to Trump last time.
You CANT be invisible during a presidential election.
like hillary was.
Although seeing her face ain’t that great either :)
Biden [a Humper father] is not running focyou group?
Biden [a Humper father] is not running focyou groups?
Young people are more enthusiastic about an old communist who will steal their future. Go figure.
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