2020 presidential youth movement takes a hit in…
2020 presidential youth movement takes a hit in latest poll
By Paul Lambert |
PUBLISHED: August 22, 2019 at 9:06 pm | UPDATED: August 22, 2019 at 9:36 pm
All the talk about the 2020 presidential youth movement in the Democratic party hasn't reached New Hampshire yet, according to the latest Franklin Pierce University-Herald poll.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were the top three candidates mentioned most by those surveyed when asked to name Democratic rivals for president. All three are at least 70 years old, and all three are white. The nominee will face President Trump, who is 73.
While people knew Kamala Harris, her name was seldom the first mentioned, with only 8% of respondents doing so. (She's 54 years old.) Biden, who is 76, Sanders, who is 77, and Warren, 70, each had their name mentioned first at least 15% of the time.
Surprisingly, Sanders, the elder statesman, was mentioned first by respondents 18-34 years old, ahead of both Biden and Warren.
It appears that it will be a three-way battle for delegates in New Hampshire between Biden, Sanders and Warren, with Harris having an outside shot at making noise, the poll shows. But it's still early.
Other non-septuagenarians — Cory Booker, 50, Pete Buttigieg, 37, Beto O'Rourke, 46, Tulsi Gabbard, 38, and Kirsten Gillibrand, 52 — lack the name recognition, the poll showed. That's too bad. The Democratic party needs a makeover. But it seems voters still favor Bernie Sanders, who may be old but he energizes young voters.
That may bode well for President Trump, who needs all the help he can get in the Granite State.
The poll numbers are not in his favor. After losing New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton by less than half a percentage point in 2016, only 29% of those surveyed said they are solid votes for Trump, while over 37% said they would vote for whichever Democrat faced him in the general election.
Again, there's a long way to go, but the president is already in a hole to a "generic" Dem.
There's a whole lot that's going to happen over the course of the next 14 months, both in the Democratic primaries and the Oval Office. Franklin Pierce students will be covering the whole stretch, all the way up to Election Day next November. We're excited to work with the Boston Herald to provide election coverage for readers.
It's going to be quite a ride.
Paul Lambert is a Politics FitzU fellow at Franklin Pierce University. He is a sophomore at the college.
Paul Lambert