A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that voters over age 60 are flocking to the Democrats for the midterm elections as Trump and the Republican Party are on the verge of losing their base of support.
Here is the infographic on voters over age 60 via Reuters:
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The overall Republican advantage with has vanished. Republicans have seen a six-point lead with older voters cut to a three-point lead, which is a statistical tie. Seniors with a college degree have flipped from three-point Republican advantage in 2016 (43%-40%) to an eight-point Democratic lead in 2018 (44%-37%). The number that should frighten Republicans the most is that white seniors with a college degree, who have over the past decade been part of the backbone of the Republican base, have shifted from a ten-point Republican lead (47%-37%) less than two years ago to a two-point Democratic lead (42%-40%) in 2018.
Seniors are supporting Democrats due to healthcare
According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, the number one issue that is moving older voters toward the Democrats is healthcare. The number of seniors who listed health care as their top concern has tripled over the past two years from eight percent to twenty-one percent. Sabotaging and undermining Obamacare is the worst mistake that Republicans have made since Trump took office.
Seniors are vulnerable on healthcare, and they have seen benefits from the ACA which are now being rolled back or are in jeopardy thanks to Trump and the GOP. With Republicans pushing to privatize the VA, healthcare will be an even bigger issue as voters head to the polls in November.
It isn’t going to be the Russia investigation or potential Trump impeachment that gets voters to the polls. Issues like healthcare, wages, a tax cut that isn’t helping workers and the public safety concern over gun violence are going to determine control of the House. Each of these issues is pocketbook, or matters that impact local communities.
Older voters show up on Election Day, so if seniors shift to Democrats, the blue wave will be a silver powered tsunami.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
