After Bernie Sanders’ Democratic National Convention speech in which he implored his supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton this November, will his millennial backers listen to him and vote for Clinton?
“We feel a little bit betrayed,” 25-year-old Sanders delegate Zachary Reinhardt told MarketWatch. Reinhardt was referring to what has been a divisive primary season, which was only made worse after leaked DNC emails showed a deliberate attempt to undermine the Vermont senator’s campaign.
A recent Morning Consult poll shows that many other young voters share his hesitancy. Only 36 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds view Clinton favorably. The poll gives her a similar unfavorable rating to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who gained a favorability rating of just 31 percent among the same age group.
While Clinton still leads Trump among millennials in a Harvard Institute of Politics survey released July 14, her lead has dropped 10 points from the Institute’s April poll. The Clinton camp now has the opportunity to capitalize on the comparable dislike of her opponent, and to get her lead back up by focusing on issues that appeal to younger voters, such as college affordability, raising the minimum wage, and combating climate change.
“I think that will bring a lot of excited and engaged young people into voting for the Democratic candidates this fall,” Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, said at an event hosted by the Atlantic in downtown Philadelphia.
Younger Democrats, however, say they are still struggling to get on board with Clinton. They are dissatisfied with her close ties to Wall Street, and unenthusiastic about her vice presidential pick Virginia Senator Time Kaine, whom many find to be too moderate, preferring a more progressive pick, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren.
“I’m still skeptical of her,” Reinhardt said, after expressing appreciation of Clinton’s plan to offer free college to qualifying students. He then said that he is undecided on who he will vote for in the general election.
On the other hand, 28-year-old Michelle Fevola of Washington DC, shared that given the choice between Trump and Clinton, she’ll most likely vote for Clinton, despite her disappointment in the Democratic primary results.
After attempting to appeal to millennials via convention speeches given by celebrities such as Lena Dunham and America Ferrara, Clinton is set to accept her nomination in a speech that is sure to pander to young voters tomorrow night.
