The Surprising Thing About Older Voters: They're Moving More to the Left

Older adults have long been a valuable bloc of the electorate, and recent trends suggest they may be moving to the left of the political spectrum, Vox reports. In the 2016 presidential election, 53 percent of adults at least 65 years old voted for President Trump, but subsequent attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and a proposed cut to Social Security funding may have alienated some seniors ahead of the 2018 midterms. In those midterms, among voters who reported that they cared about issues traditionally prioritized by older adults, 52 percent voted for Democratic candidates. Also in 2018, a Public Policy Polling survey found that 72 percent of voters aged at least 65 said they were more likely to support a political candidate who would expand Social Security, while 68 percent said the same thing about Medicare. The Democrats vying for the 2020 party nomination for the presidency have prioritized outreach to older Americans, developing plans on everything from drug pricing to affordable housing