Kamala Harris Could Land Key Group of Voters, Polls Show

Voters over 65 haven’t preferred the Democrat in a presidential election since 2000, when Al Gore lost to Republican George W. Bush. However, recent polls show that the coveted voter group is firmly in play for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in her race to the White House against Republican Donald Trump.
According to the most recent New York Times/Siena Poll on August 10, Harris is polling at 55 percent compared to Trump’s 42 percent among voters age 65 and up. That advantage only slightly dips for Harris, 53-41, with third-party candidates included in the poll.
Sixty-seven percent of the 65-plus voters in the poll say they are “almost certain” to vote. In the last presidential election, roughly 52 percent of voters over 65 backed Trump.
In addition, a survey released by Emerson College this month revealed that the majority of voters over 70 are supporting Harris over Trump, 51 percent to 48 percent.
These results represent a major breakthrough for Harris, who has been able to surpass Trump’s lead with older voters. Just last month, with President Joe Biden still in the race, 50 percent of voters over 70 supported Trump, while 48 percent of the age group backed Biden.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns via email for comment.
The over-70 category includes baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, and the Silent Generation, anyone born between 1925 and 1945.
In 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 19 percentage points among the Silent Generation. Trump won the same group by 16 percentage points over Biden in 2020.
The senior voting bloc will be especially important to watch in key swing states like Pennsylvania and Arizona; 19 percent of Pennsylvania voters are 65 and up, and 18.5 percent of Arizona voters represent that crucial voting bloc.
As the campaigns shift into high gear, both battleground states have razor-thin overall polling averages.
According to 538’s polling average, the vice president is 1.2 points ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania, 46.2 percent to his 45 percent. RealClearPolitics’ polling average also puts Harris ahead, though by a margin of just 0.3 points.
In Arizona, current polling shows the two candidates separated by mere percentage points. According to 538, Harris leads 45.7 percent to 45.4 percent, while RealClearPolitics has Trump leading by 47.9 percent to 47.4.
Elderly individuals are the primary beneficiaries of well-received federal entitlements, including Social Security and Medicare, and they are usually the most conscious of possible amendments to these programs.
Social Security and Medicare immediately impact the financial circumstances of senior voters, which encourages them to vote if they anticipate that selecting one political faction over another could lead to reductions. Thus, older voters frequently view the government as a considerable influence in their lives.
Trump has recently proposed a tax cut to end all taxes on Social Security retirement income.
“SENIORS SHOULD NOT PAY TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY!” Trump wrote on July 31 on Truth Social, appealing to the tens of millions receiving monthly Social Security benefits ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Some 40 percent of benefit recipients currently pay federal income taxes on retirement, spousal and disability benefits—not including Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Under current Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules, individuals who have an income between $25,000 and $34,000 per year are subject to taxes on up to 50 percent of their Social Security income. If you earn more than this, as much as 85 percent of benefits provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA) could be taxed.
However, experts have criticized Trump’s plans, both from a cost and political perspective, warning that they could further imperil the SSA’s imminent funding crisis and increase the national deficit.
During her interview on CNN last week, Harris was asked whether she believes “Bideneconomics” is a success, a reference to how the Biden administration has tackled a number of issues ranging from inflation to health care.
Harris said that she is “very proud” of the Biden administration’s work “to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors,” adding, “Donald Trump said he was going to do a number of things, including allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Never happened. We did it.”
“I maintain that when we do the work of bringing down prescription medication for the American people, including capping the cost of the annual cost of prescription medication for seniors at $2,000…I’ll say that that’s good work,” Harris added.