In the words of our president, “a big, beautiful poll” is out, and it appears the future does not look all too promising for the Democrats. The survey reveals that blue wave of millennials on which Democrats have been banking seems to be rapidly drying up. This hefty sample of voters, which was conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, will undoubtedly cause another surf to rise – that of panic among Democratic strategists. Democrats in chaos? Well, that’s not exactly a new development now, is it?
The online poll of more than 16,000 registered voters between the ages of 18 and 34 shows support for the Dems has dropped 9% over the past two years. But that’s not all; those polled are increasingly saying that the best party to shepherd the economy is the GOP. Even though the assessment reveals a relatively even split between which party would do the best job with the economy, it is a far cry from the 12-point lead the Democrats held two years ago.
Democrats have long counted on millennials as a crucial pillar of their party. As they watch this demographic evaporate, they could easily find themselves in a heap of trouble in the upcoming midterm Congressional elections. Of course, the Dems still hold a 46% – 28% margin of young people over the Republicans, but it seems there is an ever-growing category of “I don’t know” circling the wagons.
Digging deeper into the survey, it appears the movement away from the Democratic Party occurred in higher numbers with white millennials:
“Two years ago, young white people favored Democrats over Republicans for Congress by a margin of 47 to 33 percent; that gap vanished by this year, with 39 percent supporting each party.”
This trend was even more striking in the young white male category. This group now polls at 46% in favor of the GOP and 37% for the Democrats.
Uh, oh!
Both parties will employ various methods to woo young people over to their side. A “get out the vote” program is being floated as a trial balloon at six college campuses by the Republicans. The Democrats, meanwhile, plan to launch an “IWillVote” campaign to register more millennials. But the Dems are playing catch up and will need a sizeable rally to capture 23 seats to control the U.S. House of Representatives. If this poll is any indication — that is looking increasingly less likely.
Uh-oh, Nancy!
Young people are more likely to switch party allegiance than older voters. And that youthful whimsy just could bite the Democrats in the you-know-where. These shifting political winds could also be the result of watching what the Republicans have done in their legislative and executive positions of power. One case in point, according to Reuters, is 34-year-old Terry Hood, a black Dollar General employee who said:
“It sounds strange to me to say this about the Republicans, but they’re helping with even the small things,” Hood said in a phone interview. “They’re taking less taxes out of my paycheck. I notice that.”
Thus, it just might be that Nancy Pelosi’s “crumbs” begin to gather into a huge pile and soak up all the moisture in that so-called blue wave. And that just might leave the Democrats high and dry in the upcoming election cycle. And as anyone who has captained even the smallest sailboat knows, you don’t get too far trying to set sail on dry land.
