Much has been written about Hillary’s struggles with millennials. Recently, Raphael Williams shared his insight with CBS News’ Albany affiliate when it comes to “Hillary Clinton’s Millennial Challenge.”
Williams reminds readers how familiar this election is to 2008, when Hillary seemed all but certain to win, but who was ultimately beaten by Obama — most notably in the Iowa Caucus when he led with youth voters 5-to-1.
It would seem that Hillary learned her lesson. She hired Obama’s former youth coordinator, Rachel Schneider, who was even hired on by Ready for Hillary before an official declaration to run. And, Hillary herself also embarked on college campus speeches during that time. She’s also turned to hiring her social media director from BuzzFeed, a site Obama certainly made use of during the 2008 and 2012 elections.
And yet her efforts have not paid off with millennials, especially with young millennials and with women.
In all fairness, Williams points out that “it is not just Clinton who is having difficulties with young voters; all of the 2016 candidates are facing challenges with millennials, the majority of whom don’t see the current field as fully in tune with their issues.”
Williams then notes the efforts of Trump to woo millennials, and makes a noteworthy comparison between the two front-runners. “Like Trump, Mrs. Clinton has been trying to woo millennials, unlike Trump her results are paltry at best,” he writes.
When it comes to the youth candidate, especially among more liberal millennials, Bernie Sanders has gone from underdog to a favorite among a sizable demographic. There may still be an issue to his campaign, however.
As Williams notes, and recent millennial polls back up, the demographic is not one to be politically engaged or to get out and vote. And, while she may be losing to this age group, it doesn’t mean she’ll lose the nomination, especially if millennials continue to just stay home.
For the millennials who think that “there are better ways to make a difference than voting,” as they shared with USA Today/Rock the Vote, they need to think deeply and get over whatever is keeping them from voting and get to the polls. Otherwise they may very well see a Hillary Clinton presidency whether they like it or not, in which case they’ll have no one to blame but themselves, and will have no right to complain.