Clinton’s Millennial Problem

Lilly Thompson, Staff Writer

As the 2016 election comes to a close, Hillary Clinton is having trouble exciting millennials, a group that has proven they aren’t willing to accept just anyone to be their president.

Although the final stages of the election have arrived, the race to the democratic nomination is where many millennial voters found their views echoed by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders is an unlikely spokesman for millennials, a seventy-five year old white man from Brooklyn, New York, yet the fact that Sanders seemed to genuinely feel passionate about issues about tuition and campaign reform resonated with young voters who shared the same concerns.

Despite efforts from Hillary’s campaign to connect with the younger generation- including social media like Snapchat and Instagram- her popularity pales in comparison to both Sanders and Obama, who had the largest young voter turnout in recent elections, and whose message of change and hope ignited their hearts.

Voters 18- 35 aren’t a demographic to be ignored; Clinton’s campaign has recently estimated that they could account for 25% of the vote in November. In order to woo 70 million millennials (of whom only 50% or less will vote) Hillary Clinton must show them her authenticity and passion. Thus far in the 2016 election, Clinton has taken a pragmatic stance, often perceived by voters as the candidate closer to the establishment.

Among millennials, many concerns about her connection to Wall Street and private email server have them reluctant to fully support the Democratic candidate. However, Clinton has one thing working in her favor: she shares a common enemy in Donald Trump. Widely detested by young voters across most states for his offensive comments and hypocrisy, Trump is an unthinkable option for most voters 18-35 to turn to.

So, whether they choose to show up to vote and choose Clinton as the next president, or choose to not show up at all, millennials will have left their mark on the future direction of the country and have sent a message to future politicians looking to garner support from young voters: authenticity, diversity and passion are what they look for in a candidate.