Forget Students and the Youth Vote: AARP Went Big For Obama
All the post-election talk about how students and younger voters went for President-elect Barack Obama can't hide this fact from their elders: The AARP vote was Obama's biggest. "Contrary to what many may believe, an analysis of exit polling shows that 50+ voters were the core of Obama's winning coalition, delivering more votes for the president-elect than any other age demographic," AARP told us this morning. Below is their memo on the exit polling, but here are some highlights:
- Voters ages 50+ contributed to Obama's victory in the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
- In Colorado, 50+ voters preferred Obama by 18 percentage points, providing Obama's entire 7 point margin of victory.
- 50+ voters comprised 40 percent (25 million) of votes cast for Obama compared with 23 percent (less than 14.5 million) from 18 to 29 year olds, 19 percent (12 million) from 30 to 39 year olds, and 20 percent (13 million) from 40 to 49 year olds.
- Over 51 million voters 50+ participated in the presidential election; 43 percent of the total electorate.
Here's the full memo:
Analysis of 2008 Presidential Election and 50+ Voters
Quick reviews of the exit polls can be misleading and disconnected from the political reality of how Barack Obama assembled a sweeping Electoral College victory. For example, a simplistic reading of the national exit polls may lead some to infer that 50+ voters were not critical to Obama's win. In fact, 50+ voters were the core of the Obama coalition, delivering more votes than any other age demographic. The importance of 50+ voters to Obama's win is especially pronounced in the battleground states.
50+ Voters Form the Bulk of Obama's Winning Coalition
- Over 25 million 50+ Americans voted for Obama compared to fewer than 14.5 million 18-29 year olds, 12 million 30-39 year olds, and 13 million 40-49 year olds.
- 40 percent of votes cast for Obama were from voters 50+ compared to 23 percent from 18-29 year olds, 19 percent from 30-39 year olds, and 20 percent from 40-49 year olds.
- 48 percent of Obama voters in Florida were 50+, 45 percent in Colorado and New Hampshire, and 44 percent in Iowa.
50+ Voters Key to Obama's Battleground State Wins
- Voters aged 50+ contributed to Obama's victory in the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
- In Colorado, 50+ voters preferred Obama by 18 percentage points, providing Obama's entire 7 point margin of victory.
- In the battleground states (CO, FL, IN, IA, MI, MO, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, PA, VA, WI), the age group least favorable to Obama was 40-49 year olds. Obama carried that age group in only Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
- Older voters provided 25 percent or more of Obama's margin of victory in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Size of 50+ Electorate
- Over 51 million 50+ Americans participated in the Presidential election. 50+ voters have the highest turnout rate of any age group. 50+voters made up 43 percent of the total electorate.
- 50+ voters exceeded the total number of voters under 40 by over 8 million. As a bloc, 50+ voters were nearly 2.4 times larger than the number of voters ages 18-29.
- In the battleground states, 50+ voters exceeded 40 percent of the total electorate in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Tags: AARP | presidential election 2008 | Barack Obama
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Reader Comments
AARP
I quit the AARP years ago when they campaigned vigorously to stop Bush's plan for Social Security.
It was a good plan, much better than what it is now.
Most of the folks running AARP are liberal-left.
AARP Voters for Hussein Obama
I’m 73 and have avoided membership in AARP because I feel they support the Democratic Party. Now I see that AARP members went big for Obama which means one thing to me. AARP members are a more senile bunch than I thought they were.
I had hoped that those of us born before or during the depression of the 1930’s would have a better understanding of our great country’s founding and appreciate the Constitution of the United States. This is the greatest country in the history of the world and I believe that the leftist leanings of Obama and the Dumbocrat party and the legislation they will pass are the beginning of the end.
If the leftists want to live in a socialistic society, why don’t they just move to some European country and quit trying to ruin this great country of ours.
Strong AARP Bias Against McCain/Palin
I was shocked at the strong bias against McCain/Palin in the "interviews." Their was no attempt at fairness or balance. Were the interviewers pro-Obama young people? The ethics of jounalism died in 2008. I take exception with the comment "the candidates were all given the same chance to respond to the questions and they were not edited." How in the world could someone say that? The editing is apparent in the answers. To be fair, each candidate should have been interviewed either orally or by written question, and the answer limited to one paragraph.
I have a question. If you really wanted to know where the two candidates stood on the issues, all you had to do was go to their web site and read, think, analyze, and look up their record to evaluate whether they were telling the truth. John McCain always said to research his record, who he fought for what legislation he voted for and against. What was the point of the AARP biased interviews except to fool a lot of seniors into voting for a candidate who is not on their side and too inexperienced to fix anything. After two years of saying he had a wonderful economic plan, and 95% or the people would be taxed at a lower rate, and things would just be so much better with his PLAN, he just announced he has has a committee working on a FINANCIAL PLAN he can present to the American people. What he said to get elected has been thrown overboard. He had NO REAL PLAN. It was just B.S. for the gullible. Talk about buyer's remorse! McCain and Palin could be trusted and taken at their word to fight for everyone, including seniors. They had a workable plan that they would see got implemented.
I keep wondering what the results would have been if there was no bias in the media, and no voter fraud had taken place. ACORN played a role, and so did illegal aliens voting once they were illegally registered. Next time, why not have everyone show their notarized birth certificate or proof of citizenship?
The lastest I hear is that Obama is going to use executive privilege and ignore Congress to eliminate legislation that was voted on and became law. He is acting more like someone who is crowning himself a king instead of a president of a democracy.
Some one here said, "The next four years should never be forgotten by no-one of african american descent." I agree! The next four years, and eight years if Obama has his way, should never be forgotten by all races, and anyone who believes in democracy and the Constitution this nation was founded on. If this nation survives, it will be a painful lesson that must never be repeated to elect a manipulation, deceitful, inexperienced socialist/communist no matter how entertaining an orator he is.
Finally, I must say that there are two requirements to run for president. One is to be 35 years of age. The other is to be born in America. Obama refuses to admit he was born in Kenya, even though his own grandmother was there in the delivery room.
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