America’s youngest voters prefer the oldest 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls over those closer to them in age, and millennial women are showing little problem with former Vice President Joe Biden’s personally touchy style that has drawn the scorn of some #MeToo champions, according to a new survey.
The Harvard Youth Poll found that Sen. Bernie Sanders, 77, and Biden, 76, top the choices of voters aged 18-29.
Sanders leads Biden 31 percent to 20 percent, said the survey from the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy’s School.
Notably, one of the youngest Democratic candidates, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, registered just 10 percent. But that makes him the third top choice of the younger voters.
What’s more, despite a focus on Biden’s handsy style, the lead of Sanders tightens to just five points, 29 percent for Sanders to Biden’s 24 percent.
“Proving that young voters see more than age, it’s notable that the candidates with the most experience in government service are leading a diverse field at this early stage in the process,” said John Della Volpe, director of polling for the Institute of Politics.
He added, “Compared to this point in the last presidential cycle, young Democratic voters are more engaged and likely to have an even greater impact in choosing their party’s nominee.”
The IOP 2020 youth preference so far:
- Sanders 31 percent.
- Biden 20 percent.
- O’Rourke 10 percent.
- Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., 5 percent.
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., 4 percent.
- Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., 3 percent.
- Andrew Yang 2 percent.
- South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg 1 percent.
- Julian Castro 1 percent.
- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, 1 percent.
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., 1 percent.
- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee 1 percent.
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., 1 percent.
The survey results were part of a broader youth poll he plans to release next month.
