Harris campaign woos seniors with Jefferson Starship, swing dancing
WASHINGTON — From swing dancing to ice cream socials, Kamala Harris’ campaign will mark the 89th anniversary of Social Security this week with events aimed at older Americans who generally back Republicans.
Events are planned in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and other key states, as well as a virtual celebration with performances by several artists including Cathy Richardson, lead singer for the band Jefferson Starship; Jay Siegel of The Tokens, known for the hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight;” and Peggy March, famous for “I Will Follow Him.”
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Voters aged 65 and older vote at higher levels than any other group and account for nearly 10 million voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, and nearly 17% of the overall U.S. population.
Overall, senior voters backed Republican Donald Trump by 7 percentage points in 2016, and by 5 points in 2020.
Harris, who last week became the Democratic Party’s official candidate, is leading Trump by 4 percentage points each in opinion polls of voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan by the New York Times and Siena College.
The same polls showed Harris leading Trump in a head-to-head matchup by 55% to 42% among voters aged 65 and older in those states.
After Biden, 81, stepped aside over concerns about his age, the Harris campaign suggested Trump’s age could be an issue, too.
“Trump is now the old guy in the race, 78 years old, and he’s got a few cognitive problems himself, so the shoe is completely flipped upside down here,” former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean said in a quote distributed by the campaign last month. Harris is 59.
Trump last week called for scrapping taxes on Social Security benefits for seniors, a position that could boost his support among that demographic, but experts say doing so could hasten the risk of insolvency for the old-age benefit plan.
The Trump campaign had no immediate response to Dean’s comment or concerns raised about the impact of Trump’s tax proposal on Social Security.
