It's no secret that Bernie Sanders has received an enormous amount of support from young voters, a group that Hillary Clinton hoped to attract. In tonight's Democratic debate, Clinton was asked to address the discrepancy in the two candidates' support from the millennial generation.
YouTube star Connor Franta asked the candidates how they planned to appeal to millennial voters. "What I want to know is how are all of you planning on engaging [the millennial generation] further in this election?" he asked.
The question was addressed to all the candidates, but it was Hillary Clinton who struggled with it the most. She started by complimenting Franta on his social media success.
“Congratulations on 5 million viewers on YouTube," she said. "That’s quite an accomplishment.” (Franta has 5 million subscribers, not viewers.)
"This election is mostly about the future, and therefore, it is of the greatest urgency for young people,” Clinton said. She addressed several issues that young voters have worried over, such as student debt and the affordability of higher education.
She also brought up social issues, like voting rights, LGBT equality, and women's rights. “I know how much young people value their independence and autonomy and their rights,” she said. “This is an election where we have to pull young people and older people together.”
But moderator Lester Holt made Clinton confront the support that’s been going to her rival. “Why is Senator Sanders beating you two to one among younger voters?”
“I have the greatest respect for Senator Sanders and for his supporters; and I’m going to keep working as hard as I can to reach as many people of all ages about what I will do, about the experience and ideas that I have that I will bring to the White House, and I hope to have their support when I’m the Democratic nominee.”
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT