Harris campaign woos seniors with Jefferson Starship, swing dancing
By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) -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 in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and other key states will include performances by Cathy Richardson, lead singer for the band Jefferson Starship and artists known for "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Da Doo Ron Ron."
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.
About 40% of Americans who receive Social Security benefits pay federal income tax, according to the Social Security Administration.
Repealing the tax could increase the budget deficit by $1.6 trillion to $1.8 trillion through 2035, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The Harris campaign had no immediate comment on Trump’s call to stop taxing Social Security for seniors. It noted that Trump had in the past called for cutting Social Security and Medicare.
Margaret Washa, 76, a retired physical therapist from Middleton, Wisconsin, who donates regularly to Democratic candidates, said she felt momentum building for Democrats after Biden stepped aside.
"I would happily donate to a PAC called 'Boomers for Kamala & Walz'," she said.
Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Jonathan Oatis
Últimas noticias
Descargo de responsabilidades: Cada una de las entidades de XM Group proporciona un servicio de solo ejecución y acceso a nuestra plataforma de trading online, permitiendo a una persona ver o usar el contenido disponible en o a través del sitio web, sin intención de cambiarlo ni ampliarlo. Dicho acceso y uso están sujetos en todo momento a: (i) Términos y Condiciones; (ii) Advertencias de riesgo; y (iii) Descargo completo de responsabilidades. Por lo tanto, dicho contenido se proporciona exclusivamente como información general. En particular, por favor tenga en cuenta que, los contenidos de nuestra plataforma de trading online no son ni solicitud ni una oferta para entrar a realizar transacciones en los mercados financieros. Operar en cualquier mercado financiero implica un nivel de riesgo significativo para su capital.
Todo el material publicado en nuestra plataforma de trading online tiene únicamente fines educativos/informativos y no contiene –y no debe considerarse que contenga– asesoramiento ni recomendaciones financieras, tributarias o de inversión, ni un registro de nuestros precios de trading, ni una oferta ni solicitud de transacción con instrumentos financieros ni promociones financieras no solicitadas.
Cualquier contenido de terceros, así como el contenido preparado por XM, como por ejemplo opiniones, noticias, investigaciones, análisis, precios, otras informaciones o enlaces a sitios de terceros que figuran en este sitio web se proporcionan “tal cual”, como comentarios generales del mercado y no constituyen un asesoramiento en materia de inversión. En la medida en que cualquier contenido se interprete como investigación de inversión, usted debe tener en cuenta y aceptar que dicho contenido no fue concebido ni elaborado de acuerdo con los requisitos legales diseñados para promover la independencia en materia de investigación de inversiones y, por tanto, se considera como una comunicación comercial en virtud de las leyes y regulaciones pertinentes. Por favor, asegúrese de haber leído y comprendido nuestro Aviso sobre investigación de inversión no independiente y advertencia de riesgo en relación con la información anterior, al que se puede acceder aquí.
