Young women not drawn to Clinton

Former secretary Hillary Clinton campaigning in New Hampshire. Photo by Anna Sortino

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hillary Clinton is failing to attract young female voters, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, and the effect is being felt across the country. It seems that the novelty of a female presidential candidate is not resonating with the new generation of female voters.

MY VIEW FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE

Contrary to original projections, young female Democrats have rallied behind Bernie Sanders in this primary season. Some political experts theorize that young voters who grew up with female political heavyweights like Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Bachman might not see the disproportionate ratio of female politicians who would more likely motivate them to support a female presidential candidate. These young female voters have been conditioned to believe that they will see a female president in their lifetime and therefore do not see electing one now as a priority. The seasoned female voters, on the other hand, have been waiting decades for the opportunity to elect a representative of their own gender and refuse to lose this opportunity, leading them to rally behind Clinton.

Clinton’s political allies are aware of the divide and have begun trying to push the tide the other way. Gloria Steinem, a veteran of the feminist movement, told talk show host, Bill Maher, “When you’re young, you’re thinking, where are the boys?” Her answer? “The boys are with Bernie.” Other advocates of the campaign took a much more direct approach.

Madeline Albright, the first female Secretary of State, told a crowd in New Hampshire, “We can tell our story of how we climbed the ladder and a lot of you younger women think it’s done. It’s not done. There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other!”

One young voter, Mikayla St. Pierre of Milford, New Hampshire, was dining at the Puritan restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire, where Ohio Gov. John Kasich was visiting with voters.  Mikayla said she was looking for “the opposite of what it has been” when choosing a candidate. She said that she thinks a Republican is much better equipped at making the changes she sees as necessary in the country.

Though young women like Mikayla are looking for something different, the real effect of this generational shift may not be felt until after the election when party leadership on both sides begins to construct new policy agendas. If the leadership sees that the young female base is beginning to splinter into different directions, the heads of each party may take that as a cue that they can soften their own stances on gender issues because the young female vote is not consolidated enough to be pandered to.

These young female voters may be displaying a more pragmatic approach to candidate selection by considering multiple issue stances, but the cost may be the bartering power they had as a unified political minority.