Based on a bipartisan poll from AARP conducted this month, voters 50 and older are focused on cost of living for the upcoming midterms. While that’s a concern for many, Michael Olender, the state director of AARP North Carolina, says it’s especially important for those living on fixed incomes.
"You have rising costs, including things like gas and groceries, which have seen just a tremendous amount of inflation in recent months," Olender says. "Things get very, very tight, and so protecting programs like Social Security and Medicare is all the more important to them.”
93% of respondents said they’re more likely to support a candidate who will make sure workers receive their Social Security benefits. 84% would support one who would expand Medicare's ability to negotiate prescription drug prices.
On a more local level, many also want to see creative solutions to affordable housing shortages, and reassurance that data centers won’t raise their utility bills.
Olender says candidates should pay attention to older voters who have consistently had the highest voter turnout.
For the primaries earlier this year, 35% of those 66 and older went to the polls compared to about 7% of 18-25-year-olds