Election 2016 News: Dems Under 30 Back Hillary; GOP Counterparts Undecided
Democrats younger than 30 are backing Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical primary while their Republican counterparts have yet to settle on a favorite among the GOP's various contenders, CBS News reported based on a new Harvard Institute of Politics poll.
If she were to face a primary challenge from other top Democrats rumored to harbor White House ambitions, the former Secretary of State could count on the support of 47 percent of her party's voters aged 18 to 29.
Vice President Joe Biden, who has not ruled out a run, is backed by 8 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, meanwhile, scores 3 percent; former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb 2 percent; and Vermont's independent Sen. Bernie Sanders 1 percent, the network noted.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has repeatedly said she would not seek the White House in 2016, nevertheless is the favorite among 11 percent of the young Democratic electorate.
John Della Volpe, the Harvard institute's polling director, told Bloomberg that Clinton -- likely to be among the oldest candidates in the race from either party -- is in a different position from when she first ran for the presidency in 2008.
"She seems to have coalesced a broad range of support among young Democratic primary and caucus voters, which stands in marked contrast to the position she was in eight years ago at this time, when she was trailing Barack Obama by double digits on college campuses," Della Volpe explained.
Among young Republicans, meanwhile, 36 percent of those surveyed said they had no clear favorite at this point, CBS News noted.
The leader among the announced candidates is Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who is supported by 8 percent of potential voters; Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee both scored 7 percent support, while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz all came in at 5 percent.
Della Volpe said he had expected Paul to have a larger advantage in the poll because the son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul has spent much time on college campuses and discussed privacy issues that are of particular concern to young Americans, according to Bloomberg.
But "that is certainly not the case at this point in the campaign," he admitted.
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