Bernie or Bust Pulls at Clinton’s Numbers

By Caroline King 10/3/16 

The Clinton campaign has a big problem. Millennial voters in favor of Senator Bernie Sanders during the primaries are not shifting their support to Hillary Clinton as quickly as she needs them to. Despite Senator Sanders’ endorsement of Clinton for president this past July, the Bernie or Bust movement is still going strong. Many of his supporters are choosing to give their votes to third party candidates, an act that could cost Clinton the White House. In comparison to President Obama, who led the youth vote by 29 points according to CNN exit polls, Clinton’s ratings are dropping.

This week’s Quinnipiac poll found that when candidates Jill Stein and Gary Johnson were included in the polling, her numbers of young votes decrease significantly. Bernie or Bust supporters claim to hold off support for Clinton due to issues including mistrust. Senator Sanders has urged his supporters to vote for Clinton, pushing that a vote for a third party is one vote closer to Donald Trump as President. Clinton herself has gone as far as hiring Sander’s former student organizer Kunoor Ojha to head her campus outreach.

The Clinton Campaign will be using Sanders at rallies in the coming weeks and will continue to rely on the fear of a Trump victory influencing young voters. There is work to be done and the Clinton Campaign is ready.