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The Generational Donut Hole
I know last night taught us (for the 12,348th time) not to trust exit polls. But there's a curious anomaly in last night's exit poll results that deserves a look. Here's how many New Hampshire voters of different ages said they supported Clinton and Obama:
18-24—Clinton: 22 %, Obama: 60 %
25-29—Clinton: 37 %, Obama: 35 %
30-39—Clinton: 36 %, Obama: 43 %
40-49—Clinton: 44 %, Obama: 33 %
50-64—Clinton: 39 %, Obama: 30 %
65 and up—Clinton: 48 %, Obama: 32 %
Obama carries the youngest demographic easily, given his emphasis on getting out the youth vote and his message of change and generational turnover. He performs well in the relatively young 30-39 bracket, as well. It's the 25-29 group that's so bizarre. What swung them toward Clinton, the "safe" candidate? Quarter-life crises? Newborn children? Identifying with Chelsea, who is 27?
It's like a mini-generation of realistic, pragmatic-minded youth in between two swaths of idealists. That or, more likely, exit polls aren't worth jack.
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