Could Seniors Deliver The Presidential Election To Biden? Trump Struggles With Elderly Voters Amid COVID Pandemic

The upcoming presidential election will rely heavily on voter demographics. As President Donald Trump faces criticism due to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are indicators that seniors, a crucial voting block, are flocking to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

An NBC/PBS Newshour/Marist poll released Friday shows Biden with more support among voters nationwide in the 65 and older age group. The survey shows Biden with 52% support among elderly voters, with Trump standing at 46%.

A CNN poll released in early September found Biden leading Trump by 17 points among elderly voters.

This trend is different than in 2016, when surveys conducted for The Atlantic by the Public Religion Research Institute found Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton consistently leading Trump in every age demographic except for voters aged 65 and older.

The loss of senior support could cost Trump two major swing states: Florida and Arizona.

Both states have a high number of retirees. Trump won Florida and Arizona in 2016 but Democrats made gains in both states in the 2018 election, and it's unclear if Trump can rebound from his lackluster approval ratings.

A recent poll of Florida voters conducted by AARP found Biden leading Trump in the 65 and older age group, 49%-48%.

In recent recordings released by journalist Bob Woodward, Trump admitted to downplaying the virus in the early stages of the outbreak. The recordings could hurt his support among voters aged 65 and older, as they are most at-risk from the virus. Meanwhile, Biden's campaign recently released new ads about Social Security solvency, a key issue among seniors.

Trump has tried a different strategy with seniors, touting his “law and order” message. A recent ad from the Trump campaign depicted an elderly woman unable to reach anyone at 911 during a home invasion and falsely accused Biden of supporting the defund the police movement.

Jeff Brauer, a political science professor at Keystone College in Pennsylvania, told columnist Salena Zito in July that seniors would decide the election.

"Senior citizens vote in presidential elections at the rate of 70% or more. They consistently show up to vote more than any other age group, and the current senior population is growing as baby boomers continue to enter this age group," Brauer said.