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By Katherine Fung
Senior Writer
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Former President Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, could hurt Republicans among baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964.
A new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released Tuesday found that 25 percent of boomers living in swing states were "much less likely" or "somewhat less likely" to vote for Trump because of his decision to tap Vance as his VP.
Comparably, 19 percent of swing state boomers said they would be more likely to vote for the former president. More than half, 56 percent, said Vance does not impact their vote.
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Trump announced earlier this month at the Republican National Convention that he had chosen the 39-year-old senator from Ohio to be his running mate. In the weeks following the announcement, Vance has faced bipartisan criticisms over resurfaced comments he made that cast Vice President Kamala Harris, and other Democrats, as "childless cat ladies"—a remark that even Republicans have admitted will not bode well with female voters.
Vance appeared to divide boomers, who would be between 60 and 78 years old at the time of November's election. The poll found that while 41 percent of swing state boomers had a "very" or "somewhat" favorable impression of Vance, 46 percent had a "very" or "somewhat" unfavorable impression. Trump is slightly more favorable than Vance, with 45 percent of boomers describing the former president in a positive light and 55 percent describing him in a negative light.
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Those results echoed a national poll released earlier this week by Florida Atlantic University's Public Opinion Research Lab, which found Vance even more unpopular among older voters. Half of those aged 50 and above reported that they had an unfavorable view of the Ohio Republican, while 37 percent had favorable views of Vance and 11 percent said they "don't know."
Vance was slightly more popular among younger voters, with 43 percent of those between 18 and 49 describing him as favorable and 34 percent saying unfavorable.
"Generally, the VP pick is used to shore up a geographic area or part of the party base. Sometimes, the VP is used to appeal to a competitive demographic. It's usually helpful when the VP can appeal to voters that are not otherwise being reached effectively by the top of the ticket," Wagner, the co-director of Florida Atlantic University's Public Opinion Research Lab, previously told Newsweek.
Trump's decision to pick Vance, who turns 40 on Friday, was seen as a move to help attract more young voters to a Republican ticket that features a 78-year-old presidential candidate. But Trump seems to be even more popular among younger voters than his VP.
The FAU survey found that nearly 57 percent of those under 50 had a favorable view of Trump, compared to the 40 percent who had an unfavorable opinion.
In a head-to-head matchup, the Bloomberg poll found Trump leading Harris by 4 points among boomers in swing states, with 50 percent to Harris' 46 percent. Trump had a 6-point lead among swing state GenXers, those born between 1965 and 1980, but Harris had a four-point advantage and 21-point lead over Millennials and GenZers, with 49 percent to Trump's 44 percent and 58 percent to Trump's 37 percent, respectively.
More than half, 52 percent, of boomers said Trump was "too old," compared to only 3 percent who said the same of Harris. Boomers were also more likely to describe Harris as "mentally fit" and "in good health" than they were to say the same about Trump. However, 51 percent said they associated Trump more with the term "a strong leader," compared to only 38 percent who said the same of Harris.
Boomers said they trusted Trump more when it comes to the economy, crime, immigration, guns and foreign policy matters like China, Russia and Israel. They trusted Harris more on housing, climate change, education, abortion and healthcare.
The poll was conducted between July 24 and 28 among 4,973 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It has a margin of error of +/-1 percentage point.
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