AARP Nevada Poll: Voters 50+ are extremely motivated to vote this November

Today, AARP Nevada released a 2024 statewide election survey that shows candidates for President, U.S. Senate, and state races should pay close attention to Nevadans ages 50 and older, and the issues they care about.

The 50+ voting bloc holds an outsized importance to this year’s election – 85% of Nevadans 50+ are “extremely motivated” to cast a vote in November, significantly higher than the 60% of voters 18-49. With the races being so close this year, appealing to high-turnout voters should be a major campaign priority.

In the presidential race, former President Donald Trump (R) leads President Joe Biden (D) by 7 percentage points among all voters – 44% to 37%, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr getting 10%. Trump’s lead is greater among voters ages 50 and older, at 50% to 38%. President Biden leads among 50+ Hispanic and Latino voters in Nevada, 47% to 38%, with Kennedy getting 10%. However, among voters overall, in a head-to-head between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the race is considerably closer: Trump leads Biden 48% to 45%. Ballot access for Kennedy looms large in the race.

In the Senate race, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D) leads challenger Sam Brown (R) by 5 percentage points, 47% to 42%. Brown leads Rosen among the important 50+ demographic in AARP’s new poll, 49% to 44%, but in the 50+ demographic of Hispanic and Latino voters, Rosen holds a sizeable 55% - 36% lead.

Fifty+ swing voters, who make up 23% of the 50+ electorate, are especially likely to be concerned about personal pocketbook issues, with inflation, Social Security, taxes, and jobs and the economy to be four of their top five most important issues heading into November. Swing voters 50+ are also highly concerned about immigration, with that being their second-most-important issue.

More than a quarter of voters 50+ are family caregivers, with caregivers 50+ accounting for 14% of Nevada voters overall. Hispanic voters 50+ are especially likely to identify as a family caregiver. Caregivers in the 50+ group lean Republican, but are also highly motivated by their important issues, with 80% saying that they’d be inclined to vote for candidates that support tax credits for caregivers, and 71% saying they’d be inclined to vote for candidates that support paid leave for caregivers.

“November’s election in Nevada will come down to the crucial group of voters over age 50,” said Maria Moore, AARP’s Nevada State Director. “To win in Nevada, candidates need to offer real solutions on the issues that matter to older voters, from protecting Social Security to controlling costs of everything from prescription drugs, to housing and groceries.”