Are Millennials Actually More Conservative Than We Think?
*By Christian Smith*
Republicans may stand to lose more than just the House if the party doesn't address millennial needs, said GOP strategist Evan Siegfried.
"The party needs to adapt or die," Siegfried said Monday in an interview on Cheddar. "The Democratic punch is coming."
The punch is a result of changing demographics within the American electorate. In each election, the American voting population becomes less white and better educated, a shift that Siegfried said will pose a major threat to Republicans if they don't prioritize issues like student debt which are important to the country's largest voting bloc.
Siegfried cited Democratic Socialist and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as an exemplar of successful outreach to the millennial base. Though he may disagree with the Senator's viewpoints, Siegfried said Republicans would do well to imitate Sanders's methods.
"Millennials are the most fiscally conservative generation since the Great Depression, and the Republican Party's fiscal, conservative message actually reaches out and would be perfect for them, but we haven't been able to do so," Siegfried said.
"We have been viewed and portrayed as the stereotype of an anti-woman, anti-minority party. Unfortunately with Donald Trump's rise, he has helped to cement the stereotype as reality."
But there is an opportunity for the GOP ー while millennial voters are the least likely demographic to identify as Republican according to a [poll](http://www.people-press.org/2018/03/01/1-generations-party-identification-midterm-voting-preferences-views-of-trump/) from the Pew Research Center, an [April poll](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-millennials/exclusive-democrats-lose-ground-with-millennials-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKBN1I10YH) by Reuters found that enthusiasm for the Democratic Party among the group is slipping, and young voters increasingly consider the Republican Party a better steward for the economy.
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/one-republican-strategists-plan-to-help-the-gop-win-over-millennial-voters).
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All month long Cheddar News is celebrating Black History Month.
In our nation’s capital, Black history is being made right now.
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