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).
Kerryanne Burke, a former NYS Assembly Attorney & Government Policy Attorney joins Cheddar News to discuss recent protests by municipal city workers who oppose the city's vaccine mandate.
Dr. Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist of the Climate and Energy Program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, joined Cheddar News to discuss the COP26 summit.
A Freitag pod with Carlo and Baker, talking about the upcoming federal vax-or-test deadline, the most shocking upset of this week's elections, an incredible story of selflessness and Love, Hate, Ate.
Clarence Cox III, a former police chief from Georgia, joined Cheddar to discuss Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's plans to greatly increase the city's police budget. "I think his investments, as I read and understand, are in the right areas," Cox said. "Body-worn cameras are something that I'm a very big proponent of, and I think the mayor's going in the right direction with some of the initiatives."
Alysa McCall, director of conservation outreach and staff scientist at Polar Bears International, joined Cheddar to discuss the ongoing fight to protect polar bears from extinction while world leaders gathered to discuss the climate crisis. McCall explained her organization's mission "to ensure the long term survival of polar bears by helping ensure their arctic sea ice habitat remains intact." McCall said she hopes actionable steps are taken after the UN climate summit to mitigate the crisis and not just more promises.
Carlo and Baker discuss the fallout from Tuesday's election and the flashing warning sign for Dems ahead of the midterms. Also, a big 2A case at the Supreme Court, Aaron Rodgers has Covid and is in big trouble, and a first for the MCU.
Milton Ezrati, Chief Economist at Vested, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision and discusses what he will be listening for most closely when Fed Chair Jerome Powell takes the podium.