New AARP Poll of Voters 50 & Over in NY’s Redrawn 3rd Congressional District Shows Tight Race

By AARP NY | July 29, 2022

Voters Focused on Pocketbook Issues

HEMPSTEAD, NY — Likely voters age 50 and over in New York’s newly redrawn 3^rd congressional district centered in Long Island’s Nassau County narrowly favor a generic Republican House candidate by 46% to 42% over a generic Democratic candidate – while around 90% said they’d be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports protecting Social Security and Medicare from cuts, letting Medicare negotiate lower prescription drug prices, and allowing older Americans to use Medicaid for home care services to avoid nursing homes.

That’s according to a new survey commissioned by AARP New York – which indicates that candidates should pay close attention to voters 50+ since 86% of respondents said they are extremely motivated to vote this fall.

Voters 50+ are a crucial voting bloc, consistently showing up to the polls and making a key difference in election outcomes. In the 2018 mid-term elections, the 50+ made up about 60% of the electorate, and they are poised to make up an even larger share of it in 2022 given their strong to motivation to vote.

“Voters 50+ are the most powerful voting bloc, and candidates would be wise to heed their call to protect Social Security and Medicare while taking action to lower our highest-in-the-world prescription drug prices and help our loved ones age at home,” said AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel.

Inflation and rising prices are the top overall concern for likely voters 50+.

Additional Findings from the NY 3 survey:

Respondents are very pessimistic about the direction of the country, with only 16% saying it is headed in the right direction.
37% approve of the job President Joe Biden is doing compared to 51% who, in retrospect, say they approve of the job former President Donald Trump did while in office.
Respondents say Social Security (83%), Medicare (78%) and cost of prescription drugs (71%) are very important when deciding who to vote for.
There is significant concern among voters 50+ of allpartisan stripes that both Social Security and Medicare will not be there when they need it.
Independent voters pick the generic Republican by a 17-point margin, 44% to 27%.
Voters ages 50-64 back the generic Republican by 9 points, but voters 65+ give the Democrat a 1-point edge.
Voters 50-64 disapprove of President Biden’s job performance by a 32-point margin, with voters 65+ disapproving by 15 points.
Republicans and independents both rate the economy, inflation, and crime as the three most important issues.
In addition to economic issues, Democrats prioritize gun control/gun rights issues, abortion and the environment in making up their mind to vote this November.
Voters favor Republicans in Congress on crime, inflation, immigration, gas prices, and the economy in general by margins of 20-points or more.
Gas and food are the biggest inflation concerns at 42% and 30%, respectively.

AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward & Impact Research to conduct the survey of 321 likely voters 50 and over from July 5-12. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.47%.

AARP recently released a separate survey of likely voters from the 56 most competitive congressional districts around the nation for 2022.

That survey found a generic Republican candidate with 4-point advantage over a generic Democratic candidate, and that voters age 50 and over make up over 60% of likely voters in these districts and will likely play a key role in deciding the outcome of the midterm elections.

The districts included in the survey are rated either a “toss-up” or “lean” either Democratic or Republican by the Cook Political Report

New York’s party primaries for U.S. House seats will be August 23. For more information on how, when and where to vote in New York, visit aarp.org/nyvotes.

About AARP

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation’s largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.