Why is Hillary Clinton losing millennial women's votes?

Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief on Clinton's challenge with women voters

Bernie Sanders trounced Hillary Clinton at the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire in part due to an overwhelming support from young voters and women.

According to Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Joanna Cole, the results reflect voters' search for something "new" and how they see the former secretary of state as part of the government establishment that has let them down.

"So Bernie feels like this exciting, feel-good candidate who's promising free education - very appealing if you're a young millennial, and I think that Hillary is ... running from a much more moderate place promising more of the same," Cole said. "And Bernie is promising something new, and he's right out on the front running a very aggressive primary campaign."

Hillary Clinton's struggle to connect with women and young voters

Cole also said that voters have "Hillary fatigue" and a desire for change after seeing her in the public eye for over two decades.

While iconic feminist figures have come forward to endorse Clinton, their comments have backfired.

"When you're young, you're thinking, 'Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie,'" Gloria Steinem said during an interview with talk show host Bill Maher. She went on to apologize, saying she "misspoke."

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright also drew fire for her comment at a Clinton rally ahead of the New Hampshire primary, saying, "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other."

A CBS News exit poll shows Sanders beat Clinton by 11 points among all female voters in New Hampshire.

Is Hillary Clinton in trouble? What you need to know.

"Well I think you can never come out and tell a young generation what they should think or what they must think or how lucky they are to be in the position," Cole said.

Comparing Clinton to pop stars like Beyonce and Rihanna, she said Clinton was not seen as a feminist icon by young women.

"I do think this is a generation that looks at Beyonce and thinks, 'I want to be like them,'" Cole said, alluding to the ongoing buzz around her Super Bowl halftime performance.

Still, Cole said it was too early to tell and wrong to assume the results in New Hampshire would dictate the rest of the election.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.