Sanders seeks to boost standing among voters in his own age bracket

DES MOINES - Recent polls have consistently shown Bernie Sanders as the favorite Democratic presidential candidate of millennials. But the Vermont senator's own generation isn't feeling the Bern so much.

Sanders, 74, said in an interview here Thursday that he plans to step up outreach to senior citizens in the month remaining before the Iowa caucuses, acknowledging that he is doing 'poorly” against Hillary Clinton among older voters.

Sanders and his aides say they will be placing television ads to air during programs watched by large numbers of seniors and adding campaign stops at retirement communities, among other strategies - some of which are already underway.

'What our main task will be is to express to older people that there has been nobody in Congress who has fought harder for the needs of senior citizens,” Sanders said. 'I don't think a lot of seniors know that, and in the next month, we're going to do our best to get that word out.”

A poll last month showed Clinton with a 9 percentage point lead among all likely Democratic caucusgoers in Iowa. But among those 65 and older, Clinton's advantage was 40 percentage points, according to the Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll.

Among voters younger than 45, meanwhile, Sanders led Clinton by 27 percentage points.

Asked for an explanation as to why his supports lags among seniors - who traditionally participate in the caucuses in higher numbers than other age groups - Sanders cited Clinton's near-universal name recognition and her previous bid for president.

'I think for a start, let's not forget that Hillary Clinton is one of the best known people in America,” Sanders said. 'That's a challenge that we're trying to combat now.”

He argued that both his record and his agenda as a candidate should resonate with seniors. Sanders, for example, wants to expand Social Security benefits and lower the cost of prescription drugs.

In Iowa, some of the precinct caucuses on Feb. 1 will be held at retirement centers. Sanders aides said that they are looking at holding campaign events in those communities in coming weeks in an attempt to bolster the senator's support among those likely to participate.