It came as no surprise that among likely Nevada voters older than 50, protecting Social Security and Medicare and lowering drug prices scored very high among both major parties and independents.
The numbers were contained in a poll by the AARP that sampled more than 500 Nevadans.
The poll found that a huge majority of 50-plus voters in the Silver State support candidates who will protect Social Security and Medicare and support allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Social Security was a key in deciding who to vote for 89 percent of those voters, for 90 percent on Medicare and 85 percent for negotiating lower drug prices. The numbers were solid across party lines with Democrats and Republicans joined by independents on all three issues.
The poll by Impact Research also indicated what other polling has found, that the races for U.S. Senate and governor in Nevada are close.
Gov. Steve Sisolak leads Sheriff Joe Lombardo by about 3 percent, 41 to 38 percent.
In the Senate race, U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was up 4 percent, 44-40 percent. She out-performed Adam Laxalt with 50-plus women, 48 to 40 percent. Among Hispanic voters, her lead was 43-32 percent.
But pollsters said all four of those candidates have a higher negative number than positive among likely voters. Cortez Masto was closest to breaking even at 45-48 percent. But she was in better shape when pollsters counted women over 50 at 49-45 percent. That lead, however, evaporated with men over 50 where Cortez Masto’s favorability was just 40 percent compared to 55 percent negative.
Laxalt was down to 39 percent positive and 44 percent negative among all voters polled. With women over 50, his rating was 39-51 percent. But, again, men over 50 reversed that trend, giving Laxalt a six point favorability edge, 47-41 percent.
Pollsters found that 19 percent of voters are still “persuadable.”
