Clinton enlists former foe Bernie Sanders in appeal for US youth votes

Bernie Sanders has joined Hillary Clinton on the US campaign trail, with the former secretary of state hoping her old foe can woo younger voters to her cause.

Democratic candidate for US President Hillary Clinton (L) and Senator Bernie Sanders (R) appear at campaign to get the youth vote

Democratic candidate for US President Hillary Clinton (L) and Senator Bernie Sanders (R) appear at campaign to get the youth vote Source: AAP

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has shared a stage with former rival Senator Bernie Sanders to appeal for youth votes as opinion polls show a close race with Republican Donald Trump.

Clinton told an audience at the University of New Hampshire she would make college affordable if she won the White House, which was the kind of promise that won Sanders many young supporters during the Democratic nominating contest.

"We should and we will make public colleges tuition-free for families earning less than $125,000 a year," Clinton said.

She vowed to help those who already have student debt to refinance.
Clinton's campaign is worried voters under the age of 30 might not turn out in great numbers at polling stations on November 8, potentially giving an advantage to Trump.

Recent opinion polls have shown the race tightening between Clinton, a former secretary of state, US senator and first lady, and Trump, a New York real estate magnate.

A majority of Americans say Clinton won Monday night's presidential debate, but her performance does not appear to have boosted support among likely voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll released on Wednesday.

The online poll found 56 per cent of American adults felt Clinton did a better job, compared with 26 per cent who believed the Republican did better.

Even so, Clinton's performance seemed to have little impact on her support: the poll showed 42 per cent supported her, while 38 per cent backed Trump.
Trump, often described as racist by Clinton, tried to turn the tables at a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

He pointed to the Democrat's remark that "implicit bias is a problem for everyone, not just the police", when asked at the debate whether she believed police were implicitly biased against black people.

"She accuses the entire country, including all of law enforcement, of 'implicit bias', essentially suggesting that everyone, including our police, are basically racist and prejudiced," Trump said.

Clinton's event with Sanders took place on a university campus, but it was not open to students without an invitation.

Clinton praised Sanders, a US senator from Vermont who was her opponent in the hard-fought struggle for the Democratic nomination this year.
"He is one of the most passionate champions for equality and justice that I have ever seen and someone that I am looking forward to working with," Clinton said of Sanders, who introduced her on Wednesday.

Although Sanders lost to Clinton, he consistently drew younger voters to his side with promises to take on Wall Street, make college less expensive and close the income gap.

He called on young people in New Hampshire, a swing state in the presidential election, to get behind Clinton.

"Get your uncles, your aunts, get your friends to vote for Hillary Clinton," he said.

Clinton's campaign said it hoped to get Sanders to make more appearances on Clinton's behalf before the election.

Share
3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world