Biden activists emphasize value of ‘older adult’ voters this fall

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Local Democratic activists gathered at the home of New Hampshire State Representative candidate Maxine Mosley to celebrate the kickoff of the “Seniors for Biden-Harris” initiative in New Hampshire.

Mosley, a retired Manchester teacher, lifelong Democrat and union member who narrowly missed becoming a state representative in 2022 and has also run for alderman as well, exhorted the crowd to reach out to their social circles about the importance of this fall’s state and federal election. She emphasized voting up and down the ticket, especially about stopping the possible election of Donald Trump, who she noted has said he would be a “dictator” on the first day of his term if he wins.

“To me voting is not only a privilege, but a right of citizenship,” said Mosley. “We of a certain age know how important it is, but when you talk to some younger folks, they might not understand how important this election is. And even though we’re told every cycle that this is the most important election of our lives, this time it really is.”

Mosley asked members of the audience to sign a petition that would allow the creation of a senior citizen council within the New Hampshire Democratic Party, although she preferred the term “older adult.” This suborganization within the New Hampshire Democratic Party would help rally older New Hampshire Democrats and also encourage older Democrats to inspire, mentor and support younger local Democrats.

“We have so much power in this election if we just work together,” said Mosley. “This is a cross-generational conversation. We need to listen to younger people and they need to listen to us, too.”

Several elected officials were at the event such as Ward 10 Alderman Bill Barry.

Although Barry endorsed Dean Phillips during the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary due to the Democratic National Committee’s efforts to sanction New Hampshire, he now says that Democratic voters in New Hampshire are firmly behind Joe Biden and electing Biden is crucial to the future of the state’s senior citizens.

“Donald Trump wants to attack Social Security, take away form Social Security, and it’s unfair,” he said. “These people here today have invested their whole life to reap the benefits later in life. And all the sudden someone is going to attack the benefits you have and depend on, that’s unfair. Biden will protect those benefits.”

There were also several members of the general public in attendance, such as Richard House of Bedford. House appreciated Mosley and Barry’s comments to the crowd and is eager to work on behalf of Biden this fall.

“A lot of (seniors) don’t have a clue about what’s really going on and that’s really sad,” said House. “You just have to look to back at the chaos of Trump’s four years in office and what he brought, like when he teargassed protesters just to go across the street from the White House for a photo op where he held a bible upside down in front of a church he didn’t care about going to.”

The event was one of several held across the country seeking to mobilize older voters in support of Biden this fall.

Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez emphasized the Biden Administration’s efforts to help seniors through efforts to cap the cost of insulin, protecting pensions and stopping efforts to cut social security.

“America’s seniors know that they can’t trust their hard-earned Social Security and Medicare in the hands of convicted felon Donald Trump. And they deserve better than the guy proudly running to increase seniors’ health care and prescription drug costs. Another Trump presidency would be an absolute nightmare for America’s seniors, which is why Seniors for Biden-Harris will be critical to beating Donald Trump once again,” said Chavez Rodriguez in a statement. “The over 10 million seniors across battleground states are a force to be reckoned with and will be essential to our work to reelect President Biden – a leader who knows that being president is about the American people, not himself.”