The Democrats' generational split over capitalism

The Democratic Party has a yawning generational divide

Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The Democratic Party has a yawning generational divide.

In recent years, this first became acutely apparent during the 2016 Democratic primaries, when younger voters flocked to Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton. Though Sanders was the oldest person in the race, his appeal to the younger generation had little to do with age; millennials were attracted to the senator's progressive vision and "democratic socialism," while voters of Sanders' own generation were far more supportive of Clinton's brand of centrism. For many older Democrats, Sanders seemed like a throwback to another era, but for millennials the septuagenarian socialist was promoting an agenda that felt fresh and relevant.

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Conor Lynch

Conor Lynch is a freelance journalist living in New York City. He has written for The New Republic, Salon, and Alternet.