Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton returned to Philadelphia Monday to reach out to millennial voters.
Clinton briefly turned her focus from national security, wooing younger voters at a midday rally at Temple University. Her campaign acknowledges she needs to do more to get millennials on board.
At the invitation-only event at the Great Court at Mitten Hall, she said she needs to do more to get millennials on board.
"Even if you are totally opposed to Donald Trump, you may still have some questions about me. I get that. And I want to do my best to answer those questions," she told several hundred students gathered in an ornate, wood-paneled lecture hall.
This election marks the first presidential campaign where millennials make up the single largest generation among U.S. adults, having surpassed baby boomers in the past four years. The group helped anchor President Barack Obama's support, but Clinton has failed to attract them in the same numbers.
The event took place amid new national polls and surveys in swing states — including Pennsylvania — which show Clinton has seen a slide with millennial voters, particularly when Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are factored in.
The Clinton campaign launched “Pennsylvania Millennials for Hillary,” a group that aims at highlighting her agenda to increase economic opportunities for young people as well as address student debt and college affordability.
“There are a lot of energized people my age who are paying attention to this election,” said Malcolm Kenyatta, a 26-year-old community advocate, North Philadelphia resident and member of Pennsylvania Millennials for Hillary. “Now we have to get out and mobilize with the candidate that has supported us and I believe will continue to support us.”
Kenyatta said Clinton would list the issues that she “wants to be held accountable for" during Monday's event.
“We are a generation that’s struggled since the economic crash of 2008,” Kenyatta said. “This country needs a president who will build an economy that is fair and works for everyone. We want a president like Hillary Clinton who will tackle progressive issues like raising the minimum wage, addressing student debt, enacting criminal justice reform and combating climate change."
