Older NYC Voters Want Candidates to Address Affordability Concerns, Protect Social Security

“They are not the cut-and-dried career politicians,” says Beth Finkel, state director for AARP New York.

Almost a third of voters surveyed favor Lasher (32 percent), while Bores is garnering support from about 1 in 5 (21 percent) older voters in the district. But the results are far from settled. Finkel points out that 21 percent of respondents are undecided.

“These are people who usually vote,” she says. “That’s why this race is so fluid.”

The winner of this historically Democratic district will go on the ballot in the November midterms, facing off against Republican candidate Caroline Shinkle and several independents. This year’s midterm elections, which take place halfway through a four-year presidential term, could shift the balance of power in Congress. Lawmakers elected this year will make decisions on whether Social Security remains strong, whether family caregivers get more help and other issues that affect the pocketbooks of older Americans.

All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for grabs, while 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested to decide the makeup of the 120th Congress. There are currently 218 Republicans and 212 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as one independent and four vacancies. There are 53 Republicans,45 Democrats and two independents in the Senate.

The June poll found that 96 percent of those surveyed said they were almost certainly going to vote or very likely to vote. 

AARP (Getty Images)

Older voters heavily influence the direction of elections. In every national election since 2002 — when citizen voting data by age became available — people 65 and older have cast ballots at higher rates than their younger counterparts. This tendency holds true in NY-12. An April 2026 analysis commissioned by AARP New York and conducted by Gotham Polling & Analytics found that voters age 50 and older will make up 65 to 75 percent of the electorate in the Democratic primary in this part of the city.

Finkel expects this trend to continue in 2026.

Social Security remains top of mind

Forty-three percent of respondents 50-plus say Social Security is or will be a major source of their income, suggesting that for these older Manhattanites, money is a struggle as they enter their later years. When asked which initiative should be a priority for the next Congressional representative, 75 percent of respondents said they want their representative to ensure Social Security payments will be available in full in the future.

New Yorkers want their representative to protect their earned payments. More than three-quarters of respondents say Social Security is very important in deciding their vote for the primary, while 74 percent say the same about Medicare. The cost of health care ranks even higher, with 79 percent of voters calling it a very important issue as they weigh their options for the primary. Just under half feel this way about the cost of prescription drugs.

A contender who is vocal on Social Security will likely drum up significant support. Ninety-two percent of voters say they would be more likely to support a candidate who advocates for ensuring workers receive their full Social Security payments.

Change is crucial to this group of voters. When asked whether the country is heading in the right or wrong direction, more than 90 percent of respondents said the latter.

“It’s not as if affordability isn’t a concern for these people,” Levy says. “It is.” But this poll shows that fears about democracy are high.

“These are folks who vote in election after election,” Levy says. “When we ask them to describe the state of the country and they put on their political lens, they almost universally say something is wrong.”