Presidential Race Neck and Neck in Nevada

In a head-to-head race, Former President Donald Trump narrowly leads Vice President Kamala Harris by two points among voters overall. Among voters 50 and older, Trump leads by seven points, but among older Hispanic and Latino voters, Harris leads by 15 points.

As in other swing states, gender plays a factor. Trump is ahead by 18 points among men overall and by 17 points among men 50 and older. Women overall favor Harris by 15 points, while older women prefer her by 2 points.

In the Senate race, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D) leads challenger Sam Brown (R) by five points among voters overall. Brown narrowly leads Rosen among voters 50 and older by three points, but among older Hispanic and Latino voters, Rosen holds a 20-point lead.

While immigration and border security, the economy and jobs, and inflation and rising prices are among the top issues older Nevadan voters will consider when deciding how to cast their ballots, other issues will play a major role as well. The vast majority of older voters report that candidates’ positions on Social Security, Medicare, the cost of utilities, and helping people stay in their homes as they age are either very or extremely important in deciding their vote. Furthermore, eight in ten prefer a member of Congress who wants Medicare to continue negotiating for lower prescription drug prices.

These issues are especially noteworthy because older Nevada voters are more motivated to vote than any other age group. Eighty-nine percent of voters ages 50 and older say they are “extremely motivated” to cast a ballot in November, a 4-point increase since AARP Nevada’s first poll, released in June. To win Nevada, candidates must pay attention to the issues that matter most to this portion of the electorate.

Methodology

AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & Impact Research (D) to conduct a survey of voters in Nevada. The firms interviewed 1,368 likely voters, which includes a statewide representative sample of 600 likely voters, an oversample of 488 likely voters ages 50 and older, and an additional oversample of 280 Hispanic likely voters ages 50 and older, between October 8-15, 2024. The interviews were conducted via live interviewer on landline (20%) and cellphone (35%), as well as SMS-to-web (45%). The sample was randomly drawn from the Nevada voter list. Interviews were offered in English and Spanish. 

For more information, please contact Kate Bridges at kbridges@aarp.org. For media inquiries, please contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.