New Clinton ad targets the young and in debt
Hillary Clinton is making a play for young voters with her latest television ad that's part of an ongoing buy in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
The 30-second spot being released today, titled "Compact," highlights her plan to make college more affordable by guaranteeing that students don’t need to borrow to pay for tuition, books and fees if they attend an in-state, four-year public college. A campaign official gave Paste BN details of the buy.
Voters under the age of 30 are among the key demographics underpinning her closest rival for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. A couple of weeks ago, he addressed an audience of thousands during a student town hall meeting live-streamed at colleges and universities across the country.
An average of two recent ABC News/Washington Post surveys showed Clinton with 45% and Sanders with 38% of registered Democratic-leaning voters under age 30. President Barack Obama also made young voters a critical part of his two White House campaigns, which helped propel him to victory in some states Democrats had failed to capture for decades, including North Carolina.
Clinton's plan would provide incentives to states that agree to provide "no-loan tuition at four-year public colleges and universities." States that agree would win grants from the federal government. The campaign estimates that the proposal would save a typical borrower $2,000 over the life of their loan, aiding an estimated 25 million. She’s also proposing allowing students to more easily refinance high-interest loans.
The plan will cost $350 billion over 10 years, which would be offset by limiting certain tax expenditures for high-income taxpayers. That would require approval by the Congress, currently led by Republicans.
The campaign has spent around $6 million since August on 15 different ads.
The new spot opens with two college students discussing their college debts and cuts to Clinton at a recent town hall discussing her proposals. "I don’t believe the federal government should be making a profit off of lending to young people who are borrowing to be able to get their education," says Clinton.