Rather than arguing against Hillary Clinton’s enduring enthusiasm gap with her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon admitted on Thursday that Sanders was having success with young voters.
"He had a great outpouring of support at that rally last night," Fallon said, referring to a Wednesday rally Sanders held in Washington Square Park. "It's a credit to the campaign that he is running, that he is inspiring so many young people especially, and so we tip our cap to him on that."
In an attempt to shift attention from Clinton’s enthusiasm problem, Fallon said that the number of people who show up to vote matters more than the number of people who attend a rally.
"What matters most in terms of the numbers is not crowd size, but who turns out to vote," Fallon said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. He pointed to Clinton’s 2.4 million vote lead over Sanders as an example of her success in the popular vote.
The Clinton campaign has struggled to attract young voters. Some young voters prefer Sanders, age 74, because he "feels new" and appears authentic, whereas Clinton comes off as a member of the establishment, who, while boasting about her experience in politics, is marred by scandals and low trustworthy numbers.
Clinton's campaign is working to close the gap with young voters by leveraging Clinton’s celebrity connections, flaunting appearances by Katy Perry and the endorsement of George Clooney. Clinton has also hosted fundraisers at millennial hotspots like SoulCycle.
Clinton has brushed off her enthusiasm problem by assuring young voters that she stands with them anyway, saying, "even if they are not supporting me now, I support them."
Fallon echoed Clinton’s assurance on CNN, telling Blitzer that "over time" young people will "gravitate towards" Clinton’s center-left policy stances.