AARP: Iowa, Fla. GOP Voters Disagree With Candidates On Medicare Cuts

In Iowa, the AARP polled 400 past Iowa primary voters on Oct. 17 -18 who said they would attend the Iowa caucuses. The Florida poll, which was similar to the one conducted in Iowa and some other states, involved 500 respondents. Florida has the largest number of retirees in the nation.

Des Moines Register: AARP Poll: Some Iowa Republicans Disagree With Their Candidates On Entitlement Programs
A new AARP survey of mostly older Iowans finds they strongly oppose cutting entitlement programs, a view at odds with some Republican presidential candidates they support. The survey, conducted by Greg Strimple's G.S. Strategy group, polled 400 past Iowa primary voters on Oct. 17 and 18 who said they would attend the Iowa caucuses. The poll carries a 4.9 percent margin of error (Hafner, 11/10).

MSNBC: AARP SURVEY: According To A Survey By AARP, Older Iowans Are Against Making Cuts To Social Security And Medicare In Order To Cut The Nation's Deficit
A survey by the AARP, the largest lobbying group for older Americans, shows Iowans are against cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits to reduce the federal deficit. AARP polled 400 likely Republican caucus goers. Sixty-five-percent said they oppose the cuts. The majority of those polled also say they prefer withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan to save money, rather than cutting Medicare or Social Security. AARP's Iowa State President Tony Vola says, "What the survey highlights is that there's a major disconnect between Washington and the Republican caucus-goers in Iowa, who are going to be critical in determining the next Republican presidential nominee," (11/10).

The Miami Herald: Florida GOP Voters: Don't Cut Medicare, Social Security
Florida Republican voters have a clear feeling about cuts to Medicare and Social Security: Don't do it, according to a new poll by the AARP. By wide margins, the survey shows that Republicans of all kinds — whether they're Hispanic, moderates or in the tea party — would rather fix the nation's budget by withdrawing from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, eliminating foreign aid or eliminating so-called tax loopholes. But despite these sentiments of GOP voters, many of the Republican frontrunners for president are more likely to support trimming benefits than raising tax revenues or getting out of foreign entanglements (Caputo, 11/9).