So far in his campaign, Bernie Sanders has seemed to have a magnetism for millennials, so I am interested in learning what makes him so appealing to young voters.  This research question is extremely relevant due to the presidential election being this fall.  Sanders' campaign trail has been taking over the media and gaining support every day.  However, many candidates are still on the ballot.  The two front-runners on the democratic ticket are Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.  Because I am someone who will be voting for the first time this coming election, it is important for me and others in the same position to learn about the candidates' party platforms and make our votes count.  As an American, I am qualified to write about this topic because all Americans should research the potential candidates in order to make the most informed decisions.  I am not especially biased towards either party, but I am curious to know why Bernie Sanders is so popular among America's youth.  Typically, teens tend to ignore political issues and pay more attention to pop culture and celebrities, but Sanders is special.  Based on my experience, he is the subject of more tweets, Facebook posts, memes, and laptop stickers than any other candidate.  He is targeting millennials with his campaign and it is working, because they seem to love him.  Sanders' focus on speaking at various universities, solving student debt reform, and promoting more equality allows him to attract many more millennials than any other candidate.  

In Jennifer Levitz's article for The Wall Street Journal, she discusses how Sanders is attempting to get the last of the undecided to back him on his campaign trail.  Sanders believes that the youngest voting demographics are very important, so he makes it his priority to rally at as many universities around the country as possible.  In early February, Sanders spoke to students at Franklin Pierce University and his use of a basketball analogy in his speech perfectly exemplified the way he appeals to youth.  His goal is to gain support from young, undecided voters, so his speeches must be tailored to the college-aged demographic.  This article seeks to explain Sanders' campaign goals and strategy of winning over young and undecided independent voters.  Levitz writes in a neutral tone, but seems to be pro-Sanders based on the content of the article.  She briefly mentions some other candidates, but focuses on Sanders and why people like him, pulling quotes from several pro-Bernie voters.  However, since the opinions she shares are direct quotes and not her own, the article seems credible and relatively unbiased. 

Adam Gabbatt discusses the overwhelming effect Bernie Sanders has had on America's youth in his article, using evidence from a t-shirt printing party in "the hippest part of Brooklyn."  His central claim is that Sanders has hugely appealed to the youth of America with his policies and campaign, an impressive feat considering many young people could not care less about politics at all.  To millennials, Sanders seems trustworthy, genuine, and untraditional.  He is so popular because his platform focuses on debt and inequality, things of huge importance to millennials.  His online presence is huge, as Sanders is the subject of many memes and social media conversations.  Gabbatt seems unbiased and focused on the facts.  He does not offer personal opinion and provides quotes in support of Sanders as well as some explaining as to why it is unlikely that he will win the Democratic nomination.  Although the article takes a positive stance, it is not overly pro-Bernie and the statements are all backed up by facts, which gives it credibility.

In an article for CNN, Cupp examines why Sanders is so "cool" compared to Hillary Clinton.  He begins by criticizing the fact that Clinton accepted $675,000 to speak to Goldman Sachs.  He states that the difference between the candidates is that, while Bernie's face appears on pint glasses, Hillary's appears on pins.  Sanders is simply more popular with young people, and Cupp uses statistics to display this point.  His reasoning is that Sanders is more authentic.  He is more "hipster" and "retro" while Clinton is trying too hard.  Cupp admits that Clinton is an admirable woman, but Sanders is simply more popular.  Cupp writes the article as if he is pro-Sanders, but he seems to be echoing the opinions of Bernie supporters rather than writing with a bias.  This article seems credible due to its source (CNN) and the use of percentages to show the difference in support for Sanders and Clinton among different age groups.

This research question is arguable with simple statistics.  It is obvious, based on polls, that young people love Bernie Sanders.  The question of "why" digs deeper, and to understand it one must talk to millennials, think like a millennial, or be a millennial.   That is why the best articles include quotes from young Bernie supporters.  The information extracted allows for a better understanding of why younger people like Sanders.  Exploring different authors' explanations as to why Bernie is so popular evokes an interest in finding out if he is truly the best for the job.  What needs to be further researched is, specifically, which parts of Bernie's platform appeal to millennials, and if they are actually in agreement with his policies, or if they just like the idea of him.  Clearly, we are going to see an increase in college-aged supporters when Sanders is aiming to rid the country of college debt, but there has to be more out there to gain the support of a whole demographic.

