N.Y. Senator Seeks To Woo Older Voters

WASHINGTON — When it comes to courting older voters, Senator Clinton seems to be taking every opportunity she can get.

The Democratic presidential front-runner yesterday touted her proposals to expand health care, safeguard Social Security, and enhance consumer protections for senior citizens in a speech here to more than 600 members of the Alliance for Retired Americans. Mrs. Clinton was the only candidate among the three leading Democrats to accept an invitation to address the organization, a heavily Democratic activist group that claims about 3.4 million members nationwide and is holding its annual legislative conference this week.

A former North Carolina senator, John Edwards, is dispatching his wife to speak in his place on Friday, while Senator Obama of Illinois is skipping the conference altogether, citing scheduling conflicts. In February, Mrs. Clinton was also the only contender to accept an invitation to address a public policy meeting of the much larger AARP, which has a membership of 38 million Americans. Mrs. Clinton met with a warm reception from the audience at the Washington Hilton, which responded to her 15-minute speech with loud cheers and a standing ovation.

She offered no new policy proposals, instead outlining an agenda centered on enacting universal health care and stabilizing the Social Security system. She drew applause by pledging to crack down on corporations that try to cut pension benefits when they sell subsidiaries or declare bankruptcy. And citing statistics showing that seniors are disproportionately targeted for financial fraud and identity theft, she said she would seek to beef up consumer protections by allowing people to sue companies that misuse their personal data.

"These fraudsters prey on seniors," she said. "They offer prizes, sweepstakes, and lotteries that lead people into a terrible deception."

Mrs. Clinton's age may also give her an edge with older voters. At 59, she is five years older than Mr. Edwards and 13 years older than Mr. Obama.

Senior citizens are more likely to vote than the general population, and 79% of Americans 65 and older are registered, according to the Alliance.

"Older Americans are absolutely the most avid voters, and you ignore them at your peril," a Democratic consultant and the interim dean of Boston University's College of Communication, Tobe Berkovitz, said.

While Mr. Obama is a no-show this week, his campaign says he is paying plenty of attention to the concerns of senior citizens on the stump. A spokeswoman, Jennifer Psaki, said he has appeared at "countless" senior centers during the campaign, citing two stops at his recent trip to Iowa alone.