Political leaders create laws and try to help people in the United States live their best lives. Two major political groups have different sets of beliefs in America. One of those groups is the Democratic Party. Over the years, the Democratic Party has aligned itself with more liberal views. As of 2024, two of the last three presidents have been Democrats: Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Countless positions of power are voted on other than the presidency, though. From the city council to the Senate, Republicans and Democrats go head to head to see which person will ultimately take the position.
Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. For some of these people, they were instrumental in pushing the Civil Rights Movement forward. One particular Democratic leader who baby boomers are fond of is Jimmy Carter. When President Carter was in office, he was known for accomplishing many things. One thing he emphasized in particular was helping those who escaped fighting in the Vietnam War get out of jail. At the time, the baby boomers who didn’t believe in the war were jailed if they were drafted and didn’t report for duty.
Another Democratic leader baby boomers are fond of is Barack Obama. For many baby boomers, Obama symbolizes the success of the Civil Rights Movement. He was the first African-American to be president. Even after leaving office, Obama has maintained his reputation as one of the faces African Americans can look up to for inspiration. For more baby boomer content, click here to read about the most popular TV shows among baby boomers.
To compile this list of the most popular Democrats among baby boomers, 24/7 Tempo consulted political-centered sources. These include YouGov, the Washington Post, and AP News.
1. Jimmy Carter
When elected in 1976, Jimmy Carter became the 39th president of the United States. He came into an unfavorable situation, though. Tensions were high racially and among both genders. The Vietnam War was ending, yet, those who evaded the draft were still in jail. During his presidency, issues with countries like Iran started to come up. However, Carter fought through all of that and went on to become the most popular Democrat among baby boomers.
During Carter’s presidency, multiple departments, such as the Department of Energy and Department of Education, were established. Carter pardoned all of the Vietnam War draft evaders when he first took office. He was also known for pushing the Cold War to new heights. He put an embargo against more Soviet goods after the country invaded Afghanistan. While he only served one term as president, Carter’s four years were some of the busiest for anyone who’s had the job.
2. Barack Obama
In 2008, Barack Obama made history when he was elected as the 44th president of the United States. The baby boomers were the generation who stood up for equal rights, started the Feminist Movement, and became known for being hippies. Obama’s election made tons of baby boomers feel like their hard work, where they fought during the Civil Rights Movement, finally paid off. Like Carter, Obama was entering a less than ideal situation as president.
The housing market and economy crashed before Obama ascended into his new position. Rather than run from the problem, Obama did what he could to stimulate the economy. He also faced issues with the Middle East and Al-Qaeda. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had taken place nearly a decade prior, and the leader of the terrorist group was nowhere to be found. Obama was president when Osama bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist group responsible for these attacks, was murdered. Baby boomers are fond of what Obama had to go through and how he’s still a big part of society in 2024.
3. Madeleine Albright
Former Democratic presidents aren’t the only people baby boomers consider popular. Madeleine Albright is the former Secretary of State under president Bill Clinton and was also a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. During her time in power, Albright expressed her concern and wanted to help during the genocide in Rwanda. She also helped Clinton create his foreign policy.
Unlike most people who make foreign policy, Albright wasn’t born in the United States. She was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and moved around the world before settling in Denver, Colorado as a teenager. Albright knew what people around the world thought of the United States and wanted to make sure they had a good image of the country in their head. She also had better insight into the things the United States could improve on in foreign countries.
4. Pete Buttigieg
In 2024, it’s become more socially acceptable to be part of the LGBTQ+ community than it was in history. One of the reasons for this is the amount of people who are openly part of this community in larger positions of power. Pete Buttigieg was the mayor of South Bend, Indiana before taking a big leap. He launched a presidential campaign in 2020. While he didn’t win the Democratic nomination, he broke barriers as the first openly gay person who was part of a major political party to run a successful presidential campaign.
Buttigieg dropped out of the race in March 2020 and endorsed Joe Biden in becoming the next president. After being elected as president, Biden announced that Buttigieg would be the 15th United States Secretary of Transportation. Buttigieg will likely run for president again in the future, since he’s 42 as of 2024. Baby boomers appreciate Buttigieg for offering a fresh face to politics and breaking down social barriers while trying to become president.
5. Bernie Sanders
When he first announced his desire to run for presidency, not many people outside of Vermont had hear of Bernie Sanders. In 2024, Sanders has become an icon to all age groups. Rather than accepting money from large corporations and only thinking about the rich, Sanders has shown that he puts the people of the Untied States first. He finished second both times he ran for the Democratic nominee, once to Hillary Clinton and once to Joe Biden.
Sanders is the face of the progressive movement in the United States. One thing Sanders is passionate about is college. He feels like college is becoming something that only the rich and elite can afford to do with their children. Sanders wants to make college free for all to attend. He believes that education is a right and not a privilege. Sanders also supports labor rights for workers around the United States. His beliefs and the way he sees the future of the United States are what plenty of baby boomers agree with for the future generations.
6. Joe Biden
The 46th president of the United States is Joe Biden. He also happens to be one of the Democrats baby boomers love the most. Prior to becoming president, Biden served as vice president under Barack Obama. His willingness to support and put himself on the line with Obama showed how passionate he is about equality and giving people chances. Biden’s presidency has been marked by several events.
One of the biggest issues Biden has dealt with during his time in office is the situation between Russia and Ukraine. Biden has aligned himself and the United States with Ukraine, offering relief to the soldiers fighting in the battles around the world. Another thing Biden ran for office under was the elimination of student debt. There has been some debt cleared for students in the United States, but it’s not fully gone yet. People are curious to see who the voters are going to turn up for in the 2024 election. Odds are, Donald Trump and Biden will be the two men going against each other for the seat of power.
7. Elizabeth Warren
Like Bernie Sanders, ElizabethWarren is another face of the progressive movement in the United States. She’s a senator from Massachusetts and has become known for her willingness to protect consumers from price inflation. She’s also talked about her desire to provide equal opportunity to everyone in the world, regardless of race, gender, or orientation. More people are coming out and telling the world they’re part of the LGBTQ+ community thanks to society deeming it normal.
Warren threw her hat in the 2020 Democratic nomination, where she’d finish third behind Joe Biden and Sanders. Warren will likely try again in 2024 to be the Democratic nominee for the presidency. Baby boomers are proud of her for being such a powerful voice in the senate and accomplishing so much good during her time as a leader.
8. Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton is arguably the most interesting president in the history of the United States. He was known for signing the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which outlined exactly how law enforcement was allowed to deal with certain situations when they came about. Clinton also signed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The bill provided the funds to states to help families get health insurance for themselves and children.
Clinton is also known for his scandal withMonica Lewinsky, a 22 year-old intern who worked under him at the White House. Over time, Clinton has worked to clean up his image and get rid of the scandal that almost impeached him. After he left office, Clinton oversaw the creation of the Clinton Foundation. The foundation addresses issues that span the globe, such as global warming and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
9. Kamala Harris
Before Kamala Harris, no African-American had served as the vice president of the United States. When Joe Biden was elected as president, that all changed. Harris broke ground and became a new person African-American women could look up to. She was formerly a senator from California who stood up for her beliefs in racial equality and the reformation of cannabis laws. Harris also believes in tax reform, making certain loopholes go away.
Harris will continue to look to do whatever she can to help the people of the United States during her time as vice president. Like many former people in this position, there’s a high likelihood that Harris will run for president in the future, once Biden’s time in office comes to an end.
10. Gabrielle Giffords
The gun control debate will continue to sweep over the United States until there’s a clear answer given about what to do. Unlike most politicians who have a thought on the subject, Gabrielle Giffords speaks from personal experience. The former member of the House of Representatives was shot in the head in 2011 outside of Tucson in a murder attempt. Giffords has since been able to regain her ability to walk, sleep, eat, write, and speak.
Ever since the attempt on her life, Giffords has been an outspoken person in regards to gun control. There were six people who died the day that Jared Lee Loughner attempted to take her life. One of the people who died was U.S. District Court Judge John Roll. The event sparked even more debate among people, since Loughner was taken down by bystanders and those who weren’t afraid of him. Loughner was sentenced to seven life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
11. Nancy Pelosi
When Nancy Pelosi was first elected into Congress, she became the first woman to lead a major political party in any part of Congress. Her career only continued to sky rocket until 2023, when she was succeeded in her position of Speaker of the House by Kevin McCarthy. Pelosi was a proponent of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy that allowed people in the LGBTQ+ community to serve in the military without having to disclose that information to their superiors.
Pelsoi was also against the invasion of Iraq by president George W. Bush. Before Kamala Harris was elected as the vice president of the United States, Pelosi was the highest ranking woman in line for the presidency. Since she was the Speaker of the House, she was second in line (after the vice president) to run the United States if something happened to the leader. In 2024, Pelosi spends her time fundraising for various Democratic candidates.
12. Hillary Clinton
Few names in politics have had the same level of controversy surrounding them like Hillary Clinton. Despite all of that, Clinton still wakes up every day ready to work for the American people. Her first appearance in the limelight came while her husband, Bill Clinton, served as the president of the United States. Despite all that he allegedly did during his presidency with Monica Lewinsky, she still stuck by his side and showed herself to be an amazing wife.
After he left office, she ran as a senator from New York. She won that election and served in Congress for eight years, from 2001 to 2009. Once Obama finished his term in 2016, Clinton announced her decision to run for president of the United States. She was looking to become the first woman to assume the title and responsibilities that come with being president. She’s come up just short in her quest to be the leader of the United States, but likely will be trying again in 2024.
13. Walter Mondale
Every good president needs a strong vice president at their side, helping them bring the United States forward. For Jimmy Carter, the most popular Democrat among baby boomers, that vice president was Walter Mondale. A senator from Minnesota, Mondale agreed to run with Carter in his bid to become president. Mondale expressed his support for the desegregation of schools, tax reform, and housing protection for consumers.
After Carter and Mondale lost the 1980 presidential election, Mondale decided to run for the role himself in 1984. He won the Democratic nominee, but would lose to the incumbent president Ronald Reagan in one of the most lopsided elections in American history. After that, Mondale continued his political career, serving as the United States Ambassador to Japan under president Bill Clinton.
14. John Kerry
For 28 years, Massachusetts put their faith in John Kerry to represent them in the United States senate. He was charged with investigating the distribution of narcotics from Central and South America. During the 1980s and 90s, part of the time when Kerry was in office, the drug situation in the United States got out of control. Kerry is part of the reason why it was able to slow down and become better.
After his 28 years as a senator, Kerry was introduced as the Secretary of State under president Barack Obama for his second term. Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, noticed the need for someone to monitor the climate situation that’s unfolding around the world. Kerry was appointed as the first Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, a position that was created by Biden to help combat the growing climate issues the world seems to be facing.
15. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Few families in the United States are as known and powerful as the Kennedy family. From John F. Kennedy to Ted Kennedy, the family has had plenty of people in positions of power throughout the history of the United States. Robert F. Kennedy is the most recent member of the family to announce his run for president of the United States. He’s spoken frequently about his desire to ensure the world’s climate is under control as quickly as possible.
Kennedy’s also become known for his strong stance against giving vaccines of any kind. He was one of the first people in the United States to claim that there was a link between vaccines and autism. He’s authored many books and still states his beliefs for the world to hear. Kennedy is running for president in 2024, looking to become the second family member to be elected as president. For more baby boomer content, click here to read about the 1o must-see movies for people born during this time.