AARP Four-Page Flyers from 2014 Election Season

Here is a collection of policy statements that senators, representatives, and their challengers made during 2014 on Social Security, Medicare, and creating incentives for younger people to prepare for their retirement. The interest group AARP assembled this collection by
searching legislators’ speeches, writings, and websites for their views. AARP staff performed what the organization called “extensive research” on all major-party candidates for the House and Senate in 2014. The staff found relevant statements on Social Security for (a) 367 of 392 House members seeking reelection, (b) 27 of 28 senators seeking reelection, and (c) 278 candidates who were either challenging incumbents or running for open seats.

The organization then produced 471 four-page color flyers, one for each House and Senate contest, and shared them with the media, its own members, and voters. AARP presented opposing candidates’ statements in parallel columns. For some candidates, the flyers stated, “AARP did extensive research but was unable to find any public statement on this issue by July 11, 2014.” The organization published up to 100 words from each candidate on each of the three questions. The flyers also included hyperlinks to the original sources for each candidate.

I downloaded the 471 four-page flyers—435 House contests, 36 Senate contests—from the AARP website (aarop.org/yourvote) on 31 October 2014. Since the flyers are no longer publicly available, I have posted them here, so that other scholars can use them.