My new Upshot column is on the influence of partisanship on attitudes toward the age of presidential candidates - specifically, how the views of Democrats are likely to change now that Hillary Clinton is the likely older candidate instead of John McCain, Bob Dole, or Ronald Reagan:
Does a candidate’s age matter in presidential elections? It’s less relevant than you might think.
A Pew poll released last week asked voters how likely they would be to support a presidential candidate with various traits or experiences, like being a governor, a Catholic or a woman. Although these might seem like important factors in how people make up their minds, voters often seem to work backward, rationalizing their views of the likely contenders rather than expressing a strong preference for a particular type of candidate.
Read the whole thing for more.