Politico Paints Gen X as ‘Trumpiest Generation’—on Flimsiest Evidence

A recent Politico article (5/20/22) had the headline, “How Gen X Became the Trumpiest Generation.” Yet the article’s focus seems to be mostly on Iowa state Rep. Cherielynn (“Cherie”) Westrich, a former rock singer who got into politics at age 50 as a solid supporter of Donald Trump.

The strawman mystery that informs the story is: How in the world did a former rock singer become a “solidly conservative representative from blue-collar southeast Iowa who is pro-gun and anti–vaccine mandate”?

Apparently, answering that question by just focusing on her “unusual trajectory” in life was not deemed sufficiently interesting for Politico. Suggesting that she is also representative of the “politics of people in her generation” apparently enhances, or perhaps justifies, her elevation into the national conversation.