"Reducing poverty" is a good reason, which is why minimum-wage advocates talk about it. But the real reason minimum-wage advocates want to increase the minimum

"Reducing poverty" is a good reason, which is why minimum-wage advocates talk about it. But the real reason minimum-wage advocates want to increase the minimum wage is to increase the pay of union members, who's pay is indexed to the minimum wage. That's the voting block that matters to politicians, not the near poor, who barely vote and certainly don't have the time (or skills) for political activity (unlike the unions).