Adam Berliant
51 minsThe latest PRRI.org report is freakin' amazing. It’s also really long. I’ve been digging into it for days now, cross-referencing with other data, asking myself: What/who has the best chance to defeat Trump in 2020?
With the usual caveat that I will vote for any of them (I’d vote for a blue balloon with a face drawn on it), I’m now convinced the nomination needs to go to Elizabeth Warren. The data are screaming at us.
I know this is a lot to absorb, but I really hope you’ll read it.
1. Many are decided, but not enough. The PRRI report says there’s a very healthy number of voters (37%) who are “vote blue no matter who” people. And this is way more than the 28% who say they’ll vote for Trump no matter what. But – and this will be a super influential point as you continue reading – voters over the age of 50 are disproportionately represented in this group (26%). The Democrats who are going to show up to the polls and say they’ll vote for “any of them” skew over 50.
2. SO much depends on who gets nominated. Amazingly, 29% of all Americans across the political spectrum say who they vote for -- or whether they vote at all –depends on who the Democratic nominee is. You’ll see a ton of data points about this in the report, but the theme is that large percentages of these ‘wait and see’ voters won’t vote – at all – if they don’t like the name on the ticket. Note: These “wait-n-see” voters tend to be liberals (21% firmly identify as Blue vs. 15% Red). So, it’s important to know who these people are, and what they’re ‘waiting’ to see.
3. “Wait and See” voters tend to be young. While those “wait-n-see” voters are of all ages and in both parties, the number of these voters who are under the age of 30 is disproportionately high: 28% vs. the average of 21%. And there’s A LOT of them. You may have heard that Millennials are now as powerful of a voting demographic at Boomers. Younger generations (Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z) now make up a clear majority of America’s voting-eligible population. They’re liberals, but they’re also the least bought into “vote blue no matter who.” Note: When you look at 5 year age ranges instead of 10, voters aged 25 to 30 are actually the biggest segment of eligible voters, and they are roughly 65% liberal politically. Yet, they had historically low voter turnout in 2016. They waited, they saw, they didn’t vote.
4. Why it can’t be Joe Biden. The demographic MOST likely to say “my voting depends on who is nominated” is also the LEAST supportive of Joe Biden. This makes Biden the worst choice out of the top three. For favorability, Bernie Sanders actually ranks first among Democrats at 75%, Biden second at 71%, and Warren third at 61%. But note: While Biden is popular, he also commands the second highest UN-favorable rating behind Marianne Williamson. That’s because of voters under the age of 30 – the people we most need to get to the polls. Only 7% of younger voters support Joe Biden according to Pew research. This is the second WORST percentage of ANY demographic about ANY candidate Pew evaluated. (The worst was only 4% of voters over 65yo support Bernie Sanders). This is the same reason, among others, that HRC resulted in historically low voter turnout among voters 18 to 24.
5. Why it can’t be Bernie Sanders. The problem with Bernie Sanders is, unfortunately, the same problem as Joe Biden, just in reverse. If ONLY 18 to 30 yos voted, it would be Sanders in an absolute landslide. Young Democrats are 30% more likely to vote for Sanders over Warren (and 245% more likely to vote for Sanders over Biden). It is pretty tough to argue this away. But, alas, older voters just aren’t on board with Bernie Sanders. Only 7% of voters over 50 support Bernie Sanders – the same dismal number as young voters who support Joe Biden.
6. So, Elizabeth Warren. She’s not as favored among young voters as Bernie Sanders, but she’s well liked. She’s the second choice for 75% of voters under 30, according to Pew. Warren is not as favored among older voters as Biden, but she’s the clear second preference, with almost double the favorability of Bernie Sanders and the rest of the field. And remember, these older voters are the most likely to ‘vote blue no matter who.’ With Warren on the ticket, you’re going to capture the majority, if not all of the older voters, and you’re going to have a candidate that’s going to have significant appeal to 3 out of 4 very-much-at-risk young voters.
I was previously of the mind that, hey, support whoever you want to support. But once there’s a name on the Democratic ticket, get on board. Ok, so I still am of that mind. Joe, whatever. Bernie, fine. Half eaten pickle, I’d vote for that, too.
But the data are clear. Elizabeth Warren is, right now, the best choice if what you want is to actually win in 2020.
If during the primaries, you have half the room shouting Joe, and the other half shouting Bernie, and we end up with one of those guys on the ticket, we’re going to screw this up. Start shouting EW! I know I will be.
Sources
https://www.prri.org/…/fractured-nation-widening-partisan-…/
https://www.people-press.org/…/most-democrats-are-excited…/…
https://www.pewresearch.org/…/the-politics-of-american-gen…/
― DJI, Wednesday, 23 October 2019 20:50 (six years ago)