Most people in the United States would vote for a presidential candidate who was black, Catholic, or a woman. Most of them would not vote for a socialist.
According to a new Gallup poll, “More than nine in 10 Americans say they would vote for a presidential candidate nominated by their party who happened to be black, Catholic, Hispanic, Jewish or a woman.” More than 8 in 10 would be fine with candidates who are evangelical Christians or are gays or lesbians. Less popular, but still supported by the majority, would be candidates under 40 years old or over 70 and candidates who are Muslim or atheist.
Recommended Stories
Voters seem open to a wide range of ethnicities, genders, ages, and faiths. But they’re not ready for a socialist. More than 50% say they would not vote for a socialist candidate. This is bad news for Bernie Sanders.
As the presidential candidate did well in Iowa and seems poised to lead the New Hampshire primary, Democrats should remember that Sanders may have a loyal following, but that doesn’t mean he’s electable.
A majority of American voters are progressive enough to support various demographics as well as the Democrats’ push for identity politics, but that won’t matter in a Democratic primary in which the front-runners are all white. What will matter is that two of the best-performing candidates, Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, have socialist leanings. This will hurt their electability, and if the Democratic Party wants to defeat President Trump in 2020, it better pay attention.
