Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-09-07)

ELECTION 2020

3. PEOPLE

44

CHARACTERISTICS ○ Mainly disillusioned progressives

AGE ○ Almost 60% are aged 18 to 34, with 27% more between 35 and 49

In 2016 theTrumpandClintoncampaignscompetedvigorouslyforanunlikelygroup:peoplewhodislikedbothcandidatesbutwere

stilllikelytovote.Trump’scampaigndubbedthemDoubleHaters,andintheclosingdaystheybrokedecisivelyforhim.Thisyear,

theDoubleHaterscouldonceagainfactorheavilyintherace—however,voterswithunfavorableviewsofTrumpandJoeBidenare

anentirelydifferentgroupthanlasttime.A Civiqstrackingpollfindsthatthey’reprimarilyyoung,disillusionedprogressiveswho,

if theyvotedintheDemocraticprimaries,wentoverwhelminglyforBernieSanders(69%).Manydon’tidentifyasDemocrats,ordo

soreluctantly:52%areindependents,40%areDemocrats,and8%areRepublicans.ButBidenis ina muchstrongerpositionwith

thesehostilevotersthanClintonwasfouryearsago.CiviqsfindsthatDoubleHaterspreferBiden over Trump 58% to 4%. The rest

say they’re voting for someone else or are unsure whom they’ll vote for.�JoshuaGreen

DOUBLE HATERS

ALEX BARTON ○ 23 �

○ OHIO ○ student

“[Biden]supports

essentiallynoneofthe

positionsthatI do.I’m

notinterestedinvoting

forthelesseroftwo

evilsif that‘lesserevil’

willcontinually get

more evil.”

THOMAS POOLE ○ 22 →

○ NORTH CAROLINA ○ student

“WithBiden,I feellikewe’reonrepeatfrom2016.

We’regettinga centristfromtheoldguardoftheDemocratic

Partywhowon’tmakeconcessions,whenI thinkweneed

majorchange.I’mconflicted,becauseI knowsomethings

wouldbebetterunderBiden.Asa memberoftheLGBT

community,myrightscouldbethreatenedif themargin

ontheSupremeCourttiltsanymoretowardconservatives.

Livingina swingstatelikeNorthCarolinadoesweighonme

a lot,becauseultimatelyjusta fewpeople’svotescouldend

updecidingtheelection—and if Trump were reelected, I’d

feel pretty torn up.”