By Jon Dougherty
White working-class voters, once a core constituency of the Democratic Party, has nearly flipped completely for Republicans, especially in the age of POTUS Donald Trump.
A new CNN survey on Tuesday found that the president has a double-digit lead over 2020 Democratic presidential contenders Sen. Bernie Sanders, an avowed socialist, and far-Left wunderkind Robert “Beto” O’Rourke with working-class whites.
The poll found that 54 percent of non-college-educated whites viewed POTUS Trump favorably. But just a fraction of voters felt the same about Sanders and O’Rourke, the latter a former U.S. representative from Texas who lost a 2018Â bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz.
Sanders has a 40 percent favorability rating among the key demographic, with O’Rourke’s favorability measuring just 20 percent.
Also, among those candidates, POTUS Trump is the only one whose unfavorability rating of 42 percent did not overshadow his favorables; Sanders’ unfavorable rating is 52 percent while O’Rourke’s 34 percent.
Those results are good news for the president as he heads into his reelection campaign because it means he has a strong favorability rating among white working-class voters in the industrial Midwest.
During his campaign against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, voters without a college degree backed him by a margin of 52-44 percent.
However, his backing was much stronger among non-college educated whites — 67 percent to 28 Â percent, which was the biggest margin between a Democrat and Republican candidate since 1980 among that demographic.
The defection of white working class to POTUS was a cause for concern among the Democratic contenders in 2016.
“I think that there needs to be a profound change in the way the Democratic Party does business,” Sanders said at the time. “It is not good enough to have a liberal elite. I come from the white working class, and I am deeply humiliated that the Democratic Party cannot talk to where I came from.”
The president’s high approval numbers in this key demographic come as the RNC posted a record month of fundraising in February — $14.6 million, which could be largely attributed to the fact that in January the party committed to backing him amid rumors that some GOP establishment types may try to challenge him in the 2020 primaries.
- Follow Jon Dougherty on Twitter at @JonDougherty10
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” . . . far-Left wunderkind Robert “Beto†O’Rourke.” Perfect description !!
Trump 2020
Jim Jordan 2024
Keep America Great !!
Jim Jordan great choice for 2024. A stand-up Constitutional conservative. Dear God I hope we win in 2020. The Liberal Train seems to be rolling. This deal with these socialist states handing over their electoral college votes to the popular vote winner has me a wee bit nervous. MAGA 2020
ALL White Americans (of European descent) should VOTE TRUMP IN 2020, AS A BLOCK!
Proof: America Is Already At War With Ourselves – We’ll Either Win That War And Save America Or Lose Our Country And Lives To Global Government Tyranny http://allnewspipeline.com/Once_Upon_A_Time.php
Read the comments. (Hint: tRuTh_Be_ToLd)
People who work for what they own just aren’t cool with the what’s mine is yours no private property stale 19th century hopiates that esteemed party member comrade Kommissar Sanders and Beto Pendejo have to offer.
The more Demon Candidates, the better….Bring it!
Yes indeed. Let them put their lunacy on display.