Are there still “independent” voters out there?
I don’t think I’ve called myself “independent” since my 20s. Most people I know are pretty strongly aligned, although “my social circle” is a self-selecting set.
But they apparently exist.
Let’s stipulate in advance – any poll taken before Labor Day is pretty useless. Any poll taken before mid-October is suspect. And as we saw in 2016, all polls are potentially delusional.
That being said – the Dems can’t be liking what this poll tells us:
When asked who they would vote for if the election were being held today, 47% of independents said that they would vote for Trump and 37% said they would vote for Biden, the poll showed. Another 5% said that they weren’t sure who they would vote for and 11% said that they would vote third-party or vote for someone other than Trump or Biden.
I’m gonna guess that, and not Mayor McDreamy and Governor Klink growing spines, is what brought the Guard out to Nicollet Mall last week.
I’m not registered as anything for voting. I live in Minneapolis. I’ve gotten mail, door knockers, texts, and calls from various democratic candidates over the years. Yesterday, I received a flyer in the mail from the Trump campaign, clearly aimed at democratic voters that may be liberal, but not progressive. This is the first time I can recall getting anything from a non-democrat in Minneapolis (with the exception of the Legalize Weed presidential candidate riding around on his bike with a bed sheet flag).
In talking with many people over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that some people – especially here in MN – feel about politics the way they do about sports. They’ve got their team, and it has to win. And, you’ll see more winning if your team is the DFL vs the Vikings. Thankfully, some people are starting to have scales fall from their eyes.
A lot of the issues at hand are rather binary; for example, do you support taxpayer funded abortion on demand, or do you not? Can you really be in the middle on this one? Or what about “do you support allowing rioters to destroy entire neighborhoods because of their political views?”. Being “in the middle” on this one kinda means you’re not thinking about the issues at all.
And quite frankly, I can’t see how otherwise liberal/pro-choice people support the Democrats anymore–I would have thought, at least, that even pro-choicers would hesitate to send the bill for abortion to their pro-life neighbors, and that even those most predisposed to believe that police action victimizes blacks would hesitate to endorse the destruction of the Cub/Autozone where black people shop.
I actually consider myself an independent, though I tend to vote one side. I know two people on the Eastside of St Paul who are undecided. One is a bachelor who can barely manage his finances in order to both continue owning his duplex and put food on his table. He voted for Trump because, in his words, “why the Hell not?” This year, he was furloughed, then brought back at way reduced hours, but enough that he no longer is eligible for unemployment. He was doing great on unemployment, of course he overspent, so now he’s back to barely affording life. He isn’t sure if he’ll vote for Trump this year. “He turned out to be a goofball.” But, if doesn’t vote Trump, he is committed to not voting.
The other undecided has consistently been a Republican because of her pro-Life values. However, she believes Republicans don’t support education if Betsy Devoss is Secretary of Education. She thinks Biden is more supportive of education. (Yes, I have tried to talk to her about that idea).
Personally, I am not undecided. But, I can understand those struggling with their voting decisions.