Where exit polls are conducted, Bernie Sanders is the favored Democratic candidate in 13 out of the 16 states. This means that those Americans who are independent voters or “swing voters” are more likely to vote for Sanders as opposed to former Vice President Joe Biden come November.
Independent voters are also referred to as “swing voters” because they tend to “swing national elections.” And according to CNN’s exit polls, Sanders won both Minnesota and North Carolina, which are competitive swing states during the election.
Bernie’s strong record on trade, his exemplary performance with Latino voters, and his overwhelming support among folks making <$40k make him a stronger electoral college candidate.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 6, 2020
He can put key Southwest states in play and is stronger in the industrial Midwest against Trump. https://t.co/wrYlN6wJI8
As a way to boost turnout during the general election, experts believe that the Democratic candidate must “energizes Democratic-leaning independents and independents who don’t lean toward any party affiliation” in order to beat Donald Trump, Common Dreams reported. Because in 2016, independent voters voted for Trump not Hillary Clinton.
“The criteria by which we should judge any Democratic presidential candidate’s electability is their popularity among Democratic-leaning independents and ‘true independents’ in swing states,” Nathan Tankus at Jacobin, wrote. “And by that metric, Sanders excels.”
Sanders’ campaign strategy is “not a pie-in-the-sky leftist dream, but a straightforward, clear-eyed understanding of electoral math,” Tankus wrote.
“In 13 out of 16 states, CNN exit polls show @BernieSanders won independent voters who often swing national elections,” David Sirota, Sanders’ speechwriter, tweeted. “Weird that this hasn’t been mentioned by anyone on cable TV in the 24-7 coverage of ‘electability.'”
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