I think this is a fascinating question to ponder for academic purposes: Could Bernie Sanders have defeated Donald Trump? And if so, how?

Certainly his success would depend on his ability to mobilize the non-white voters who comprise nearly half of the Democratic electorate, and the female voters who make up the majority of the Democratic electorate. So his hypothetical general election campaign hinges on his ability to reach out to two demographics he struggled with during the primary. Perhaps Trump’s overt racism and sexism would do most of the work of pushing women and people of color to Bernie. On the other hand, maybe Bernie’s myopic disinterest in racial issues and women’s rights altogether alienates these voters.

Also, Bernie would certainly struggle to win moderate swing voters and Republican-leaning suburban soccer moms. Perhaps he could compensate for these deficiencies by gaining third-party supporters and by bringing disenfranchised non-voters into the process. On the other hand, maybe the prospect of an atheist socialist Jew in the White House causes a right-wing stampede to the ballot box.

It sure would be interesting to peek into an alternate reality to see how Bernie would fare.