WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “ELECTABLE” IN THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL RACE?
Democrats often offer the opinion, that of the over 20 Democratic candidates vying to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in the 2020 Presidential race, any of them would be far better leaders of the United states than Donald Trump. Yet when it comes to preferences, Democrats start with “electability,” and even though a survey conducted by the Quinniplac University found that those who lean Democrat do not have a preference toward the race or gender of their Democratic candidates, recent polls show that they DO have a preference when they decide who is the most electable.
Does “most electable” hinge on qualifications, or even who has shown their past electability? So far, polls show potential Democratic voters’ first choices for electability are Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Beto O’Rourke; so is the key for electability that one should be a white male? Is it possible that among Democrats, perceptions of electability bring about concerns that a woman or a person of color cannot be electable because throughout history, with one notable exception, Presidents have always been older white males?
Polls indicate that many Democrats believe that most voters would be less likely to vote for a woman candidate simply because of her gender, in comparison to a small percentage who think a man would face a similar roadblock; and a large number believe that a nonwhite candidate would also be at a large disadvantage.
While every single Democratic candidate wants to be electable, and potential voters’ view of what that means when they decide who will win the Democratic party’s candidacy will play a huge part in who actually gets through the primary election, and voters who professes to be Democrats will want to oust Trump, every Democrat will want a candidate who is electable; but since Democrats say that every candidate would be far better than Trump, then every candidate IS electable, so is it possible that Democrats are just seeing electability through Republicans’ eyes?
Electability has often been a way to look at which candidate has the broadest appeal. But does that mean choosing a candidate who could more easily look like a Republican? Is it possible that some Democrats have convinced themselves that in order to beat a white guy one must BE a white guy?
