On October 5, Falrleigh Dickinson University released a presidential poll, which asks about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, and Jill Stein. The results: Clinton 45%; Trump 36%; Johnson 11%; Stein 3%; other 1%; don’t know 3%; refused 1%.
Then the same respondents were asked, suppose the only presidential candidates were Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Jim Hedges of the Prohibition Party, and Monica Moorehead of the Workers World Party. The purpose was to see if the support for Johnson and Stein is genuine, or whether the respondents were telling pollsters they would vote for anyone other than Clinton and Trump. Those results: Clinton 47%; Trump 35%; Hedges 4%; Moorehead 3%; other 3% (the respondents had to volunteer that); don’t know 7%; refused 2%.
Scroll down to the third chart to see those results. Thanks to Political Wire for the link.
If they wanted to see if Johnson and Stein’s support was genuine, they should have had all 4 minor party candidates in the same poll to compare numbers.
This is indeed flattering: I am the first national Prohibition candidate to achieve 4% in any poll!
Interesting that they didn’t give the party of Johnson, Stein, Hedges or Moorehead and only referred to them as “third party candidate”
I’d vote for CHRIS Hedges …
From the looks of the poll results, it looks like much of the support for Johnson is genuine, while most of Steins is within statistical insignificance when compared to the other third party candidate support in the second poll.
By the poll’s logic people liked 47% of Hillary.
To James Hedges – I’ll drink to that !
Clinton goes from 45 to 47, Trump drops from 36 to 35. Pretty insignificant shifts, those.
If there’s any conclusion to draw, it would be that those who don’t intend to vote for one of the two major party candidates are indeed inclined to vote for “anyone else”.
Next time put my name alone next to Clinton and Trump. I bet I poll in double digits.
An interesting idea, but I think the logic is flawed. One can support Johnson or Stein (or anyone else) strongly, and still not have either Clinton or Trump as one’s next choice. Gee, if only there were some way we could use our votes to say “I like candidate A best, if not A then B, next maybe C, and I don’t like D or E at all.” (Oh, wait — there is a way . . . in fact, there are lots of ways. . . .)
While this poll does show there is relatively strong support for candidates other than Trump and Hillary, this polling agency forgets that there is more to political strength than just poll numbers. While 4% of voters might now be willing to vote for James Hedges or 3% for Monica Moorehead instead of Trump or Hillary, not enough people supported the Prohibition or Workers World Parties in recent years to make it possible for at least a majority of people to have that option (no offense to Hedges or Moorehead, it’s just a statement of fact under our country’s current and rather flawed ballot access system).
However, enough people DID support Jill Stein and the Green Party to make it possible for a vast majority, over 90% of voters including write-in states and about 90% in full ballot access, to have the option to vote for her.
How about GOOD and EVIL to each name ???
Do NOT vote for EVIL !!!! — Will Civil WAR II and/or World WAR III happen if EVIL wins ??? Duh.
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P.R. and NONPARTISAN App.V.
Darryl as the newly elected chair of the NewHampshire Libertarian party I hope you will work hard to help Gary Johnson win NewHampshire despite your disagreements with Gary .The Workers world party doesn’t stand a chance . Remember the party split when whole chapters formed The party for Socialism and Liberation .The Socialist Workers Party is a joke .They closed there branches in Houston and Boston
The Prohibition party is dead .
I wish Thomas Knapp was running for President .Now that would be interesting.
Go Jim Hedges!
Joshua H, : “However, enough people DID support Jill Stein and the Green Party to make it possible for a vast majority, over 90% of voters including write-in states and about 90% in full ballot access, to have the option to vote for her.”
‘Enough People’ is not the issue. The number of signatures required to make the ballot in most states is less than 5%. Qualifying for the Ballot is contingent upon having the economic resources to go out an hire the Signature Gathers.
What the study attempts to do is establish a baseline value for the Dominant Party “Antipathy Vote”. From there it can be established who is actually pulling a lever for a candidate because they know that candidate and want him or her to win. And from this study it appears that Jill Stein does not have a measurable amount of bedrock support. Confirmation of this will come in the closing weeks of the race when the Democrats open up on the Greens and let them have it. In all cases thus far the Antipathy Vote the Greens garner evaporates like a mirage on Election Day.
What a joy to see Jim Hedges included in a national poll. Even more so to see him get 4%.