As Democrats have struggled to rebuild in the “Post-Trump” era, one coping mechanism employed has been to focus on their potential contenders for the White House in 2020. In fact, about a month ago we published a list, crafted by The Hill, of the top names being tossed around that were expected to make a bid for the Democratic nomination in four years (see “Here’s Who Democrats Say Are The Top 15 Presidential Candidates For 2020“).
Not surprisingly, and proving that Democrats learned very little from the 2016 election cycle, the list included several well-known establishment names including Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden and even Tim Kaine. But, right at the top of the list at #1 was the ultra “progressive” Senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren.
But while Warren might be the Dems’ new hope for becoming the first female president in 2020 (something that Lena Dunham desperately needs in her life), a new poll from her home state suggests that she may want to focus on holding her Senate seat in Massachusetts before setting her sites on the White House. According to a new poll from WBUR, 46% of registered voters in Massachusetts would like to “give someone else a chance” in the Senate while only 44% say Warren “deserves reelection.”
And while Warren’s 51% “favorable” rating may provide some comfort to anxious Dems, it would seem concerning that Massachusetts’ Republican governor is viewed more “favorably” at 59%.
While Massachusetts’ Republican Governor Charile Baker hasn’t announced any plans to oppose Warren in 2018, WBUR notes that the poll numbers from the state, at least as of right now, suggest his bipartisan appeal give him a good chance of defeating the far more polarizing Elizabeth Warren.
But according to a new WBUR poll, only 44 percent think Warren “deserves reelection.” Forty-six percent think voters ought to “give someone else a chance.”
“No one’s going to look at a 44 percent reelect number and think that that’s a good number,” said Steve Koczela, president of The MassINC Polling Group, which conducts surveys for WBUR. “No one’s going to look at it being close to even between ‘reelect’ and ‘give someone else a chance’ and think that that’s reassuring.”
Warren’s numbers contrast sharply with those of Gov. Charlie Baker. His favorability rating is 59 percent — 8 points better than Warren. But what’s more striking is that only 29 percent of poll respondents think someone else should get a chance at the governor’s office.
How could the state’s top Republican be more popular than its top Democrat? Steve Koczela says it’s about bipartisanship.
“When you look at Elizabeth Warren’s favorables, only 12 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of her,” Koczela said. “When you look at Baker, 60 percent of Democrats view him favorably. So he has bipartisan appeal where Elizabeth Warren really never has.”
Seems there is a downside to being completely dismissive of the will of approximately 50% of the population…even in Massachusetts.
via http://ift.tt/2j7tQjR Tyler Durden