Hugh Hewitt on Meet the Press this morning declared he’d be voting for Sanders in Virginia’s open primary and for Trump in November election.
Seems pretty clear that Trump world thinks Sanders is the easiest challenger to defeat in November.
What other plausible explanation is there?
This is the rationale and fear of all of us Biden supporters. People like Hewitt know that Biden will have one of two effects on center and center-right swing voters:
- Vote for Biden
- Not vote for Trump
Either of those are good for us.
Meanwhile they also know that a Sanders candidacy has two different effects:
- Vote for Trump
- Not vote for Sanders
Either of those are bad for us
The inevitable question comes down to energy and voter likelihood. Like it or not, older and centrist voters tend to view voting as civic duty and are more likely to vote than left leaning youth. Obviously there’s an argument to be made that youth are more likely to show up if someone is more aligned to their interests. While true, it still requires placing our hopes on energizing a group that is historically less likely to vote than working the group that is more likely to vote. That’s not a bet many of us are willing to make.