By Terren Klein
CEO, College Pulse
While Joe Biden has been branded as the moderate presidential candidate best poised to beat President Donald Trump, and even as Michael Bloomberg considers entering the race, another Democratic hopeful has more potential to galvanize young voters in 2020.
A tracking survey of Democratic college students by Chegg and College Pulse has shown that Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren consistently lead the pack of 2020 contenders. But a new survey of college students overall finds that Andrew Yang outperforms his Democratic opponents in head-to-head matchups with President Trump, due in large part to support from college Independents and Republicans.
Yang Leads in a Head-To-Head Matchup with Trump
Regardless of who you may support in the 2020 presidential primaries, who would you vote for if each of these candidates were the nominee…
Sanders and Warren excite Democratic college students far more than other candidates. In an overwhelming majority, 94% of Democratic students say they would vote for Sanders in a head-to-head matchup with Trump, while 92% say they would vote for Warren over Trump. Yang, however, has much stronger support from college Independents and Republicans, while still maintaining strong support from Democrats.
Almost one in five (18%) Republican students say they would vote for Yang over Trump. In contrast, Biden’s more moderate platform draws just 12% of Republican students in a general election. Even fewer college Republicans say they would vote for Warren or Sanders over Trump.
What’s more, almost two-thirds of Independent students would vote for Yang over Trump, while about half say the same about Biden, Warren, and Sanders.
While the top Democrats all beat Trump by large margins in head-to-head matchups among college voters, Yang wins by a shocking 51 points thanks to Independent and Republican voters. The candidates polling the highest nationally — Sanders, Warren, and Biden — all beat Trump by about 40 points, while Pete Buttigieg beats Trump by 34 points.
Sanders, Warren, and Biden would all face a close general election against President Trump in key battleground states that decided the 2016 election, according to recent surveys from The New York Times and Siena College. Yang’s ability to woo young moderate voters could attract higher turnout for the Democrats in those states.
Like Trump, Yang is a businessman who has never held political office. While he advocates for a universal basic income (UBI) and a form of Medicare For All, Yang doesn’t get the same “socialist” label given to Sanders and Warren. At the same time, three-quarters of Independent students and more than one-third of Republican students support his plan for addressing the nation’s student debt crisis.
“There is a reason why you’re still hearing about Yang,” a University of West Florida student says. “UBI will allow people to work harder in the jobs that they are passionate about — that still hold immense societal value — because it gives an economic cushion, allowing people to take more risks on investment, entrepreneurship, and public service.”
More Enthusiasm for Yang than Biden
The Yang campaign has a dedicated base that’s kept him in the fight while more seasoned politicians like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke have dropped out. Yet he could still face a dip in enthusiasm from young Democratic voters, especially when it comes to volunteering for his campaign in the general election.
With 15% of college Democrats saying they will only volunteer for the Democratic campaign if their top choice becomes the nominee, Yang may miss out on help from the 89% of young Democratic voters who rank other candidates first. Another 13% of Democratic students say they plan to get involved with the Democratic campaign regardless of the eventual nominee, but Sens. Sanders and Warren may better galvanize young grassroots campaigners.
Still, the Yang campaign has more support from young voters than the Biden campaign. College students are more likely to say they would write in a third-party candidate in a general election between Biden and Trump than in an election between Yang and Trump (15% vs. 10%). Just 6% of college Democrats hope Biden wins the nomination.
“Honestly I’m afraid of Biden winning the primaries,” a Fort Hays State University student says. “If it’s Trump vs. Biden and Trump wins, then it’s withstanding four more years of Trump, and then we can try again to get progressive candidates on the board. If Biden wins, then we’re essentially guaranteed no changes for eight more years.”
College students are a crucial demographic for the Democratic Party in 2020, as battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Florida each have more than 150 four-year colleges and universities. While Democratic students favor Warren and Sanders, Yang’s campaign may be unique in attracting students from across the political spectrum.
About Chegg:
Chegg puts students first. As the leading student-first connected learning platform, Chegg strives to improve the overall return on investment in education by helping students learn more in less time and at a lower cost. Chegg is a publicly-held company based in Santa Clara, California and trades on the NYSE under the symbol CHGG. For more information, visit www.chegg.com.
About College Pulse:
College Pulse is an online survey and analytics company dedicated to understanding the attitudes, preferences, and behaviors of today’s college students. College Pulse offers custom data-driven marketing and research solutions, utilizing its unique American College Student Panel™ that includes 250,000 college student respondents from more than 800 two and four-year colleges and universities in all 50 states. For more information, visit https://collegepulse.com/.