Another good night for Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries —
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden came into Tuesday’s primaries riding a wave of voter confidence about his chances of victory in November — and that helped him win Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi.
Democratic primary voters in those states were more likely to think the former vice-president could defeat President Donald Trump in the general election, compared with Biden’s top rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to AP VoteCast surveys.
That perception of electability is part of what is drawing Democrats to rally around the more moderate Biden, who has emerged as the party’s front-runner thanks to moderate and conservative voters moving quickly in his direction.
Tuesday’s contests were the first head-to-head matchups between the two men, sharpening the focus on
voters views’ of their strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a look at voters’ opinions as they cast their ballots in half of the six primary contests on Tuesday.
ELECTABILITY Voters generally view Biden as the better match against Trump. About 80% in Michigan and Missouri believe Biden could beat the incumbent, while roughly 90% in Mississippi feel that way. Just about 60% of voters in each state think Sanders would be likely to defeat the incumbent president.
Still, there is some notable indecision among primary voters about whom they’ll cast a ballot for in November. Roughly 80% in each state say they will definitely vote for the Democratic candidate against Trump no matter who is nominated. But close to 20% say their decision depends on which candidate becomes the nominee.
In Michigan, a state that flipped Republican in 2016, those undecided voters looked more like potential
Trump voters than liberals unhappy with the prospect of a Biden nomination. Among voters saying their November decision depends on the nominee, about 20% describe themselves as conservative and roughly 60% say they are moderate. That’s true in Republican-leaning Missouri as well.
WHO IS VOTING?
In the Democratic presidential contests, it’s all about what women want.
About 60% of Democratic primary voters in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi were women. This fits a pattern in most states where a firm majority of voters are women. This has helped boost Biden, who has beating Sanders among women voters.
Other key Democratic demographics showed up for Biden on Tuesday. In Mississippi, about twothirds of voters were African American, among Biden’s most loyal supporters. About 70% described themselves as moderate or conservative, another base of Biden support. The other defining characteristic of the state was that 70% of its voters said they lived in small towns and rural communities.
By contrast, about two-thirds of voters in Missouri and Michigan live in cities and suburbs. Roughly three-quarters of voters were white. Roughly 60% were self-described moderates and conservatives, compared with about 40% who called themselves liberal.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Sanders still gets love from voters under 30, but he has not delivered on his strategy of getting them to the polls.
He won 70% of this group in Missouri and 64% in Michigan. Just about a quarter of young voters in both states backed Biden. Sanders also pulled about even with Biden among voters ages 30 to 44. But the problem for Sanders was that this group was too small to help him be competitive overall.
The under-30 crowd was just 15% of voters in Missouri and 13% in Michigan. In all three states, roughly 60% of voters were 45 and older, a group Biden has won over handily.
BLUE COLLAR LOYALTIES Both Biden and Sanders have claimed to be the working-class candidate. On Tuesday, Biden assembled a coalition that could back him up.
About 60% of voters in Missouri and Michigan don’t have a college degree, and Biden won about 60% of their votes in both states. At least 40% of voters earn less than $50,000; Biden won a majority of their votes.
Biden’s strength among voters without a college degree crossed race and gender, suburbs and cities. Only young people defied the trend. Sanders appeared to beat Biden with voters under 44 who don’t have a college degree.
YOU SAY YOU WANT
A REVOLUTION Voters in New Hampshire and Iowa wanted to change the U.S. political system. That turned out to be an outlier as the nomination battle spread to other states.
Voters on Tuesday were about evenly split on the question of change versus restoration.