Interlopers reign
Trump, Sanders surge as disillusioned voters search for di≠erent options.
washington» This has become the summer of the political outsider, as interlopers upend and dominate the presidential nominating process in both parties.
The surging candidacies of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are fueled by people’s anger with the status quo and craving of authenticity in political leaders.
Across the ideological spectrum, candidates are gaining traction by separating themselves from the political and economic system that many everyday Americans see as rigged against them.
“There are a lot of voters who are exceptionally frustrated with traditional politics and politicians and who quite simply feel failed by the system,” said pollster Geoff Garin, who advises Priorities USA Action, a super PAC supporting Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. “A lot of this anger crosses party lines in the sense that it is directed at what people see as a concentration of wealth and power that leaves them holding the short end of the stick.”
Consider recent developments in the Republican race. Rick Perry was governor of Texas for 14 years and had an enviable jobs record to boot, but his presidential campaign is running on fumes. Sen. Lindsey Graham has served on Capitol Hill for a quarter century, yet the South Carolina Republican barely cracks 1 percent in the polls.
In stark contrast, Ben Carson, a soft-spoken retired surgeon with far more expertise in separating conjoined twins than brokering trade agreements, is surging in recent polls and turned out one of the biggest campaign crowds yet in Des Moines last week. Carly Fiorina, a businesswoman who has never held elected office, is also on the upswing.
Then there is Trump. The brash billionaire, who loudly brands politicians as “stupid” and “losers,” has rocketed to front-runner status.
On the left, Sanders has blazed a similar outside trail. The self-described socialist senator from Vermont, who routinely scolds the Washington and Wall Street establishments, is giving Clinton a scare. He has drawn massive overflow crowds — and Wednesday, he surpassed Clinton in a New Hampshire poll for the first time.
“There’s a longing for real authenticity in politics today,” said Tad Devine, a veteran Democratic strategist who is advising Sanders. “People feel that the candidates are too manufactured, there’s not enough spontaneity. They want someone who, even if they don’t agree with them, is telling it like they see it, really leveling with voters. I see that with Bernie and, I think, with Trump, too. It’s resonating very powerfully.”
Clinton has been treading carefully in responding to the populist threat Sanders poses but has spent the summer laying out a progressive agenda on immigration reform, voting rights, college affordability, regulating the financial sector and economic pocketbook concerns, such as expanding paid leave.