Voter Targeting Stredegy
The traditionally political theory has been that a politician wants to maintain their base and get as many undecided/independent voters as possible, but perhaps this is missing a much larger potential block of voters.
Roughly 43 percent of eligible voters didn't bother filling out a ballot in 2016, according to turnout estimates from the U.S. Elections Project.
The overall number doesn't really matter given the electoral college (I understand why people don't bother to vote in states that lean heavily one way or the other). But even in swing states, like Florida, 25% of eligible voters don't show up to vote.
If Hillary Clinton would have gotten just 5% of non-voters to vote for her, she would have won Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, and North Carolina (more than enough to win the election). So who doesn't vote? The largest segment are young people (18-29), followed by minorities. These potential voters might not care about policy, but what type of candidate would they come out to support.
This is good news for Bernie Sanders who has strong support among young people (I'm not sure why), and bad news for Pete Buttigieg who has strong support from people who are already going to vote.
Let's say the nominee wanted to select a VP specifically to inspire non-voters to support them, who would it be? My criteria would be that they have to be successful, have minimal baggage, and most importantly be popular. Here is my short list: Michael Jordan, Lin Manuel Miranda, Will Smith, and Dwayne Johnson. "The Rock" is actually very interested in politics, he's tremendously popular in Florida, and for people that wouldn't normally vote, he could get them excited. If the Democrats want to win, you don't pick who is most qualified, you pick who is most popular (for better or worse, that is the truth. Actually it is for worse, but it isn't going to change.).
Roughly 43 percent of eligible voters didn't bother filling out a ballot in 2016, according to turnout estimates from the U.S. Elections Project.
The overall number doesn't really matter given the electoral college (I understand why people don't bother to vote in states that lean heavily one way or the other). But even in swing states, like Florida, 25% of eligible voters don't show up to vote.
If Hillary Clinton would have gotten just 5% of non-voters to vote for her, she would have won Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, and North Carolina (more than enough to win the election). So who doesn't vote? The largest segment are young people (18-29), followed by minorities. These potential voters might not care about policy, but what type of candidate would they come out to support.
This is good news for Bernie Sanders who has strong support among young people (I'm not sure why), and bad news for Pete Buttigieg who has strong support from people who are already going to vote.
Let's say the nominee wanted to select a VP specifically to inspire non-voters to support them, who would it be? My criteria would be that they have to be successful, have minimal baggage, and most importantly be popular. Here is my short list: Michael Jordan, Lin Manuel Miranda, Will Smith, and Dwayne Johnson. "The Rock" is actually very interested in politics, he's tremendously popular in Florida, and for people that wouldn't normally vote, he could get them excited. If the Democrats want to win, you don't pick who is most qualified, you pick who is most popular (for better or worse, that is the truth. Actually it is for worse, but it isn't going to change.).
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