A new survey of voters in 18 congressional toss-up districts by the Working Families Party showed voters, and especially independents, want candidates who challenge the political system.
The survey found 80% of voters agreed that elected officials care more about wealthy donors and powerful interests than people like them. When given a choice between a generic candidate who is an experienced elected official who focuses on “practical reforms” who gets funding from established groups and party donors, or a “political outsider who says the system is broken” who calls for changes to the status quo, the outsider wins by 14 points in the poll, including among independents and moderates.
“The survey does not show that every progressive policy or organizational cue is equally effective,” a polling memo from the Working Families Party says. “Instead, it points to a broader candidate posture: challenge concentrated power, demonstrate independence from party leadership, and connect change to material improvements in people’s lives.”
The Working Families Party, a progressive minor political party that’s growing in recent years, concludes that advocating for changing the political system instead of a conventional move toward the political center in a competitive district is a more winnable strategy.
“The strongest candidate in this environment is therefore not simply the most progressive or the most moderate,” the memo says. “It is the candidate who can credibly demonstrate that they are independent of entrenched power, willing to challenge their own party, and focused on delivering meaningful improvements for working people.”
About the Author
On one hand “The survey does not show that every progressive policy or organizational cue is equally effective,” a polling memo from the Working Families Party says. But at the same time “The strongest candidate in this environment is therefore not simply the most progressive or the most moderate,” the memo says.
Working Families has been vocal about this, good to see them staying on it.
Think about it: “The survey does not show that every progressive policy or organizational cue is equally effective,” a polling memo from the Working Families Party says. That speaks volumes.
The bigger issue here is a new survey of voters in 18 congressional toss-up districts by the Working Families Party showed voters, and especially independents, want candidates who challenge the political system. That changes the calculation.
What stands out is a new survey of voters in 18 congressional toss-up districts by the Working Families Party showed voters, and especially independents, want candidates who challenge the political system. That is the part worth paying attention to.
Basically the survey found 80% of voters agreed that elected officials care more about wealthy donors and powerful interests than people like them. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Reading that a new survey of voters in 18 congressional toss-up districts by the Working Families Party showed voters, and especially independents, want candidates who challenge the political system — hard to argue with the logic there.
Reading that “The survey does not show that every progressive policy or organizational cue is equally effective,” a polling memo from the Working Families Party says — hard to argue with the logic there.