While Bernie Sanders supporters argue that Sanders is more electable than other candidates due to his wide appeal. But new polls throw cold water on that argument. They show that Sander’s support has waned in recent months.
According to new CNN polling data, “Sanders [has a favorability] rating at 46% compared to an unfavorable rating of 45% among registered voters.”
This follows a Quinnipiac University poll from late December gave the Vermont senator a net favorability of just +2 points. An average of all recent polls put Sanders' net favorability at about -1 points.
The trend of his declining support began last year. A CNN poll taken in early December 2018 gave him a +13 net favorability rating with all voters. A Gallup poll in September 2018 had him at a +15 net favorability rating with all adults.
Now, however, Sanders' favorable rating is at 46 percent among registered voters, compared to an unfavorable rating of 45 percent, according to CNN.
Mixed results from the CNN poll:
Another result of the poll was this: According to the newest CNN poll, 30 percent of Democratic voters think their party has a better chance of winning with him as the nominee, but 59 percent think a different candidate would be more likely to win.
That means that Bernie Sanders has a lot of work to do to keep his base of support.
One bright side is that Bernie Sanders is still polling well compared to many of the other potential nominees. He continues to poll at the top of the pack in Iowa, for instance.
Most of these other candidates, however, are relatively unknown. At least at this point, it's not the case that Sanders is less electable than the average Democrat. It's just that he cannot make the case that he is more electable based on national polling.
