Public opinion analyst disputes number of Independents that would vote for Schultz

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

A public opinion analyst said on Wednesday that the number of Independents that would vote for former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz as a third party presidential candidate would likely be very small.

"In a populist age, it's possible that there has been more support than there has been in the past, but the number of pure Independents in this country is very small. It's about 10 to 12 percent," Karlyn Bowman, a senior fellow for the American Enterprise Institute, told Hill.TV's Jamal Simmons on "What America's Thinking."

Schultz, who is contemplating a centrist, independent run for the White House, said on Sunday that he is looking to attract Americans who do not feel part of the Republican or Democratic parties.

“Republicans and Democrats alike — who no longer see themselves as part of the far extreme of the far right and the far left — are looking for a home,” Schultz said in an interview with The New York Times.

He also told NPR that "42 percent of the electorate, 42 percent, 30 percent are registered independents and 12 percent currently affiliate themselves with the Independents."

However, Marist Poll director Lee Miringoff told Hill.TV that most Independents lean Republican or Democratic.

https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/427711-public-opinion-analyst-says-schultz-would-only-be-able-to

[lame54]

1. He's trying to place himself in the middle...

When he is just a greedy right winger

[world wide wally]

2. I'll save you the trouble...

Less then 2%

[kurtcagle]

3. Third party candidates can be unpredictable

Remember that Ross Perot, as an independent, bled far more votes from those that likely would have voted Republican (George HW Bush) than he did the Democrats (Bill Clinton) in 1992. A Howard Schulz candidacy would likely draw more from Independents that are uneasy about Trump but would otherwise sit out the election before they would vote Democrat. It's also worth noting that I think Democrats are much more likely to unify around a single candidate this time around, and that there currently is no sign of a challenge from the left which tore the party apart in 2016. (Sanders won't run as a Democrat this time, and as such I think he'd be hard pressed to take advantage of what that confers.