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Jill Stein’s Platform Attracts Bernie Sanders Supporters As Poll Numbers Surge

By Frank Yemi
Published on: 04:58 PST, Aug 7, 2016

With Clinton and Trump having issues with trust, third-party candidates, such as Jill Stein and Gary Johnson, are enjoying a surge in the polls.

Jill Stein is officially the Green Party’s nominee, and she addressed angry Bernie Sanders supporters in her acceptance speech.

“I want to thank Bernie Sanders supporters who refused to let the political revolution die,” Dr. Jill Stein said in her Green Party acceptance speech. “We have a tremendous opportunity before us. The American people are longing for a change. They are ready to do something different, and we have to be the vehicle for that difference.”

Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton after failing to clinch the Democratic nomination. Many of his supporters have claimed they will defect. While Donald Trump tried to court these disgruntled progressives, they seem to learn towards Jill Stein’s Green Party policies.

According to the Washington Post, Donald Trump comes in fourth place behind both Gary Johnson and Jill Stein in new polls among young people.

The McClatchy poll shows the Republican nominee getting 1 in 10 votes, which comes to 9 percent among a younger demographic under the age of 30. Hillary Clinton leads with 41 percent, while Johnson is at 23 percent and Dr. Stein is at 16 percent.

While these numbers are good for Jill Stein’s Green Party, it seems like most of Bernie Sanders supporters are sticking with Hillary Clinton. Sanders beat Hillary when it came to young voters. So, with the Democratic nominee at 41 percent suggest that the Bernie or Bust progressives are a minority of Bernie supporters.

However, Clinton is still enjoying the Democratic National Convention surge and things may change as we head closer to November.

Jill Stein’s comments on vaccines, which made headlines, may have dampened her appeal to progressives. Dr. Stein allegedly sent and deleted a tweet that states “there’s no evidence that autism is caused by vaccines,” which suggest that she is flirting with the anti-vaccine crowd.

Although she has stated that she is not anti-vaccine, the flirtation with the idea will not sit well with Bernie Sanders progressives.

However, there are many of her Green Party’s policies that will charm progressives, which is why she is surging in polls. Some of these policies are free higher education, a $15 minimum wage, and equality for immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, and Native Americans. She is also active in standing against racial injustices in the African American community.

These policies echo the Bernie Sanders revolution.

Some political commentators suggest her comments about Wi-Fi hurting kids is crazy. There is no scientific evidence that kids are harmed by it.

In her acceptance speech, she touched on why Bernie Sanders’ voters are attracted to the Green Party, stating the following.

“We have been ahead of the curve in so many ways — on climate change, on green energy on demilitarization, on marriage equality, on free public higher education and canceling student debt, on stopping the [Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal]. On ending the war on drugs and the incarceration state, on providing reparations for slavery and to the indigenous people. On opposing war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen and war crimes and occupation committed by the Israeli government in Palestine.”

With the “Jill, Not Hill,” slogan taking storm with progressives can Jill Stein’s Green Party win the election? The answer is no, but that is not the goal. With 5 percent of the popular vote the Green Party would quality for public campaign funds to use in the 2020 presidential campaign.

This will also come with media attention that ensure the nominee for the Green Party is well-known to the public and they will have a better shot at the next election.

What do you think Jill Stein’s odds are for getting 5 percent of the popular vote?

Leave your comments below.

[Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]

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