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Bernie Sanders Vs. Hillary Clinton: Who’s Really Winning In The Polls?

By Val Powell
Published on: 23:25 PST, Dec 13, 2015

As the primaries draw to a close, it seems like Hillary Clinton will effortlessly cruise past other Democratic candidates en route to the nomination.

A recent poll by CBS and the New York Times showed that Clinton still leads the group of Democratic candidates, getting 52 percent of primary voters’ support.

In the poll, the former Secretary of State leads the polls among several voter groups – men, women, liberals, non-whites, and voters over the age of 45.

In another polling conducted by CNN/ORC and Quinnipiac University, Clinton also came ahead as the winner, leading by 28 points against her closest rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Not Trustworthy

But is Clinton really ahead of the national polls among Democratic presidential candidates? If it were so, a report claims that it means people are voting for someone they do not trust or like. Quinnipiac’s poll showed that as far as trustworthiness is concerned, American voters say in “60 – 36 percent” that Clinton is not honest or trustworthy. The same university also released a report back in August, entitled “Trump GOP Lead Grows As Clinton Dem Lead Shrinks,” where it indicated that voters associate the word “liar” with Clinton.

In contrast, Republican candidate Donald Trump is associated with the word “arrogant,” while voters reportedly associate “Bush” with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

If a significant number of voters think that Hillary Clinton is a liar, then why is she leading in the national polls as the Democratic presidential candidate?

Columnist H.A. Goodman argues in his article that the television and media, in general, tend to “gravitate” away from honest individuals “and towards anyone who will sell commercials.”

History Repeats Itself?

Goodman also makes the comparison between Clinton’s campaign for the presidency this year and in 2007 against Pres. Barack Obama. While reports have shown that Clinton maintained a “large lead” over Obama, the latter still won the nomination bid for the presidency.

Although Clinton led the polls, Obama took advantage of his huge following among African American and younger voters.

As if history were repeating itself, Bernie Sanders also leads Hillary Clinton by net (+11) among younger Democratic voters.

In addition, as opposed to Clinton’s traditional campaign using mainstream media, TV and PR, Sanders is getting significant support from social media, which explains the approval he has been getting from younger voters.

Social Media for Sanders

Sanders’ dominance in social media also allows more people to know more about him, his platform, plans, and projects once he gets elected as President.

The Washington Post previously reported that Sanders is getting favorable results from Google searches, where nine out of his top 10 results are “very pro” in the analysis.

On the other hand, almost everyone knows about Hillary Clinton, her accomplishments, credentials as an able leader, and even some controversies that involve Islamophobia, prison lobbyist donors, and an “abysmal” racial justice record, as mentioned by Black Lives Matter in Boston founder Daunasia Yancey.

Another report showed that Bernie Sanders has topped almost every single poll right after the two Democratic debates, which indicates that he does not have to spend millions of dollars to convince people that he is trustworthy and honest. The people seem to be doing the talking for him on social media.

Right now, national polling will not be the sole basis for a candidate’s popularity. The advent and huge impact of social media have become an entirely new voter group that candidates should court as well.

If Bernie Sanders is capable of bringing more of the younger Democratic voters to choose him in the primaries, then he might actually have a shot at the nomination.

[Photos by Ethan Miller and Darren McCollester/Getty Images]

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