1 year ago
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Republicans and Democrats worth antithetic enactment styles successful the Oval Office, 1 crushed it's hard to get things done.
What if you could prime a president to order?
Let's stipulate astatine the commencement that you can't, that the choice successful the 2024 predetermination volition beryllium among existent quality beings, not immoderate perfect drawn successful the abstract.
That said, Americans successful the USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll did explicit preferences astir the characteristics they recovered appealing successful a president and the ones they said didn't matter. In each that whitethorn beryllium guideposts and reddish flags for the existent radical who volition tally oregon are reasoning astir it.
David Paleologos, manager of the Suffolk Political Research Center, said the occupation posting could spell thing similar this: "Wanted – a 51-to-65-year-old politician with concern acquisition and consenting to compromise to get things done. Military acquisition a bonus."
"Unfortunately, the statesmanlike predetermination of 2024 presently has nary declared perfect candidates," helium said, and neither President Joe Biden nor erstwhile president Donald Trump is simply a neat lucifer to the description. In the poll, helium notes, "Over 6 successful 10 accidental they don't privation Trump oregon Biden to tally successful 2024."
The survey of 1,000 registered voters, taken by landline and cellphone Dec. 7-11, has a borderline of mistake of positive oregon minus 3.1 percent points.
How aged should the president be?
The saccharine spot is later middle age, betwixt 51 and 65 years old, the property radical chosen by 50% of those surveyed. An further 25% picked earlier mediate age, 35 to 50 years old.
Those findings could beryllium cautionary for Trump, who past period announced another presidential bid. The erstwhile president volition beryllium 78 years aged connected Inauguration Day successful 2025; conscionable 8% said an perfect president would beryllium 66 to 80 years old.
It's an adjacent greater caution for Biden, who says helium is inclined to question a 2nd term. He'll beryllium 82 astatine the adjacent inauguration; little than 1 percent chose a president 80 oregon older. Put different way, conscionable 4 respondents among 1,000 radical surveyed chose that oldest property group.
Younger voters were much apt to similar younger presidents. Among those nether 35 years old, 41% said their perfect president would beryllium betwixt 35 and 50, the youngest property radical eligible for the office.
Is it clip for a pistillate president?
Maybe not.
Most voters, a 55% majority, volunteered that sex doesn't matter. That would beryllium quality to Hillary Clinton and different pistillate candidates, who judge they encountered political headwinds due to the fact that of their sex.
For a important fig of Americans, the Oval Office remains a man's world. Overall, those who expressed a penchant chose a antheral implicit a pistillate arsenic perfect by much than 2-1, 28%-12%.
Among Republicans, 50% said the perfect president would beryllium antheral while a negligible 2% said she would beryllium female. In contrast, Democrats with a penchant chose a pistillate implicit a antheral by 2-1, 24%-11%.
Political independents were the astir apt to accidental sex doesn't matter. Nearly two-thirds, 63%, volunteered that view.
Is determination a sex spread connected gender?
Among those voters with a preference, men by 8-1 preferred a antheral president implicit a pistillate one, 32%-4%. Women were somewhat much apt to similar a antheral president arsenic well, 25%-19%.
The hometown effect: Where are you from?
Most of those surveyed, 57%, said it doesn't substance wherever a president is from.
Those who said it does matter were inclined to favour idiosyncratic from their ain portion of the country. The determination propulsion was strongest successful the heartland, chosen by 27% of Midwesterners. The East Coast was preferred by 20% of those from the Northeast; the South by 18% of those from the South; the West Coast by 16% of those from the West.
Which party? How astir neither?
It's nary astonishment that Democratic voters overwhelmingly wanted a Democratic president (71%) and Republican voters overwhelmingly wanted a Republican 1 (74%).
But determination was notable enactment for a president not affiliated with either large governmental party. That was the penchant not lone of two-thirds of independents (67%) but besides of 17% of Democrats and 13% of Republicans.
Younger voters were the slightest tethered to a party. Among those 18 to 35 years old, 31% preferred a Democratic president and 19% a Republican one, but a 41% plurality said their perfect president would beryllium an independent.
Leadership style: Compromise oregon not?
By treble digits, 57% to 34%, Americans privation a president who compromises successful bid to get things done, alternatively than 1 who stands connected rule nary substance what.
But the differences down the numbers assistance explicate why actually getting things done often has proved to beryllium truthful hard successful Washington.
By 4-1, 74%-19%, Democrats privation a president who volition chopped a deal. Republicans by 50%-38% similar a president who stands connected principle, adjacent if it means things don't get done.
That spread connected enactment styles was 1 of the biggest partisan divides successful the poll.
Political experience? Yes, but...
Experience successful authorities was seen arsenic a positive by astir voters. Democrats preferred senators implicit governors, 37%-32%. Republicans, successful what whitethorn bespeak a GOP antipathy for each things Washington, preferred governors implicit senators by 3-1, 36%-11%.
Among Republicans, determination seemed to beryllium immoderate backlash to governmental experience. One-third, 32%, would similar idiosyncratic with nary governmental experience.
Business experience? Yes, but...
There was also a partisan disagreement connected the worth of concern acquisition successful the cleanable president.
Overall, 56% said an perfect president would person a inheritance successful business. That included an overwhelming 85% of Republicans.
Among Democrats, however, determination seemed to beryllium immoderate backlash to firm experience. By 55%-29%, they preferred a president with nary concern background. That whitethorn bespeak absorption to Trump, the real-estate magnate and reality-TV prima who had ne'er tally for bureau until helium won the presidency successful 2016.
Military experience? Yes, but...
Service successful the subject was a wide plus among Republicans; 61% said their perfect president would person served successful the military. Democratic views were much mixed: 31% favored a president who had served; 37% preferred 1 who had not. Another 31% volunteered that it didn't substance 1 mode oregon the other.
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