BUFFALO, N.Y. — Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the presumed Republican and Democratic candidates for the 2024 presidential election. But their names don't inspire much confidence for many Americans.
The group of voters who don't prefer either major party candidate in an election is known as “double haters.”
“I'm scared no matter who wins,” Wendy Lankton of Buffalo said.
“What really matters is which one you hate the most,” Wheatfield resident Bill Bilson added.
This demographic is nothing new — just ask Jacob Neiheisel, an associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo.
“We've always talked about choosing the lesser of two evils,” he said.
This presidential election and its population is larger than normal.
“There are a variety of indicators that show polarization is increasing, and relatively speaking, it's at its highest point,” Neiheisel explained. “All of this suggests that we're going to have a difficult election season.”
Spectrum News 1 Buffalo Take to the streets to listen to voters.
“There aren't many solid options,” Bilson said.
He is one of those who hasn't decided yet.
“I've actually retired from politics,” he laughed. “I feel like everything's going to end the way it is.”
While the double bashing is unlikely to have a major impact on New York, people will be watching to see what happens elsewhere.
“If so many people become angry, negative and disillusioned and don't vote at all, that could make all the difference in the outcome,” Lankton added.
They have some ideas that might change people's minds.
“Immigration is definitely a big issue,” said Buffalo resident Dennis Hinterberger.
“I think the big issues are going to be crime and abortion,” Lankton said.
It remains to be seen whether these issues and current events will sway voters.
“What path will I choose at that point? Who knows,” Bilson said. “Will I go with a third party? Will I go with one of the major candidates? I don't know.”
There aren't many demographic characteristics that distinguish people who dislike both parties, but they tend to skew younger, according to the Monmouth University poll: About 27% of people under 35 dislike both Trump and Biden, dropping to 16% of those 35 to 54 and 10% of those over 55.
“You never know what a double-hater might do,” Neiheisel said.
In 2016, the number of dual haters was about the same, but Trump won that demographic. In 2020, Biden won over the dual haters, but their numbers dropped, according to exit polls.
But that's not all.
“They tend to be expensive, right? The cheapest thing you can get is people who already support you,” Neiheisel explained. “In 2012, Barack Obama lost some independents, but he ended up winning a majority of Democrats, so it didn't matter.”
Neiheisel said some people may say they won't vote for either candidate because the election is so far away, but that will likely change as the day gets closer.
“We know that just under 90 percent of our supporters are going home, so if they have a party mentality, they're going to vote for that party,” he said. “Even though they're going to look at polls and say, 'Actually, I don't like either of them.'”
There are third-party candidates, but polls suggest that only a small proportion of people who dislike both parties would actually vote for a third party.
