By Doyle McManus
WASHINGTON — This year’s presidential election campaign is likely to be remembered as a year in which voters pondered a rematch no one really wanted.
President Biden and former President Trump are likely to win their parties’ nominations. Yet a recent Associated Press-NORC poll found that 58% of Americans dislike the idea of Trump running again, and 56% are unhappy with Biden for staying in the race.
That gives an enormous amount of power to those who dislike both, the “double haters.”
That happened in 2016, when voters who disliked Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton broke in Trump’s favor. And again in 2020, when the double haters deserted Trump for Biden.
But this campaign has another wild card: independent and third-party candidates.
Early polls have found that when voters are offered a third choice, up to 17% grab it — enough to swing the election.
Source: L.A. Times
