There’s probably more “none of the above” voters than we know

SALT LAKE CITY — A growing number of Americans are being referred to as “double haters,” or those who list their preferred presidential candidate as ‘none of the above.’

If numbers reported by Politico ring true, 20%, or one in five voters, can’t stand either of the remaining presidential candidates.

Hinckley Institute of Politics Director Jason Perry told KSL NewsRadio it wouldn’t surprise him if that number is higher.

 

“I’m not really hearing a lot of people out in the community saying ‘Wow, this is the matchup I was hoping for,'” he said. “It just isn’t the case.”

Perry said both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have high unfavorability ratings. He said both campaigns will be in a challenging position this summer

“Both former President Trump and President Biden are underwater in their favorables. People are not rushing to be supportive of them.”

What “none of the above” voters could mean for each candidate

Perry said that former President Trump has a solid base that will remain in favor of him. But, other Republicans are struggling with liking Trump’s proposed policies but not necessarily liking the man.

“The question is how long will people continue to hold their nose,” Perry said. 

President Biden’s story is a little different.

“For the first time, he has voters even within his own party that are looking at the economy. [They’re] looking at some of the issues [we’re] facing right now,” Perry said. “The ones that were very stalwart for a very long time are the ones he has to make sure he keeps.”

Becky Bruce contributed to the reporting of this story.

Related: Biden and Trump touch down in Texas, highlighting immigration as a major election issue