Can Democrats Unite the Party in November? Ranker Data Says, “Yes.”
We used Ranker Insights to learn more about supporters of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren — as well as those who disapprove of President Trump. Here’s what the Democratic Party can do to reach all of them.
Photo: John Minchillo/AP Photo
Now that Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the 2020 primary and endorsed his chief rival, it’s all but certain that the Democratic nominee for president will be former Vice President Joe Biden. But while the nomination may be nearly locked up, the Democratic Party has once again been fractured by a contested primary election. Some worry that those who supported other competitive candidates like Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren won’t put their differences aside to vote for Biden in November. Others point out that the party’s overwhelming dislike of President Trump does not translate into enthusiasm for his rival.
That puts a serious challenge at the feet of the Joe Biden campaign and the Democratic Party’s organizers, who must whip up enthusiasm and guarantee a high turnout in November to beat Trump. They have to decide where to invest the time, money, and focus of their campaign to motivate people who aren’t already enthusiastic about the former vice president.
While we at Ranker remain officially neutral about the 2020 election, we thought we’d use Ranker Insights to learn more about fans of the three biggest contenders for the Democratic Party nomination: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. We also took a look at the people who don’t necessarily like any of those candidates, but dislike President Trump — a pool of voters that will arguably be the most important of all for Biden to win over. Using the 1 billion votes on lists from Ranker.com, we found the TV shows, celebrities, and musicians beloved by Americans the Biden campaign will want to target. Here are our suggestions for how the party can use its money and time to reach them effectively.
Energizing Biden’s Base
Photo: Wikipedia
Invest in Texas - Ranker data suggests Biden is more popular than either of the other major Democratic candidates in the Southwestern US, which includes delegate-rich Texas (though he’s not quite as popular there as President Trump). Could Joe be the Democrat to take this longtime Republican stronghold? Only if his campaign invests significant time there.
Buy ads on Hulu - Biden fans are 5X more likely to love Tina Fey and twice as likely to love her iconic sitcom 30 Rock. They’re also 4X more likely to love Chris Rock, who will star on the newest season of Fargo whenever it returns from its coronavirus-induced suspension. Given that both these shows currently call Hulu home, reaching those viewers who haven’t opted out of ads seems like a good call for the Biden campaign.
Host Saturday Night Live - Why not? After all, Trump did it while running in 2015. Biden fans are twice as likely to love SNL, and many of their favorite actors (Chris Rock, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler) are all alumni. Be forewarned, though: SNL doesn’t have nearly the same appeal to fans of either Bernie or Warren, so don’t expect an appearance to change many minds.
Appear on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - This is the show Biden fans are most likely to tune in to, which means an appearance from the former VP would likely fire up the base.
On Ranker: There’s plenty of ad space on Ranker the Biden campaign can use to reach Joe’s biggest supporters. When Biden supporters aren’t voting up Joe on lists like Famous Politicians You’d Want to Have a Beer With and Male Celebrities You’d Want to Be Your Bro, they tend to spend time on lists in our category covering the world’s best actors and actresses. They’re especially fond of Greatest Female Broadway Stars and Best Living Actresses Over 80.
Reaching Sanders Supporters
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Make Waves in the Midwest - Ranker users in the Midwest have a higher view of Sanders than users anywhere else. If Biden’s campaign is looking to make sure his supporters turn out in November, here’s where it should focus its time.
Buy Ads on AMC - Bernie Sanders fans are 6X more likely to love Bryan Cranston, best known for his role on Breaking Bad. Given that people are still tuning in to watch new episodes of the spinoff Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad’s original home AMC might be a good place to reach out to the Bernie faithful.
Appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Sanders supporters are 7X more likely to love CBS’s late night mainstay. An appearance by Biden, or by Bernie endorsing him, might inspire voters to embrace party unity.
Reach out to Lady Gaga - Lady Gaga has already filmed a PSA with Joe Biden, which suggests she would be open to playing rallies for him. That’s good news for campaign officials hoping to make inroads with the Bernie faithful, since Bernie Bros are 4X more likely to love the pop singer’s music.
On Ranker: Those who vote up Bernie Sanders on lists like Most Influential Politicians in American History also love to spend time on lists about music. They’re most likely to think the Velvet Underground is the Greatest Musical Artist of All Time, and when it comes to rap, they’re big fans of Wu-Tang rappers GZA, Ghostface Killah, and ODB. They also like to cast their votes on lists about thinkers and philosophers (surprise: they’re keen on Karl Marx and Voltaire).
Winning Over Warren Fans
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Work on West Coasters - 67% of Ranker users from California, Oregon, and Washington view Warren highly. Efforts out West will do the most to bring Warren’s camp to the polls.
Tough Crowd - Overall, our data suggests the divisions between Democrats aren’t as deep as some fear; people who like any one of these three candidates are overwhelmingly more likely to also approve of the other two. However, the biggest division exists among Biden fans and Warren supporters, who are slightly less likely than Bernie Bros to approve of the former senator from Delaware.
Appear on The Daily Show - This classic comedy news show is the clear favorite among Warren supporters, which should encourage the former VP to stop by host Trevor Noah’s desk.
Bruce Springsteen - If you’re buying audio ads on platforms like Spotify, SXM, Pandora and IHeartRadio, you might want to make sure that people listening to The Boss, who are twice as likely to like Warren, also hear from Joe Biden.
On Ranker: People who voted for Elizabeth Warren on our list of the best 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates also love to vote on lists about comedy and entertainment, whether they’re choosing their Greatest TV Show of All Time (they love Modern Family), the Best Stand-up Comedian (Amy Schumer, followed by Bill Maher), or the Funniest Movies Ever (Zoolander by a landslide).
Anyone-But-Trump 2020
Photo: Flickr
Reach out to the South - Surprisingly enough, Ranker voters who dislike Trump are more likely to live under the Mason-Dixon Line than anywhere else (though that region does include more moderate states like Florida and Virginia). This suggests Biden shouldn’t give up on states that have gone red in the past.
Target Pope Francis Fans - Ranker readers who love the current Pope are 8X less likely to vote up the current president on any given Ranker list. That should indicate to the DNC that it’s time to start targeting users who watch Papa Francisco’s speeches on YouTube, follow him on social media, and visit Catholic websites and Facebook groups.
Make Oprah VP (or at least a surrogate) - Oprah Winfrey doesn’t appeal to any section of the party in particular, but she does seem to be a hit with those who dislike Trump (maybe that’s why there was a lot of chatter about Oprah herself running this year). Biden 2020 ads in her magazine and on her TV network might be a wise investment, and the party should certainly reach out to ask if Winfrey is willing to be a trusty campaign surrogate — if not a running mate.
Reach out to Beyoncé and Cardi B - The whole world wide web seems to love Beyoncé, and our data suggests that this huge portion of internet users is also pretty staunchly anti-Trump. That’s also the case with Cardi B, a rapper who shares virtually zero fans with Donald Trump. Endorsements and appearances from both artists could fire up those who dislike Trump and push them to vote for Biden.