MSNBC analyst Steve Kornacki on Tuesday pointed out that presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s (D) support is coming mostly from wealthy white liberals like many so-called “wine-track” Democrats before him.
Kornacki said that “a bit of a profile” about who is behind the Buttigieg “boomlet” is emerging. He said, based on the most recent national polls, “the higher the income, the more interest there is in Buttigieg,” the South Bend, Indiana, mayor.
WATCH: @SteveKornacki breaks down what kind of voters are more inclined to vote for Mayor Buttigieg. #TrackingKornacki pic.twitter.com/bTsZAv1NOC
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 16, 2019
The vastly underrated MSNBC analyst pointed out that Buttigieg received the most support in three recent national polls—Morning Consult, Emerson, Quinnipiac—from voters making more than $100,000 annually.
Kornacki noted that Buttigieg is “doing better among white voters” and poorly among black voters—Buttigieg received 2%, 0%, and 2% support from black voters in the three most recent national polls—and described him as the “wine-track” candidate who is appealing to “more liberal” and “highly politically engaged” voters.
Buttigieg has only started to register in polls and the subgroup sizes for these can be very small.
But patterns are beginning to emerge and the Buttigieg base coming into focus seems to skew higher income, more liberal, and white: pic.twitter.com/pw6UcPohLf
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) April 16, 2019
In essence, Buttigieg is basically the “Morning Joe” candidate adored by highly-educated white liberals who have perfected the art of speaking for hours and “sounding smart” without saying anything of substance while making everyone who is taking part in the conversation feel “intelligent” at dinner parties and self-perpetuating conferences.
This is the top skill that is taught at America’s top colleges, graduate schools, and consulting companies populated by Americans from homogenous zip codes who went to similar high schools. And it is arguably the most important trait for getting the lazy and often dimwitted chattering class to take a candidate seriously.
Via the Emerson 2020 Democratic primary poll released yesterday:
– 53% (55/103) of Bernie Sanders supporters were black, Hispanic/Latinx, or Asian
-46% (39/85) for Biden
-45% (13/29) for Beto
-44% (12/27) for Harris
-33% (8/24) for Warren
-19% (6/32) for Buttigieg pic.twitter.com/Mcmx3wkmBY
— Jonathan Walczak (@jonwalczak) April 16, 2019
But, as Kornacki pointed out, “wine-track” candidates like Buttigieg rarely win the Democratic nomination no matter how much support a candidate like Bill Bradley received from someone like Phil Jackson.
“I said yesterday that the Buttigieg base taking shape reminds me of Gary Hart, Paul Tsongas, Bill Bradley and Howard Dean. Worth noting that they all struggled to win black voters, who will make up about 1/4 of the Dem primary electorate next year,” Kornacki tweeted. “The last Dem to win the nomination without a majority of the black vote was Michael Dukakis in 1988, when Jesse Jackson won ~ 95% of the black vote. Bill Clinton, Gore, Kerry, Obama, and Hillary Clinton all won the black vote in their primary races.”
I said yesterday that the Buttigieg base taking shape reminds me of Gary Hart, Paul Tsongas, Bill Bradley and Howard Dean. Worth noting that they all struggled to win black voters, who will make up about 1/4 of the Dem primary electorate next year.
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) April 16, 2019
The last Dem to win the nomination without a majority of the black vote was Michael Dukakis in 1988, when Jesse Jackson won ~ 95% of the black vote. Bill Clinton, Gore, Kerry, Obama, and Hillary Clinton all won the black vote in their primary races.
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) April 16, 2019
On Monday, Buttigieg reportedly acknowledged that he was aware of the lack of racial diversity at his campaign events and fundraisers and even asked his supporters to help him reach out to more people of color.
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