Why Sanders Supporters Are So Tenacious
“Group polarization” explains why his core voters are less likely than other Democrats to support a rival nominee.
Sanders supporters at the Democratic convention in July 2016.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
Bernie Sanders has said that he will support the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, no matter who he or she is. But some Democrats worry that a lot of his supporters will not work or even vote for any other candidate, whereas the backers of his Democratic rivals will enthusiastically work or vote for anyone the party nominates, including Sanders.
It is too soon to know whether this worry is justified. But we do know that in 2016, many of Sanders’s supporters were extremely angry that Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination, and they refused to support her.