President Biden and former President Trump are in hot pursuit of a big — and possibly determinative — group of voters who loathe both men.
Why it matters: This bloc of “double haters” has ballooned in size thanks to the surge in Biden’s unpopularity since 2020, with polls suggesting they now represent 16% to 20% of the electorate.
- That makes 2024 more similar to 2016 — when exit polls showed 18% of voters disliked both Trump and Hillary Clinton — than 2020, when Biden and Trump’s dual unfavorables amounted to just 3% of the vote.
- The behavior of double haters — whether they stay home, vote third-party or bite the bullet in favor of Biden or Trump — could be the X-factor in swing states where a few thousand votes could decide the winner.
