Democrats for Education Reform Urges 2020 Democratic Contenders to Challenge Trump’s Record – not Obama’s

September 12, 2019

Democrats for Education Reform Urges 2020 Democratic Contenders to Challenge Trump’s Record – not Obama’s

New polling data finds support for Obama’s education legacy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) encourages the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates taking the debate stage tonight in Houston to focus on a victory over President Donald Trump – and not debate President Barack Obama’s legacy.

New polling conducted by DFER partner organization Education Reform Now Advocacy and Benenson Strategy Group reinforces this position. According to the polling, 91 percent of Democratic primary voters say they have a favorable view of Obama, compared to just 13 percent who do so for President Donald Trump. Obama’s favorability rating is 63 percent among all likely 2020 voters, while just 44 percent have a favorable view of Trump.

When asked to reflect on Obama’s education legacy, the poll found that more voters backed Obama on education than his Democratic critics. In a forced choice, 61 percent of Democratic primary voters said they agreed more with “President Obama, who said that his education policies would promote innovation and choice in public schools and raise standards for every student,” while just 20 percent of primary voters agreed more with “Democratic opponents of President Obama’s education policies, who said that his agenda would weaken public schools, promote standardized testing, and get in the way of teaching.”

This new poll also captured the state of the primary election on the eve of tonight’s debate. If the Democratic primary were held today, 28 percent of Democratic primary voters said they would vote for former Vice President Joe Biden. Another 21 percent said they would vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), while 14 percent said they would vote for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

They were followed by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (8 percent support), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) (6 percent support), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) (3 percent support), former HUD Secretary Julian Castro (2 percent support), former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke (2 percent support), and entrepreneur Andrew Yang (2 percent support).

The findings stem from a multi-year polling effort to examine the attitudes of voters. Benenson Strategy Group conducted this poll using a multi-mode methodology utilizing both phone and online interviews. This national poll was conducted among 1,721 likely 2020 voters and has a margin of error of ±2.4. It is higher among subgroups. The Democratic primary horserace was asked of 762 Democratic primary votersand has a margin of error of ±3.6.

Follow along on @DFER_News for coverage of the debate and to stay tuned for new findings on voter support for key education priorities. 

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