Who exactly is voting for Donald Trump?

WITH the US in its most crucial day of voting yet in the race for the presidential nomination, the possibility of President Trump taking the oath of office in January 2017 is more real than ever.

Six political primaries are being held today on what has been called Super Tuesday II. Donald Trump has won the crucial state of Florida, and former Republican hopeful Marco Rubio has now withdrawn from the race.

So, who is voting for Trump?

Up until now, there has been an overwhelming temptation to write off Trump’s candidacy and unexpected rise as a fluke. But with anti-Trump forces continuing to intensify attacks on the frontrunner, public figures using their profiles to expose him, and even Obama’s thinly veined swipe at the “vulgar and divisive” Republican presidential candidate, it’s important to understand what’s motivating the other side — his supporters.

Are they voting for him because they share at least some of his views? Is it his fame and his years on The Apprentice? His status as an outsider? Who are the 49 per cent?

Here are five things we know about Trump’s voters

1) Demographically, they are often white, male, with a lower annual income.

In December, a Washington Post analysis found that the male-female gap among Trump voters was 19 percentage points (47 per cent support among men versus 28 per cent among women). He also won a whopping 50 per cent of voters earning less than $US50,000 a year, which was 18 percentage points ahead of his support from Americans who earned more than that. “The white guys’ white knight,” they called him.

2) They don’t have a university degree.

Voters without a university education are Trump’s core base of support. While he’s now also doing well among Republicans with degrees, more non-university-educated voters than ones with degrees have supported Trump in every single primary and caucus so far, according to exit polls.

Political observer for The Atlantic, Ronald Brownstein, recently referred to diplomas as “the new Republican fault line.”

Trump himself commented after he won the Nevada COP caucus: “We won with poorly educated — I love the poorly educated.”

Trump addresses the crowd during a campaign rally in Hickory, North Carolina.Source:AFP

3) Voters who consider immigration to be the most important issue.

Trump declared his candidacy last June with a hateful and derogatory speech about Mexican immigrants being “rapists” and “drug dealers”, setting the tone for his entire campaign.

Political commentators have asserted for months that Trump support is linked to anti-immigration attitudes as well as prejudice, followed by a fear of terrorism.

4) Voters with a nostalgia for an earlier time in American history.

Much of Trump’s candidacy is being fuelled by voters who are disappointed by the performance of their last two leaders and believe the next president should be outside the establishment. They’ve openly expressed dissatisfaction with the government and Donald Trump is their answer. Why? For the same reason that they were attracted to George W. Bush and to Barack Obama: Hope.

Trump supporters are looking for an outsider with a track record.Source:AFP

5) Until now, anti-Trump pundits have been quick to point out that his supporters are. “authoritarian” in nature, even equating him with Hitler. But recent reports now say that Trump voters are distinctive in another way ——they are true populists.

What’s the difference? Populists, (unlike authoritarians who see themselves as aligned with those in charge) see themselves in opposition to elites of all kinds. They have a strong nationalist identity and see themselves as part of “the people”.

Finally, Trump fancies himself a bold truth-teller and his supporters often laud him for his willingness to challenge political correctness. Put simply, they’ve fallen for his “tell it like it is” exterior.

What we know is this: if Trump sweeps today’s race, he will put himself on a path to win the nomination by the end of the primary season on June 7.

Sources: http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/who-is-actually-voting-for-donald-trump/news-story/a50b057d1fcd2de4e0616d7042e86735