Military puts Hillary in distant 3rd for commander-in-chief
Both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Libertarian presidential hopeful Gary Johnson drew considerably stronger support from military voters than Clinton, according to a poll conducted by The Military Times and Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families.
Here’s a look at how the presidential candidates from America’s top political parties stacked up with 2,200 active duty soldiers:
- Donald Trump (Republican Party)– 37.6 percent
- Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)– 36.5 percent
- Hillary Clinton (Democratic Party)– 16.3 percent
- Jill Stein (Green Party)– 1.2 percent
Going through the ranks
Johnson reportedly enjoys even greater support from officer corps than enlisted personnel, in general.
“Among the officers surveyed, Johnson is the clear choice, commanding support from 38.6 percent of respondents,” The Military Times reported Wednesday.
When it comes to U.S. officers and their preferences for president, Clinton edged out Trump, as well.
“Clinton actually outpaces Trump in that group, with nearly 28 percent support for the former secretary of State, compared to the New York business mogul’s 26 percent,” the military publication indicated.
Hillary not fit to fight for America?
The former first lady’s lack of appeal with military personnel is not a new trend, as previous polls have demonstrated much stronger support for Trump and Johnson than Clinton from American troops.
According to an unscientific poll of 3,500 military personnel and their families conducted In July by Doctrine Man, Johnson rose above Trump by single digits, while both candidates more than doubled Clinton’s votes:
- Gary Johnson– 38.7 percent
- Donald Trump– 30.9 percent
- Hillary Clinton– 14.1 percent
How the candidates were received by different branches of the military was also noted by a prominent Washington, D.C.-based publication – with each one showing the least interest in Clinton.
“Current, reserve and former members of the Army preferred Johnson at 35.4 percent,” The Hill announced in July. “Trump, the Republican nominee, came in second at 31.4 percent, and Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, at 15.3 percent. Among the Marine community, an overwhelming 44.1 percent chose Johnson, while 27.1 percent chose Trump, and 12.7 percent chose Clinton.”
In every major branch of the military, the trend of Hillary being the least favorite candidate remained constant.
“The majority of the Air Force respondents chose Johnson at 39 percent, but Trump next at 29.9 percent and Clinton at 12.9 percent,” The Hill’s report continued. “Trump ranked the top choice for the Navy community, at 32.4 percent, versus 31.7 percent for Johnson and 22.9 percent for Clinton.”
Even though Johnson is a strong candidate with the military, he will not appear at the first presidential debate taking place at Hofstra University on Monday night because his low numbers in the national polls precluded his qualification to participate – as determined by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
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