Ted Kennedy's coalition in the 1980 primaries

[darklordoftech]

Who did Ted Kennedy appeal to? Who stuck with Carter?

[Steve from Lambeth]

Who did Ted Kennedy appeal to?

Optimistic liberals.

Who stuck with Carter?

Moderates and realistic liberals.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Kennedy appealed to those more on the left of the party, and to many Catholics (particularly Irish & Hispanic)

[Pericles]

I think it was the standard anti-establishment liberal coalition that kept showing up in Democratic primaries for decades. He did poorly with black voters and in the South, and well with more left-wing voters and in the Northeast. Kennedy's vote was very urban, but it did include the urban-working class and Hispanics (who also swung more right than even whites in the general).

[TheTide]

Kennedy's fortunes were tied to a significant extent to the popularity of Carter (which fluctuated over the course of the primary season). This makes it harder to pin down a Kennedy coalition, although he obviously was always going to do well in Massachusetts. His poor performance in the South was probably mostly down to who his opponent was.