Chances are that if you’ve ever asked to speak to the manager, you’ll probably vote for Joe Biden — and if you prefer Donald Trump, your nickname might be Dick.
New analysis from the New York Times has triggered jokes on both sides of the political spectrum, after the paper compared voter preferences to some of the most popular names for men and women in the United States. The report is based on data from the Siena College Research Institute, which has polled more than 17,000 people in 18 battleground states since September.
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The Times found that among the 10 most popular names for men and women, people named Richard were most likely to support Donald Trump, while women named Karen were most likely to back Biden. The paper also broke down voter preferences among the 102 most popular names in the poll, which ranged from Donald and Dorothy to Janet and Joshua.
The Times’ top 10 names chart was shared widely on Monday, prompting many to crack jokes about Karen and Dick, a short form for Richard.
Karens are backing Biden, 60 percent to 40 percent, per New York Times and Siena College polling. https://t.co/Mw8LdGhkL8 pic.twitter.com/VQLzyXETF2
— Eli Yokley (@eyokley) November 2, 2020
The name “Karen” has become pop-culture slang for privileged white women who raise trivial complaints with others. However, the name itself is a good cross-section of women over the age of 40, according to the Times’ analysis. Karen was the No. 4 girl name in the 1960s and the 10th most-popular name of the last century, according to the U.S. government.
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Sixty per cent of decided Karens preferred Biden over Trump, the data showed.
Meanwhile, 68 per cent of Richards preferred Trump, the data shows.
“This just in: Dicks are for Trump, Karens are for Biden,” conservative political commentator David Burge tweeted.
“Apparently a lot is in a name,” added political author Ryan James Girdusky.
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The Times’ analysis hints at several demographic trends beyond Richards and Karens. For example, the data showed that people named Jennifer and Jason — two of the most popular Gen X names — lean toward Trump. Meanwhile, 74 per cent of women named Sarah — a popular name for people under 45 — preferred Biden.
Men named Patrick were most likely to support Biden, whereas Trump enjoyed the strongest support among his fellow Donalds.
Janets were more likely to prefer Trump than any other woman’s name, with 67 per cent of decided Janets backing him.
The results are in line with other polling that suggests Biden is more popular with women in every state, while he and Trump are competing for votes among men.
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Biden was leading Trump by 6.5 points nationally and 2.9 points in the most contested battleground states, according to Real Clear Politics’ average of polls on Tuesday.
Early voting is underway ahead of the full election on Tuesday.