There’s a lot of static in this Public Policy Polling report from Pennsylvania. Sure, I get a little skin-crawly when I read that Chris Christie is leading Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical presidential match, but then I remember that the election is three years away, and that those numbers are entirely meaningless at this point. But then I see this sentence:
Pennsylvania voters support raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour by a 57/34 margin.
And a spread of that size seems like something that Democrats should be ready to run on during next year’s midterm elections. Sure, a $10 minimum wage seems like small change compared to the $15 minimum wage that just won in SeaTac. But on a national level, where the current minimum wage is just $7.25 an hour? This is a pretty big deal. Also a big deal? The demographic spread:
80% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 29% of Republicans favor it.
Republicans are dead-set against this idea, but independents embrace it. That’s the kind of split that wins elections. The majority of voters are aware of a serious economic disparity in America and they want to fix it. Maybe, finally, these numbers will convince Democrats that it’s time to stand up for the rights of the poor.