The 2020 Candidates in a Word

Rich, socialist, old, intelligent, and liar are among the words that are used to describe the 2020 Presidential candidates, according to the AP-NORC survey conducted February 2020. 

​Asked to think of a word or phrase to describe the 2020 presidential candidates, the public offers a range of responses. The responses, or lack thereof, also offer insights into how well the public knows the candidates. Most Americans are able to think of a word or phrase for at least some candidates. More than 70% provide a response for Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren. Seventy percent can come up with a word for Michael Bloomberg, and 62% provide a response regarding Pete Buttigieg. For Amy Klobuchar, 51% provide a response, and 47% can come up with a word or phrase about Tom Steyer.  


The nationwide poll was conducted February 12-16, 2020, using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,074 adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.