Readers explain how they evaluate political candidates

The 2024 South Carolina primary election begins early voting in just a few days, and voters are sifting through all the political rhetoric bandied about to decide on which candidate to support.

 

When evaluating your options, what characteristics do you look for in a candidate? 

 

Here’s what respondents ranked as the most important characteristics:

 

• 71% said that the candidates’ specific stance on issues was most important to them.

• 21% said that the candidates’ demonstration of character was most important to them.

• 7% said that the candidates’ personal life situations such as divorce, criminal convictions, family issues or other, were most important to them.

• Zero respondents thought that candidates’ past political experience or leadership qualities were the top considerations.

 

Here’s what respondents ranked as the least important characteristics:

 

• 50% thought the candidates’ past political experience was the least important.

• 36% thought the candidates’ personal life situations such as divorce, criminal convictions, family issues or other, were the least important.

 

Comments: Will you be voting in the june 11 primaries? To read all the comments for this and past surveys, go online to bit.ly/45vehL9. 

 

• Yes. I want candidates I like to be on the November ballot.

• No. The campaign mailings claim the primary is a Republican Primary. Misleading and not accurate.

• Unsure. Bottom line is that none of them are really any good. They all play the politics game and will do whatever they need to do to be elected. Then, all of the promises they make during the runup will be long forgotten because they are now elected and only care about that. The reason the people who should be elected don’t run is because of how corrupt politics is. Nothing will change, and people will become more divided. It’s all ridiculous. They are all egotistical and corrupt. Not worth my time to really get behind someone who will just lie and take cheap shots at others.

• I will vote the primary because it will be fateful to leave votes to “chance.”

• I will be voting in the Democratic primary because there are 2 good candidates running.

• Of course I will be voting in the primary. We must vote at any opportunity.

• I’m voting, but it’ll be tough because finding someone who isn’t kissing Trump’s ring these days is difficult. Character matters because it sets the tone for future generations and right now, the Trump approach is totally off the rails. I’ll gladly take some bad policies from the left or the right in exchange for sanity and someone that I’m not ashamed to have my kids see and hear and think is “how leaders should be.”

• Yes. One should always vote! Those who don’t vote in primaries are the same people that complain about choices in general election.

• Voting!!!! Every election makes a difference!

• I will be voting. I support candidates who support reproductive rights including the right to abortion.

• Voting in the primary because I want to have an impact [on who] advances into the general election

• I vote whenever there is an election or primary.