(USA TODAY) Southerners have often liked their politicians to be colorful – and it looks like New York real estate mogul Donald Trump fits the bill.
The brash billionaire’s strength in the region, particularly among white men, makes him the favorite in Super Tuesday contests that will send more than 20% of the delegates to the Republican convention in July.
In addition to a speaking style that recalls Southern politicians like “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman and George C. Wallace, Trump addresses issues that have long resonated in the South: criticism of the federal government, attacks on illegal immigration, protests of foreign trade deals and pledges to bolster the military – all in a vivid, outspoken style.
“They think, ‘Hey, he’s a guy who sounds just like me,'” said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, of many southerners’ reactions to Trump.
