Economy and Healthcare Are Top Small Business Issues in 2020 Election

NEW YORK, N.Y., February 3, 2020 – A new national election survey of small business owners shows Senator Bernie Sanders narrowing the gap on former Vice-President Joe Biden in the race for the Democrat Party nomination. The survey was conducted earlier this month by OnDeck® (NYSE: ONDK), the leader in online lending to small business, and shows Sanders at 12.7 percent, up from 8.7 percent in OnDeck’s September 2019 presidential election survey.  Biden remains in first place, but support among small business owners fell from 18 percent to 14.9 percent.

The small business survey results from OnDeck come as Iowa Democrats gather today for caucuses that kick off the nominating primaries that will choose the party’s presidential nominee.  In addition to the tightening battle between Biden and Sanders, former New York City Mayor and businessman Mike Bloomberg appears to be gaining favor among small business respondents, garnering 5.5 percent to nudge close to Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is in third place at 6.1 percent.  

Presidential Candidate Preference: OnDeck Small Business Survey – January 2020

Democratic Candidates – Top 5

  • Joe Biden – 14.9%
  • Bernie Sanders – 12.7%
  • Elizabeth Warren –6.1%
  • Mike Bloomberg – 5.5%
  • Andrew Yang – 4.1%.

Republican Candidates

  • President Donald Trump – 40.7%

Overall, President Trump remains the preferred choice of the small business owner respondents, tallying 40.7 percent, up from 37 percent in September of 2019.

The OnDeck survey released today is the second in a series from the nation’s largest online small business lender that focuses solely on small business owner preferences ahead of the 2020 Presidential election. Small businesses are a crucial and economically vital voting bloc, representing 99 percent of businesses in the United States and employing almost 60 million people, roughly half of the U.S. workforce.

Issues of Importance to Small Business Owners – January 2020

According to the OnDeck survey, the economy (14.9 percent) remains the top issue for small business owners, with health care (10.2 percent) moving up to second as an area of importance, replacing immigration (8.9 percent), which dropped to third.  

Overall, 63 percent of small business respondents now feel optimistic about the outlook for the economy, up from 57 percent in OnDeck’s survey last September.  

OnDeck 2020 Election Survey Snapshots:

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Survey Methodology

The OnDeck survey of 716 small business owners was conducted from January 6 to January 15, 2020 and included respondents in all 50 states and from a diverse set of industries. The margin of error was 3.66 percent.

About OnDeck

OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK) is the proven leader in transparent and responsible online lending to small business. Founded in 2006, the company pioneered the use of data analytics and digital technology to make real-time lending decisions and deliver capital rapidly to small businesses online.  Today, OnDeck offers a wide range of term loans and lines of credit customized for the needs of small business owners.  The company also offers bank clients a comprehensive technology and services platform that facilitates online lending to small business customers through ODX, a wholly owned subsidiary. OnDeck has provided over $12 billion in loans to customers in 700 different industries across the United States, Canada and Australia. The company has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and is rated 5 stars by Trustpilot. For more information, visit www.ondeck.com.

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Jim Larkin

OnDeck

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