One of the driving themes of this year’s presidential election is that the likely nominees for both major parties rank as the two most unpopular candidates since political advisers decided likability is something that can be measured. But a Richmond woman found one way to avoid having to choose between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, and pouty businessman Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee: she died.
A death notice for Mary Anne Noland, who died Sunday at age 68, is getting attention Tuesday for the frank political analysis it begins with. “Faced with the prospect of voting for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Mary Anne Noland of Richmond chose, instead, to pass into the eternal love of God on Sunday,” the notice reads.
Noland, who graduated from the University of Virginia School of Nursing in 1970, is survived by her husband, Jim; one sister, three brothers, three sons, and ten grandchildren.
Her family has not commented on the death notice’s lede, but it’s a pretty sharp indictment of the likely general-election matchup. A CNN/ORC poll released May 4 found that both Clinton and Trump—who won their parties’ respective Virginia primaries—are deeply unpopular with voters around the country. Clinton was viewed unfavorably by 49 percent of respondents, while 57 percent expressed their dislike of Trump.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
