… For years, Democratic presidential candidates have been skittish about taking positions that were considered too liberal, for fear of scaring off moderates and independent voters. That caution seems to be gone, along with soul-searching about making explicit appeals to conservative voters.
It has been replaced by confidence — whether real or mistaken — that a more liberal and populist Democratic Party can form a majority out of voters who either support the sweeping changes candidates have proposed or will vote for anyone other than President Trump.
It’s not just Democratic candidates who have undergone a political transformation — the party’s voters have also shifted to the left on many issues in recent years, and have become much more partisan. CONT.
David Weigel & Jenna Johnson, Washington Post