… As Democrats mull what kind of candidate has the best chance against President Trump, it may be worth considering which candidates fared best in last year’s midterm elections. Over all, moderate Democrats who disavowed Ms. Pelosi and Medicare for all fared better than those to the left of them, according to an Upshot analysis of the 2018 midterm results.
On the debate stage Thursday in Houston, many Democrats will be taking the opposite approach. Some of the debates so far have highlighted unpopular positions like busing, decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings, providing health insurance to undocumented immigrants and abolishing private health insurance.
If the Democratic nominee did wind up embracing a more left-leaning agenda, there is no way to be sure that there would be an electoral penalty. But decades of research suggest that ideologically moderate candidates tend to do well in American elections. CONT.
Nate Cohn, New York Times