The two most liberal candidates drove the conversation at last night’s Democratic presidential debate, but in a manner that underscores the challenge each may face in building a coalition across the party’s ideological divides. CONT. Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic Read more »
What we learned about the Democratic field from Tuesday’s debate
This was not the debate anyone expected, but it was perhaps the debate that voters needed. … The CNN-Des Moines Register debate Tuesday night at Drake University did not feature the expected — choose your favorite journalistic cliché — no holds barred/gloves-are-off/there will be blood on the floor exchanges between […] Read more »
Tuesday’s Democratic debate is a battle for heads, not hearts
The dynamics of the Democratic presidential race are about to change. Tuesday’s debate in Des Moines will be the grand opening of a new set of conflicts and the launch of renewed efforts by candidates not named Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders to make 2020 something other than a lightly […] Read more »
And Then There Were Five…
In our first episode of 2020, we preview the seventh Democratic primary debate. Plus, we discuss the role endorsements and fundraising play in predicting the ultimate primary winner, and how the developing situation in Iran might influence the 2020 race. The Forecast Fest Read more »
D.N.C. Tells Pollsters to Do More Polls
The morning after the Democrats’ last debate in December, the Democratic National Committee announced the thresholds to qualify for the next one, scheduled for Jan. 14 in Des Moines: 5 percent support in four qualifying polls, or 7 percent in two early-state polls. … Those who haven’t made the cut […] Read more »
FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast: Holiday Mailbag Edition
In this special holiday installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew spends a whole episode answering listener questions. The topics range from the best way to winnow a primary debate stage, to who would win if the podcast team went toe-to-toe in a battle royale. FiveThirtyEight Read more »