In DNC Debate, Race Played a Starring Role

Wednesday night’s DNC debate in Atlanta lacked energy or candidate engagement that many anticipated. … However, this doesn’t mean we didn’t see any friction on the debate stage. There was a concerted effort by the two African-American candidates in the race, Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, to put a […] Read more »

How The Fifth Democratic Debate Could Affect The Race

After a day of headline-making testimony in the House impeachment inquiry, the contenders for the Democratic nomination squared off in their fifth debate. The candidates largely eschewed talk of impeachment and mostly avoided the kind of conflict that characterized previous debates. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the […] Read more »

Message Morphs and the Fifth Debate

The Iowa Democratic Party Liberty and Justice (LJ) dinner is a marker in the nomination process as candidates have the opportunity to show off their organizations and message positioning. New polling suggests shifting allegiances. With just 90 days before the caucuses, the shape of the race matters more now than […] Read more »

As Trump reels, Democrats wonder which of their candidates can beat him

… On paper, the field of candidates running for the Democratic nomination was everything the party’s rank-and-file might have hoped for. It was big, offering more choices than ever. It was experienced, with candidates from every level of government and beyond. It included more women and minorities than ever at […] Read more »