… Political polarization is not only relevant to Americans’ voting behavior, news consumption and stance on policy issues, but is also a lens through which we can better understand how Americans interact in their communities. Americans’ perception of how well the politics of that community matches their own political worldview […] Read more »
Sanders Rises, But Socialism Isn’t Popular With Most Americans
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is rising in the polls among Democrats, but questions about his electability against President Trump persist because he self-identifies as a democratic socialist. A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll backs up the idea that the label could hurt him. Asked about their impression of socialism, 28% of […] Read more »
There Are *Still* No Lane Markers on the Road to the White House
… Political scientists have long known that ideology does not play nearly as strong a role in the thinking of regular citizens as it does in shaping the perceptions and preferences of political elites; in fact, this finding is one of the most foundational insights of the academic study of […] Read more »
Bernie Sanders Is on the Rise. But How High Can His Numbers Go?
Senator Bernie Sanders has a solid base of support. That much is clear. And he has done a remarkably good job of boxing out Senator Elizabeth Warren for the support of the party’s left wing. He is now the choice of nearly half of Democratic voters who identify as “very […] Read more »
For Sanders, New Hampshire was a Glass Both Half-Full and Half-Empty
In the wake of his victory in the New Hampshire primary, Bernie Sanders seemed to some like an unstoppable frontrunner. To others, he seemed like a spent force. That there is evidence backing up both arguments is a testament to the uncertainty of the Democratic race following the first-in-the-nation primary. […] Read more »
Failures of Punditry (and Polls)
Last month I wrote what I called my New Year’s “irresolutions” – a set of observations on the Democratic field that I cloaked in uncertainty. I promised to come back and identify those that were wrong. There are two standouts in that regard: (1) Joe Biden’s staying power is far […] Read more »