| | | | The Democratic Party isn't who Twitter thinks it is |  | | Listen to the majority of candidates running for the Democratic presidential nomination or scroll through Twitter and you will rapidly conclude that the Democratic Party is dominated by liberals.
You would be wrong.
According to the new CNN-SSRS national poll, self-identifying liberals make up less than half of all Democrats: 42%. The rest of the party calls itself either "moderate" (43%) or conservative (11%).
Which is interesting!
What's also interesting is just how much the 2020 Democratic race is developing as a battle between its liberal and moderate wings. Among people who describe themselves as liberal, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) takes 23% of the national Democratic vote in the CNN-SSRS poll while Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and former Vice President Joe Biden each take 22%. Among "moderates" and "conservatives," however, the story is very different. Biden is at 34%, compared with 9% for Sanders, 7% for Warren and 7% for South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
What all of these data points say is that while the most liberal elements within the party -- which tend to spend lots and lots of time online and on Twitter -- are the loudest, they are not nearly as dominant a voice within the party as they (and the candidates vying for their votes) would have you believe.
To be clear: There is absolutely a constituency within the current Democratic Party for ideas like "Medicare for All," which would end private insurance entirely, and the decriminalization of illegal immigration. But it is just as clear -- from the CNN poll and others -- that this is not the only, or even the majority, voting bloc among Democrats. There's a considerable chunk of Democrats who are in favor of more pragmatic solutions, like, say, amending and extending the Affordable Care Act rather than doing away with it.
These poll numbers should serve as a reminder -- for politicians and the media -- that Twitter is not representative of much of anything when it comes to the Democratic Party. Fun fact: Just 1 in 5 Americans (22%) are even on Twitter! And one more fun fact: 80% of the content on Twitter is created by 10% of its users.
The Point: Biden is the front-runner -- and still the favorite to be the nominee -- because the Democratic Party isn't the liberal monolith many people online make it out to be.
-- Chris | | "Nothing keeps me up at night."
-- President Donald Trump, when asked about threats abroad. | | | Front-runner
Fun fact: CNN has no standard definition of front-runner, though you will often hear Joe Biden called the front-runner on our airwaves (and in today's Point podcast episode!).
For now, that's because Biden has maintained his lead over his rivals in nearly every national poll, and that lead exceeds the margin of error in each poll.
According to Merriam-Webster, a front-runner is a leading contestant in or as if in a rivalry or competition. Which … seems pretty obvious.
🎧 Lauren has more on how to spot a front-runner -- and just how long Joe Biden has held that spot in the 2020 election -- in today's podcast. | | What the playlists at campaign rallies tell us about the candidates
What experts on aging think about the Democratic presidential field
Is Facebook biased against conservatives?
The 30th anniversary of "Saved By the Bell" is this month, people
McDonald's has a podcast. Because of course they do.
Dogs are the worst? | | | The new Michael Kiwanuka album is coming! In the meantime, we have "You Ain't the Problem." | | THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS ISLAND | |  | Yes, Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland | | President Trump told reporters that he would be interested in the United States purchasing Greenland. Here is why he would want to acquire a land that is plentiful in natural resources and also crippled by global warming.
Stay afloat and in the know with The Point on YouTube. | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL LATEST | | Julián Castro: Has apparently qualified for the third debate. Today he met the polling threshold, reaching at least 2% in four polls. He has also met the fundraising requirement.
Joe Biden: Purchased his first round of TV and digital ads of the campaign cycle in Iowa, worth $497,000. Chris has more on Biden's ad buy.
Kirsten Gillibrand: Released a mental health plan that labels mental health a "growing crisis in our country," and would use federal funds to expand coverage and opportunities for people of color, students and those who live in rural America.
Elizabeth Warren: Released a criminal justice plan that would gut the 1994 crime bill -- including abolishing the death penalty and ending cash bail. | | Julián Castro: Has apparently qualified for the third debate now that he's met the polling threshold, reaching at least 2% in four polls. He has also met the fundraising requirement.
Joe Biden: Purchased his first round of TV and digital ads of the campaign cycle in Iowa, worth $497,000. Chris has more on Biden's ad buy.
Kirsten Gillibrand: Released a mental health plan that labels mental health a "growing crisis in our country," and would use federal funds to expand coverage and opportunities for people of color, students and those who live in rural America.
Elizabeth Warren: Released a criminal justice plan that would gut the 1994 crime bill -- including abolishing the death penalty and ending cash bail. | | | | | | |
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