The post-debate rise of Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris

[bluewater]

Who won the first round of Democratic debates?

A pair of female presidential candidates scored clear wins, but most (but not all) candidates who participated benefited, too. They became better-known and better-liked by Democratic primary voters. The debates also may have opened voters up to considering more candidates. In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, only 22% of Democratic primary voters say they are considering supporting just one of the two dozen potential candidates, down from 29% last week, a drop of seven points.

The major gains in support come among those judged to have performed best in the debates. Nearly half (48%) of Democrats who saw all, part or video clips of the first debate said Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren did the best job – or won – that debate.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker finished a distant second and third behind Warren. California Senator Kamala Harris dominated among Democratic viewers of the second debate: 48% said she did the best job in that debate. Far fewer named either former Vice President Joe Biden or Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

But the biggest changes came in the share of Democratic primary voters now considering each of the candidates. More are now considering Warren than are considering Biden; more are considering Harris than are considering Sanders (and she and Biden are being considered by about the same percentages of primary voters. Nearly as many are considering South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg as are now considering Sanders.

For Biden, this is a drop of six points from last week. Warren gained six percentage points and Harris 13 points.

https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/07/05/post-debate-poll-elizabeth-warren-harris

[msongs]

1. they are in their giving everybody money mode nt

[bloom]

2. I'm happy with the direction this is going.

I hoped that as people were more aware of Warren & Harris, this would happen.

[Kind of Blue]

3. Me, too!