Most New Hampshire Democrats Undecided In Quagmire Primary

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:56 am

A new CBS News poll found that just 39% of New Hampshire Democratic voters have made up their minds less than 48 before the primary.

Via CBS News:

Only 39% of likely voters say they’ve definitely made up their minds, and only 59% are enthusiastic about their favored candidate. No matter which candidates draw the most attention, it does appear that Sanders and Buttigieg are both in position to get delegates.

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Based on our latest CBS News Battleground Tracker poll, our baseline estimate of the contest has Sanders at 29% support among likely voters (up two points from January) while Buttigieg is at 25% — having gained 12 points since then. Many of Buttigieg’s recent gains come at the expense of Joe Biden, who is now at 12%. Elizabeth Warren is in front of Biden with 17%, and Amy Klobuchar just behind him at 10%.

Buttigieg is the surging candidate. Sanders has the firmest base of support, but the message that most New Hampshire Democrats are sending is that none of these candidates are really firing them up. There has been a lot of talk about Biden’s struggles, but Sen. Sanders has yet to perform to his 2016 levels. His campaign thought that he could win the nomination with a third of the vote, but so far, Sanders has yet to hit even those benchmarks.

Democratic voters have shown little interest in the primary process. The overwhelming consensus is that they want to get a nominee and get on to the business of beating Trump.

The 2020 primary has the look and feel of a joyless slog.

Democrats badly want rid of Trump, but most of them aren’t overly thrilled with any of their options, so far, which means that voters could be increasingly receptive to a candidate like Mike Bloomberg.

New Hampshire likely provides little clarity or decisiveness as the primary will move on to Nevada and South Carolina.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association