I should’ve waited for this poll before writing this piece earlier, because it objectively illustrates my case:
The black vote broke down as such:
Biden 36%
Harris 24%
Warren 12%
Sanders 9%
Buttigieg 0%
Joe Biden used to be in the 50s with black voters. He’s heading south, fast, and still has plenty of room to fall (to Kamala Harris’ gain). That’s why it makes the Biden spin of a “backlash to Harris” so laughable.
Of the Big Five, Pete Buttigieg was the biggest loser in the debates. Sure, Bernie fell more, but Bernie has been maxed out for a while. The debate was the first real national exposure for the South Bend, Indiana, mayor, and his defining quote was: “I couldn’t get it done.” Expect that line in every anti-Buttigieg attack ad from here to the end of his political career, and even worse, it was a scripted line! Also, if he can’t get it done as a small-town mayor, how does he think he’s getting it done as president? Whatever hope of a breakout performance he might have is gone, and even if his quarterly fundraising haul is monstrous (as rumors suggest), it won’t matter.
I’ve long said that this will end up being a long-running battle between Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, and everything playing out suggests that’s exactly where we’re headed. Warren won the first night of debates, one in which no one even dared interrupt her. Harris won the second night, emerging victorious from the scrum every single time. And there’s nothing more presidential than owning everyone else running for president.
You can look at the CNN poll results here.