Much has been made on cable news (and in other media outlets) about the policy agenda of Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential nomination. The media likes to muse about whether the Democrats have moved too far to the left, and what that would mean for the candidates running for their nomination. Even some progressive Democrats have tried to make the case that only a progressive should be nominated.
But the rank-and-file Democrats don't think like that. For them, there is one issue that is most important to them, and it has nothing to do with policy. It is the ability of the candidates to beat Donald Trump in November of 2020. About 87% listed that as important to their choice of a candidate. The only other issue that got more than 80% was having the right experience to be president (81%).
I am a progressive, and I would love to see a progressive win the presidency in 2020. But I definitely agree with that 87%. The most important thing in 2020 is for Democrats to nominate someone who can beat Trump in the general election. Everything else is secondary, because Trump continues to pose a significant danger to this country (and the world).
The chart above is from the recent CNN / SSRS Poll -- done between January 30th and February 2nd of a national sample of 1,011 adults, with a 3.8 point margin of error. The sample included 477 Democrats and Democratically-leaning Independents.
