Polls are meaningless when it comes to picking winners of elections. Their only value is in seeing trends of voter sentiment, especially at this early stage in the race. One important trend that can be seen from the most recent Iowa poll is Beto O’Rourke’s catastrophic fall. He polled at 5% last time Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom ran a poll. Now, he’s registering at 2%.
It’s not unfair to say his campaign is toast.
The man who lost his last election in Texas was supposed to be a powerhouse in the presidential race. Amazing fundraising numbers for his failed Senate bid had many Democrats initially excited about the prospects of him taking on more prominent Democratic figures like Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, but his surge has failed to materialize.
Much can be attributed to poor campaigning, but a good chunk of his thunder was stolen by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. The relative unknown just a couple of months ago has risen in the ranks, registering at 15% in Iowa, just behind Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both at 16%.
O’Rourke has had challenges delivering a message that shines brighter than his personal ambition. Nobody doubts that he wants the nomination. He’s made it very clear he’s willing to do and say anything if he thinks it can earn him an extra vote. But this lack of policy prowess has been evident on the campaign trail as he continues making errors on when to talk policy and when to rally the crowd.
Of course, he has to get a crowd in order for his rallies to work.
By failing so spectacularly, O’Rourke demonstrates a major problem with many of the Democratic candidates. They lack in substance and think they can make it up in personality. Voters aren’t that stupid.
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