What Went Down At The First Biden vs. Sanders Debate

In general, though, I think it’s dangerous to say that enthusiasm or support for candidates in the primary will matter for the general election.

For what it’s worth, when I was reporting in California a few weeks ago, many people told me that the Sanders campaign was going to do really well among Latino voters because they made the investment in outreach to Latino communities — putting field offices in those communities, hiring organizers from those communities, building trust, and so on. The Biden campaign, meanwhile, has basically done no outreach to Latinos. And that seems to have made a big difference in states like California and Nevada. It’s not just about the issues, it’s also about actually trying to reach people and connect with them.

It’s pretty hard for Sanders to make this turnout argument when the turnout mostly seems to be increasing in strong Biden counties/states.