What Went Down At The First Biden vs. Sanders Debate

Well, I agree with the broader point, Micah, but turnout was relatively strong among African American voters in 2016 — just not as strong as when you had the first black president on the ballot.

To the point about not drawing general election lessons from the primary: Just think about 2016, when Hillary Clinton essentially won the nomination thanks to overwhelming support among black voters but then lost the Electoral College, among many other reasons, because black turnout lagged 2008/2012. (That might have been inevitable, post-Obama, but it still proves the point.)

Seconded, Nathaniel. I’m skeptical of reading too much into the general from primary election results. Even in a high-turnout primary, you’re not going to see turnout in most states approach that of a general election.