The results of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary reveal that Democratic voters have clear ideals going into the 2020 general election, but no clear candidate has emerged thus far to personify those ideals. Caucus and primary-goers reported that health care was their top concern, followed by climate change and income inequality. Specifically on health care, a majority of voters supported a government health care plan over continuing private coverage. This progressive bent to the early state electorate might contradict the ultimate goal of over 60 percent of early state voters, however: defeating Donald Trump in November.

All in all, the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary showed that there are myriad interests at stake when selecting the Democratic presidential candidate. Additionally, the crowded news cycle around the Iowa and New Hampshire votes, paired with late results out of Iowa, muddied the waters even further in terms of clear frontrunners. As Nevada, South Carolina, and Super Tuesday draw closer, when 38 percent of delegates will be awarded proportionally, small wins might very well keep many candidates in the race and continue this theme of noncommittal primaries.  

For full analysis, see FTP’s 2020 Democratic Primary Results: Iowa and New Hampshire here.