Warren’s Economic Populist Mantle Carried Forward by Sanders
- Progressive message still viable, but Warren not the messenger
- Warren finishes fourth in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary
Elizabeth Warren began her presidential campaign with a blast of economic populism and calls for “big, structural change.” After disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, that message still looks viable -- but so far, voters prefer that Bernie Sanders, not Warren, carry it forward.
Sanders’ victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday, coupled with his emergence as national front-runner in a pair of new polls, leaves Warren’s campaign struggling for direction and attention. Her initial strategy of building a national infrastructure with grassroots donors and generating momentum with early wins in Iowa and New Hampshire has been replaced by an urgent new one: Survive long enough for voters to generate doubts about Sanders and Pete Buttigieg and give her another look.