The DNC’s Elimination Strategy Is Working
A wave of candidates will likely follow Tim Ryan out of the race. That leaves only seven with plausible chances.
Winnowing works.
Photographer: Sean Rayford/Getty
Earlier this week, I noted a lack of news in the Democratic nomination battle. That changed Thursday, with a series of new polls, an interesting endorsement for Senator Elizabeth Warren, signs that a Joe Biden Super PAC is on the way, and two big developments: Representative Tim Ryan became the first candidate to drop out in the past month, and Senator Amy Klobuchar became the ninth to qualify for the November debate.
Ryan’s decision matters not so much in itself — he hadn’t won any support in the polls or evident interest from party actors — but because it’s further confirmation that the Democratic National Committee’s strategy of limiting access to the debate stage has been successful at pushing candidates out early. The field is still enormous, with 17 or 18 contenders left. But Ryan, who failed to qualify for the last two debates and was unlikely to make the next one, will probably be the first in another wave of winnowing. Remember, it’s not just the debates themselves: Media outlets and interest groups seem to be adopting the DNC’s standards for their own events, such as the CNN equality forum this month, which makes failing to qualify a big problem for campaigns struggling to get attention.