As of this writing, 15,003 votes have been cast in this month-old straw poll. When I created this poll it was widely published onto veteran, labor and social advocacy internet sites. Individuals then went on to share it on the respective sites of the candidates.
Given 13% of Americans do not use the internet, this poll therefore is a pretty good grassroots sampling.
Unlike the liberal and less progressive Daily Kos straw poll, you can only vote once in this poll. If you read through the comments section of this poll you’ll note I’ve occassionally offered analysis as the poll has evolved, keeping a very close eye for any hints of bot activity.
I’ve tracked this poll multiple times each day, and I can attest there has been absolutely no bot influence. All in all, it’s a very good straw poll and it includes Independent candidates (I’m surprised unannounced Independent candidate Jesse Ventura is so close to unannouced Joe Biden).
If you follow Twitter, every now and then you’ll find an individual poll showing Kamala Harris getting tens of thousands of votes — those votes come from an army of boiler room bots! I’ve actually several times posted this very poll onto her internet sites and she has shown no significant movement. Neither Warren, Beto, Harris or Biden are showing much excitement. It seems the only real race in this poll is whether Booker or Clinton will finish at the bottom.
As you can glean from the numbers, the progressive candidates hold a commanding lead. This poll was created at the time Tulsi Gabbard announced she was going to run. Amazingly, in the early going, and to my surprise, she actually led Bernie Sanders for a couple of days. But the Sanders brand of politics is no doubt a reckoning force and, overall, he has established a very strong lead. Though Tulsi continues polling well.
CONCLUSION:
This straw poll — with Sanders, Gabbard and Warren at the top — shows the electorate wants a progressive America, this after decades of right-wing politics prevailing.
Democratic leadership and inside-the-beltway politicians have forsaken the anti-war movement, the labor movement and pretty much became a no-show relative to income inequality issues. For example, under both the Obama and Trump administrations, 85–95% of all wealth created has gone to fat-cats at the top. CEO pay, since Reagan-Bush, has increased 937% while worker pay only 11% (with a tremendous increase in productivity) — Democrats take note!
I will keep this poll going until the Democratic field of candidates has become well-defined, at which point I’ll create a new one. The second straw poll will remain until after the New Hampshire primary, the point at which candidates drop from the race. Then I’ll create a third one for the long haul throughout the primary-caucus season.
RECOMMENDATION:
There are a dozen or more states that have closed primaries, meaning if you’re registered as an Independent you won’t be able to vote. There are also around 10 mixed primaries with each state sporting unique requirements. Please make sure you are registered in a way that your vote will deliver the greatest impact. I urge each of you to pressure your elected leaders so that the 2020 primary season has 50 open state primaries, especially since tax-payer money is used to fund the primaries — no tax-paying citizen should be denied the right to vote!
