It’s easy to forget that just because I care about every little detail surrounding the 2004 Dem primary campaign, most Americans don’t. Fortunately, a new CBS News poll helped remind me of this.
While there have been several news outlets conducting national polls on the Democratic candidates’ standings, these surveys are conducted by telling respondents the names of the nine candidates and then asking which one they prefer.
CBS, however, first asked poll participants if they could name any of the Democratic candidates. The survey found that 65% — almost exactly two-thirds — of Americans cannot name a single Dem running for president. This is almost identical to the number found by a New York Times poll in mid-May on the same question.
While this result certainly shows that voters have not yet begun to follow the race in any meaningful way, it also demonstrates that the field is still fairly open. While those of us who follow the race every day may start to believe that a frontrunner like Howard Dean may slowly be running away with the nomination, polls like this one show that two-thirds of the country can’t even remember Dean’s name.
It’s worth noting, however, that national polls, at least early in the process, aren’t as important as state polls in early primary/caucus states. If Dean, for example, wins in Iowa and New Hampshire early next year, his grip on the nomination will be nearly secure, even if most Americans don’t quite know who he is.
Just as an aside, the CBS poll also asked Democratic voters if they were satisfied with the current field of candidates. While about 40% said they were pleased with their nine choices, more than half said they would like someone else to enter the race. Paging Gen. Clark…