Pew Research Poll on Ideological Positions

Pew recently released a poll on voter opinions of the Democratic nomination race. (Link here.) Polls give us momentary snapshots of voters attitudes that can change from day to day, but this one had an interesting result on ideology that's been unwavering since the 2008 presidential race began. This is the perception of ideological positions of the different candidates. Most know that in a two-party system the candidate closest to the median voter on the issues stand the best chance of winning a plurality in the election. We see the table below what the problem has been from the start for Democrats: both of their candidates are ideologically identical and yet far to the left of the electorate.


















So, from the self-assessment of voters, America is a center-right country, as has been true for the past 27 years. Yet moderate Democrats have been eliminated from contention by left-wing activist groups. On the Republican side, McCain prevailed over more ideologically pure conservatives and thus stands much closer on the issues with the median American voter. It doesn't mean he will win, but it does mean he is much better positioned for the general election than either Clinton or Obama. Of course, when the Democratic nomination is decided, the winning candidate will tack quickly toward the center on the issues, but this necessary flip flopping doesn't bode well for how candidates are perceived by moderates and independents.