Surprises mark Democratic presidential primary battle

Senator Elizabeth Warren has become the policy pacesetter in this democratic presidential primary battle. Photo / AP

Three months into the Democratic presidential primary battle, the contest has emerged as one of the most wide open in a generation.

Multiple candidates are showing staying power, enthusiastic crowds and money pouring into campaign coffers.

The biggest remaining variable is former Vice-President Joe Biden, who is moving towards an expected announcement in late April.

But the opening stretch has brought some clarity.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has become the policy pacesetter, while Senator Kamala Harris has demonstrated star power. Both are building organisations prepared to engage in a long race.

Senator Bernie Sanders has a solid group of supporters and impressive fundraising numbers. Many Democratic strategists regard him more seriously today than they did at the outset.

Former congressman Beto O'Rourke raised US$6.1 million on his first day, a sign that he would be among the beneficiaries of a new model of online fundraising.

Democratic voters, in their zeal to find an alternative to President Donald Trump, have shown a willingness to look beyond the traditional profile of a potential president — with Pete Buttigieg, the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, surging to become a factor and, last week, drawing more Google searches than anyone else in the field.

The leftward swing of Democratic voters has been reflected in the issues that have dominated in the past several months, including Medicare-for-all, the Green New Deal climate change proposal, among others. More-moderate candidates have different views, foreshadowing a battle that will play out in coming months.