Photo of Kamala Harris at a campaign rally with supporters in background.
Supporters of Kamala Harris' presidential campaign showed no clear preference for other Democratic hopefuls before she dropped out of the race, but a new study identifies "The Daily Beast" as a news source that may influence their choice. (Quinn Dombrowski/Wikimedia Commons)

Who Will Kamala Harris Supporters Vote for Now?

Study suggests that Democratic presidential primary candidates should be paying attention to The Daily Beast.

In early December, California Sen. Kamala Harris ended her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. With the first primary contests just over a month away, UC Davis professor Magdalena Wojcieszak and colleagues investigated who her supporters are likely to vote for.

Portrait photo of UC Davis communication professor
Magdalena Wojcieszak

Using new survey data, the researchers found that one news outlet may have an important say in which candidate benefits the most — The Daily Beast.

Wojcieszak, a professor of communication, studies how media use and political talk influence how people feel about parties and candidates they support and oppose.

She and her colleagues describe their latest study on Harris’ supporters for the LSE US Centre blog on American politics and policy.

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Before Harris dropped out of the race, her supporters showed no clear preference for any of the other Democratic presidential hopefuls, the researchers write. “There was one thing about her supporters that did stand out, however: a disproportionate number of them are readers of The Daily Beast, a U.S. daily news and opinion website.”

Read more about their findings and the difference they could make in the Democratic primary.

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