Does moderation actually hurt Democratic candidates?

Joe Manchin, the famously conservative Democrat who represented West Virginia in the Senate from November 2010 through January 2025.

Earlier this month, Thomas Edsall published a column in the New York Times titled, “Even if the Democrats can move to the center, it may not help.” In it, the eminent political analyst argued that “there is evidence that the process of moderation has the potential to result in unintended adverse consequences.”

Edsall was referring to a new working paper...