The Independent Index

In less than 20 days, the first ballots will be cast in the pivotal election to decide if Donald Trump’s narcissistic nihilism wins a second term.

On February 3 in Iowa, a collection of overwhelmingly white Democrats, a group numbering about one-third the population of Santa Barbara County, will vote for preferred party nominees and begin to shape the campaign narrative leading to the momentous November 3 election.

Here is a selection of benchmark data points to help make sense of the race amid the blizzard of bewildering media coverage to come.