QUESTION ASKED: Where Did the Obama Coalition Go?

Democrats always knew the day they faced the voters without Barack Obama at the top of a presidential ticket would be a difficult one. With only a week to go before that day arrives, the problem is just as bad as they feared it might be. Though Hillary Clinton still retains a built-in advantage in the Electoral College, the growing demographic edge among minorities that was the Democratic Party’s ace in the hole in the last two presidential elections may not be as great as they were hoping. Reports detailing a decline in African-American early voter turnout in battleground states is alarming news for the Clinton campaign.

If the trend holds up, the marked downturn in black turnout, especially in North Carolina and Florida, calls into question a lot of assumptions about the presidential race.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Minnesota for the last week, and new numbers out this morning show a tightening race in Michigan, too.