Some recent data:
- Candidates who appeal to the Dem base and leverage that appeal into popular organizing win. Obama campaigned on proactive change, people responded by signing up to organize and turning out to vote.
- Candidates who disavow their base and avoid empowering regular people to organize, lose. Hillary contracted a troll army to smear Sanders supporters, and avoided organizing key Midwest states despite organizers begging the campaign to show up.
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/michigan-hillary-clinton-trump-232547