Most political polls zero in on favorable ratings, but in the crowded – 21 candidates and counting—2020 Democratic presidential field, that might not be the best way to figure out who’s in a good position at this early stage.

The reason: Plenty of potential voters have preferred candidates but are still open to being convinced by another White House hopeful. And some voters ultimately will have to go with their second or third choice if their preferred pick drops out before reaching their state. So the liberal outfit Data for Progress asked 1,069 voters which Democratic presidential contenders they are considering, allowing them to “select as many candidates from a list as they wanted,” and which ones they are not considering.

The candidate who most frequently scored the dreaded “not considering” designation? Bernie Sanders.

The senator from Vermont, an independent and self-described democratic socialist, turns off the most Democratic voters, with 28 percent of survey respondents saying they’re “not considering” him. (Thirty-six percent say they will or might vote for him.)

The candidate with the next-worst result: Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard with 24 percent saying no way -- and only 5 percent saying possibly. (Bill DeBlasio actually comes in at 25 percent “not considering,” but the New York City mayor has not said he’s running.)

New on the blog: @KevinReuning analyzes what topics Presidential candidates are talking about on Twitter. https://t.co/N4uY1nvKqE pic.twitter.com/ayqFw9s3mz — Data for Progress (@DataProgress) April 29, 2019

Other poor performers among the better-known candidates are former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (21 percent “not considering”), former Vice President Joe Biden (20 percent), New York Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand (20 percent) and former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke (18 percent). Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who’s focusing his campaign on climate change, is at 21 percent “not considering.”

Biden leads in the “pro” category, with 49 percent saying they are considering voting for him. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren comes in second at 40 percent.

Our poll is the latest to suggest that Elizabeth Warren's position has improved over the last month. https://t.co/NxNGDulj3d pic.twitter.com/1J4x5zu429 — we’re going to pass AVR 🍉🍉 (@SeanMcElwee) May 9, 2019

The top candidates with the lowest not-considering percentages, suggesting they have the greatest opportunity to grow support: Warren (13 percent), South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (13 percent), California Sen. Kamala Harris (14 percent), New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (15 percent) and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (16 percent).

Find out more about the Data for Progress survey.

-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.