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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow Dem insiders rank the 2020 contenders
Last edited Fri Nov 24, 2017, 06:55 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: The Hill
BY AMIE PARNES - 11/24/17 06:00 AM EST
Democrats predict that as many as 30 candidates will compete in their partys presidential primary in 2020. And while its still too early to say who might come out on top, buzz is building around some potential candidates, even as other hopefuls fade to the background.
A year after a devastating 2016 defeat, Democrats are craving new faces with fresh ideas. Yet many of their leading contenders for the White House in 2020 are politicians who have been around for decades. Theres also no clear standout in the potential field. You have a bunch of Celine Dions but theres no Beatles, said Phil Singer, a Democratic strategist who served as press secretary on Hillary Clintons 2008 presidential run.
The fortunes of potential candidates can change quickly. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), for example, was regarded just a few weeks ago as a potential dark horse candidate in 2020, but that changed instantly when sexual misconduct charges surfaced against him.
The Hill interviewed nearly a dozen prominent Democrats to find out who has captured the partys attention in recent months and who has fallen out of favor. Heres how they see the field stacking up right now:
1. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) - Advisers to the senator are telegraphing that Sanders is eying a 2020 run and his network is already ready to go, with supporters convinced that he was the candidate who would have beaten President Trump in 2016. His people have never gone away, said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon. And he has a loyal core following out there that will be with him come hell or high water. Also working in Sanderss favor, Bannon said, is the leftward shift of the Democratic Party. The Sanders wing is becoming the dominant wing of the party, he said. Still, strategists note that Sanders would be 79 in 2020, which could work against him at a time when Democrats are hungry for change.
2. Joe Biden -- The former vice presidents book tour has kept him in the spotlight at a time when Democrats are nostalgic for the Obama years. While playing it coy about his 2020 plans, Biden has consistently been talking about Democratic values and how the party can win back frustrated blue-collar workers who voted for Trump. Hes the perfect antidote to Trump, said former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.). And he has broad appeal in areas of the country we have to win. Added Singer: He probably has the best voice at this stage of the game. With sexual harassment back in the headlines however, Biden has faced new criticism recently for his treatment of Anita Hill, an attorney who accused her then-boss Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during hearings in 1991.
Hill told the Washington Post this week that Biden has yet to take ownership for how she was treated during the hearings; at the time, Biden was the Senate Judiciary chairman. Biden apologized recently, but Hill said it wasnt enough. If he chooses to run, Biden will also have to contend with his age. Hell be 77 in 2020.
Lee-Lee
(6,324 posts)Sanders wins.
His base is loyal and wont go anywhere else.
There is no other clear leader like we had with Hillary, so if it is a wide slate of candidates early the remaining votes will be split all over and nobody will gather a bigger slate of delegates.
temporary311
(954 posts)runs. At least neither of the final two candidates. Even aside from that, I'd prefer someone younger than either Sanders or Biden will be. I like Warren and Harris, and know next to nothing about Patrick and Brown. Before the allegations hit, I would've had Franken pretty high on my list, but alas.
Irish_Dem
(45,622 posts)We need someone who can do it, knows government and all the players.
DavidDvorkin
(19,404 posts)madinmaryland
(64,920 posts)He was a great and progressive governor for Maryland.
DavidDvorkin
(19,404 posts)Persondem
(1,936 posts)Same old names, same no chance, mostly ... Biden might beat Trump, and I would be okay with Joe running, but Sanders will just get bludgeoned to death with the socialist/commie thing in a general election. Patrick seems to have done okay but I do not know him so well. The idea of a next gen governor is appealing. There are several other dem governors out there that would do well. Insley of Washington is one.
Franken ... no way now he wins the dem nomination but sexual misconduct is evidently a plus for 35% of the electorate, and it might help him carry Alabama.