A leader of the political arm of a leading conservative think tank in Washington said Friday the prospect of former Vice President Joe Biden facing off with President Trump in 2020 “keeps me up at night.”
Tim Chapman, the executive director of Heritage Action, the political wing of the Heritage Foundation, told C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” that in a Biden-Trump matchup, the longtime Democratic officeholder could have an edge with working-class voters deemed critical to win over in a swath of swing states. A Biden nomination by the Democrats could complicate the GOP’s ability to recreate the Trump electoral coalition, Chapman said.
“A Biden [type] keeps me up at night, and the reason is because he’s perceived as more moderate,” Chapman said. “He has credibility with working-class voters.”
[Read: 45 Democrats jostling to challenge Trump in 2020]
At stake are large chunks of voters in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which proved decisive for Trump in 2016.
“[I] think the entire game in 2020 is whether Republicans can recreate that coalition of 2016 or not, and losing the working-class voters in a 2020 election would make it very hard for Republicans to win,” Chapman said.
While several prominent Democrats are already in the 2020 race, Biden has yet to jump in.
Chapman said there’s no reason to think Trump won’t run again in 2020. Any potential Republican challenges for the nomination would likely prove “pretty unsuccessful.”
