From the moment Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, Democrats knew they would need their 2020 candidate to be a dynamic force, capable of challenging an unprecedented opponent. Since then, the Democratic Party has had four years to prepare to take Trump on. But instead of party unity, the country has witnessed mass disorganization and competing visions. Yes, Democrats as a whole want to beat Trump, but factions within the party fiercely disagree on the right approach.
The original field of Democratic candidates featured a wide variety of political perspectives and personalities. Almost immediately, it was obvious that the party’s internal fight would be between candidates who wanted a risky but revolutionary win versus those desperate for a safe victory. As the primary season began, former Vice President Joe Biden enjoyed mostly healthy poll numbers thanks to his widespread name recognition and eight-year history with former President Barack Obama.
Biden had an air of inevitability. This remained true despite debate numerous gaffes, awkward campaign moments, and increasing concerns about the candidate’s age and mental sharpness.
When the primary season began, it seemed that risking it all for a candidate with far-left policies was the direction Democratic voters were leaning. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s success in the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire primary, and Nevada caucuses upended the party and served as a reminder to the Biden campaign that the nomination had not always been his for the taking.
Since Biden’s key win in South Carolina and his Super Tuesday show of force, Democrats have become enamored with the elder statesman in ways previously unseen. It doesn’t hurt that Biden has received several high-profile endorsements, some from former candidates. That Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Amy Klobuchar have both dropped out of the race and thrown their support behind him is a huge boon to his chances.
In response, Democrats have moved from viewing Biden as “just one of the candidates” to “the chosen one.” That shift has been downright remarkable. Almost overnight, the once-struggling Biden is now the man to beat, and he has multiple primary wins in Super Tuesday states to prove it.
This new consolidation gives observers the impression that Democrats are trying to convince themselves that the former vice president is the one they’ve wanted all along. But it’s clear that the attraction to Biden didn’t become full-blown until the competition narrowed. Now that it’s a two-man race between Biden and Sanders, the party establishment is firmly behind Biden. Any previous indifference to the man was fueled by hopes that a younger, more charismatic prospect might take the lead as an anti-Sanders alternative. But that just didn’t happen.
While voters on both sides may view the 2020 election between Trump and his potential opponent as choosing between “the lesser of two evils,” Democrats have a struggle of their own. Instead of selecting a nominee who is just “less bad” than the other option, they’re left with a choice between a radical, polarizing socialist in Sanders and a dull, entirely expected, safe option in Biden. It’s true that Biden may eke out a win against Trump, but if so, he really won’t move the liberal needle.
Democratic Party leaders and liberal media pundits have landed on the default setting. Sure, Biden will work, but there was always the hope that 2020 would really be different, not just more of the same. Where Sanders is too risky, Biden is too regular.
If Democrats were looking for a dramatic savior, they’re probably a bit disappointed. Biden may not really be what they wanted, but time is almost up, so he’ll have to do.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
