President Trump’s rough week with Russia has Democrats with presidential ambitions smelling blood in the water. Here is an early look of what the 2020 Democratic presidential field could look like.
[More: 2020 preview? Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez to campaign together in Kansas]
Former Vice President Joe Biden
[Joe Biden leads 2020 polls, will decide to run in January]
Strengths: High name recognition, buyer’s remorse from Democrats who wish he had been the nominee in 2016, a close relationship with former President Barack Obama, appeal in the normally Democratic-voting industrial states Trump flipped to win in the Electoral College, coming off a successful book tour reminiscing about his late son Beau.
Weaknesses: Age (he’ll turn 78 shortly after the presidential election), the #MeToo era (he’s never been accused of sexual wrongdoing despite his well-documented “handsiness” with women, but standards could be higher now), two prior failed presidential campaigns, past plagiarism of speeches, Trump has called him his “dream” opponent, saying “Obama took him out of the garbage heap.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
Strengths: Buyer’s remorse from Democrats who really wish he had been the nominee in 2016, organizational energy, in sync with the party’s current trajectory on economics, exhibited strong youth appeal in the primaries, has the potential to win back some of the industrial states Trump turned red for the first time since Ronald Reagan was president.
Weaknesses: Age (he’ll be 79 on Election Day), limited appeal to nonwhite voters, never actually elected to anything as a Democrat (he’s technically an independent), occasional past opposition to gun-control measures as a lawmaker from a gun-friendly state, slow to get in step with party’s new direction on immigration and racial issues, emails between his chief strategist and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort have reportedly attracted the attention of special counsel Robert Mueller.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Strengths: A progressive favorite even before she was elected to the Senate, a woman in a political environment where women are doing well in Democratic primaries, has been effective in clashes with Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a strong fundraiser despite her anti-Wall Street stance.
Weaknesses: Seems to be a reluctant presidential candidate, questions about her claims of Native American heritage, debatable appeal to nonwhite voters or Rust Belt states (neither has ever really been tested), no longer has “liberal’s liberal” niche to herself, Democratic presidential nominees from Massachusetts have fared poorly in the post-John Kennedy era (see Michael Dukakis and John Kerry).
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
Strengths: Charismatic speaker, bipartisan bridge-builder, African-American, relatively young at age 49, executive experience as mayor of Newark, could become strong presence in hearings on Trump administration if Democrats retake the Senate.
Weaknesses: Bipartisan bridge-building is no longer as popular among Democrats as it used to be, strong ties to the pharmaceutical industry, a past reputation for centrism that could make progressives find him phony.
California Sen. Kamala Harris
Strengths: Prodigious fundraiser, already an in-demand campaigner in the midterm elections, prosecutorial experience has made her good at grilling Trump administration officials, would probably be a star of any Trump impeachment trial, African-American, a woman.
Weaknesses: Inexperience (she was just elected to the Senate last year), prosecutorial record could turn up law-and-order things that will blemish her progressive credentials, running up the vote in her home state of California is not a good strategy for winning the Electoral College.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Strengths: A popular female senator who has taken the lead on protecting victims of a sexual assault reappraising the legacy of President Bill Clinton and pushing accused groper Al Franken out of the Senate; she’s a perfect fit for the #MeToo era and “Year of the Woman;” also relatively young at 51.
Weaknesses: Took more conservative positions on several issues in the past, especially guns and immigration; could be seen as a political opportunist; questionable appeal in Rust Belt and beyond the coasts.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown
Strengths: Has remained popular as Ohio has drifted further into the Republican column without compromising his liberal record, would take some of Trump’s economic populism off the table, strong labor union and Rust Belt appeal would give him solid chance in Electoral College, likely to win re-election in Trump state this year.
Weaknesses: A relatively boring, white guy in a party without the stature or national name recognition of Biden or Sanders, no guarantee to carry his home state.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder
Strengths: Active on the redistricting issues that will be important to Democrats curing their down-ballot electoral woes of the last decade, possibly closer to Obama than even Biden, outspoken against Trump, African-American, now said to be “seriously” looking at a run.
Weaknesses: Was a lightning rod for criticism throughout his tenure as attorney general, will have to answer for a variety of Justice Department controversies, not an exciting speaker, turns 70 the day after inauguration, nobody has gone straight from the Cabinet to the White House since Herbert Hoover (Hillary came close).
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock
Strengths: Montana governor is an interesting mix of progressivism and populism that could be a possible model for turning red states blue.
Weaknesses: Remember Brian Schweitzer, his predecessor as governor, who was supposed to represent the same thing? No, you don’t.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick
Strengths: Experience both as a governor and in business, his calmness could be a virtue after the chaos of Trump, African-American, close to a lot of Obama operatives and seen as someone who road-tested many of the themes the 44th president eventually rode to the White House.
Weaknesses: Much more boring than Obama; now at Bain, which Democrats used to great effect against Mitt Romney; see also the Massachusetts presidential nominee problem that afflicted Dukakis, Kerry, and, for that matter, Romney.
Maryland Rep. John Delaney
Strengths: He’s actually running (he’s so far the only declared candidate), his work to ban foreign election vendors could fire up Democrats mad about Russia and compete with Trump’s “America First” message.
Weaknesses: Will have low name recognition even after he’s been running for three years, James Garfield was the last president elected right out of the House.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Strengths: She’s Hillary.
Weaknesses: She’s Hillary.
