Breaking down our political breakdown
With the second Democratic debate over and the field likely to shrink within the next month or two (the qualification criteria for the third debate are much stricter), this feels like a good time to check in on the state of the race. Following the RealClearPolitics average of candidates polling percentages, I’m going to run
Depending on who you consider a major candidate, there are now 20-plus Democrats running for President. That is an absurdly high number, and one that will make the race more difficult to predict than ever. In that vein, there are a few numbers to watch for in polls (and, eventually, election results) that will give
The Democratic National Convention, where the 2020 Presidential nominee will be formally selected, is a year and several months away. Naturally, now is the time to consider the best Vice Presidential options. VPs are typically chosen to balance the ticket/expand the nominee’s coalition (Lyndon Johnson, Sarah Palin), address a candidate’s weak spots (Mike Pence, Joe
I’ve heard several people talk about the Democratic National Committee endorsing or putting forward Presidential candidates for 2020. After controversies in 2016 over Clinton’s broad support among Democratic Party leaders, distrust in Democratic Party institutions is understandable. However, this particular fear is misplaced. The DNC does not endorse in Presidential primaries. It is a neutral
Senator Amy Klobuchar launched her Presidential campaign last week. As she launched, stories began to swirl about her abuse of her staff. Some of it was garden variety – long hours, high expectations, stressful environment. Some of it was more scandalous, yet for some reason accepted – asking aides to do personal chores for example,
The third ideological category in 2020 will be the people in the mainstream of the party. Think of these candidates as the ones following the Obama/Clinton model – trying to straddle both the moderate and progressive wings of the party. They might also describe themselves as “Practical Progressives,” or Hillary Clinton’s “Progressive who likes to
Progressives aren’t going to be having all the fun in 2020. There will be centrists campaigning for the nomination just as hard. The centrists are the candidates who will be explicitly running toward the middle. These are the ones making the loudest calls to win back working class, rural, white Obama-Trump voters. There are probably
A lot of people are going to be running for President in 2020. Probably close to twenty. There are already two candidates with some degree of national press running (and a third just formed an exploratory committee). That number is going to skyrocket in 2019. So, I’m going to break down the massive list of
Though he probably won’t win, Bernie Sanders has probably already blown up the 2020 Democratic Primary. I’m not talking policy (though his 2016 campaign was instrumental in moving the party left). I’m talking fundraising. Bernie’s small-donor fundraising in 2016 absolutely shattered records. He raised $228 million in his Presidential bid. 58% of that (or $135
The day after the election, a friend of mine texted me to say that the Joe Manchins of the world had done great and Progressives had done horribly. That’s not quite right though. Yes, Joe Manchin (D-WV) himself, the most conservative Senate Democrat, won reelection in West Virginia, which Trump carried by 42 points. It’s
Breakdown Politics 