Following an op-ed by the Washington Post noting that Biden should not seek a second term as President, the Post published a list of the “top-ten” Democratic Presidential hopefuls. If they want to hand the GOP nominee a win in 2024, the DNC should nominate nine out of ten of these candidates.
As President Biden continues to assure Americans that he will run in 2024, most Democratic voters do not want to see him as the nominee. Democrats such as Gavin Newsom and J.B. Pritzker are ready to announce a White House bid following the 2022 midterm elections.
As I reported last week, CNN’s Chris Cillizza published his own list of “top-ten” candidates. The author of the Post’s list, Aaron Blake, had some similar choices, but there were quite a few differences as well. Let’s start with Blake’s list.
At number ten, Blake listed Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
“Well, the New York congresswoman is the big name who hasn’t really done so. She recently declined to say whether she’ll back Biden in 2024, citing the fact that he’s not running yet. But that fact hasn’t stopped others from saying they would stand behind Biden.”
At number nine, he listed Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC).
“The North Carolina governor is the would-be hopeful pushed by a set of Democratic strategists who think the best course is to nominate a Southern governor with proven crossover appeal (which Cooper certainly has) … Cooper can make an argument that few on this list can make, having won repeatedly in a state carried by Republican presidential nominees, including in the same election.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) ranked eighth.
The Michigan governor checks a lot of boxes as a well-regarded, proven commodity in a swing state … Interestingly, Whitmer recently passed on an opportunity to say whether she’d urge Biden to run again: “You know, I’m not going to weigh in on whether he should run,” she said, adding, “If he does run, he’ll have my support.”
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) ranked seventh.
“Perhaps nobody is making early and interesting plays these days as much as the California governor. He recently launched ads in Florida aimed at Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), the second-most-likely 2024 GOP nominee in our rankings … We still don’t know that a former San Francisco mayor is really what Democrats are looking for, but it’s as evident as ever that Newsom is building toward something, no matter how much he downplays it.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) ranked number six.
“Shortly after our last rankings, something interesting happened: Sanders’s 2020 campaign put out a memostating that Sanders might run again, if Biden doesn’t: “In the event of an open 2024 Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Sanders has not ruled out another run for president, so we advise that you answer any questions about 2024 with that in mind,” the memo told supporters. The 80-year-old independent senator from Vermont had previously stated that he was “very, very unlikely” to ever run again, which at the time took him off this list.”
At number five, Blake ranked Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
“The senator from Massachusetts has carved out some of her own space in the post-Roe v. Wade debate, proposing a crackdown on crisis pregnancy centers which she said are often “deceptive” efforts to “harass or otherwise frighten people who are pregnant to keep them from seeking an abortion.” She has frequently said she’s running for reelection and not president — but in that present-tense way that doesn’t specifically rule out that changing in the future.”
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) ranked number four.
“The best hope for the senator from Minnesota might be that Biden recovers but decides not to run anyway; her political profile is somewhat similar to Biden’s — that of a more traditional, pragmatic politician who isn’t necessarily going to wow anyone. It didn’t pan out for her in 2020, but without Biden in the race and potentially with Trump looming as the alternative, perhaps Democrats might be tempted for a similar recipe to what won in 2020.”
Vice President Kamala Harris is ranked number three.
“Historically, vice presidents have been able to craft images somewhat apart from the presidents they serve. But Harris has seen her image decline right alongside Biden’s. Just as Biden appears to be the most unpopular president at this point in his first term since Harry S. Truman, she is one of the most unpopular modern vice presidents at this point. She has a bigger pedestal than anybody on this list in the event of a post-Biden race.”
At number two, Blake listed Secretary of Treasury Pete Buttigieg.
“Historically, vice presidents have been able to craft images somewhat apart from the presidents they serve. But Harris has seen her image decline right alongside Biden’s. Just as Biden appears to be the most unpopular president at this point in his first term since Harry S. Truman, she is one of the most unpopular modern vice presidents at this point. She has a bigger pedestal than anybody on this list in the event of a post-Biden race.”
Of course, at number one, Blake listed President Joe Biden.
“Biden has almost always couched his 2024 plans as saying he “intends” to run, which carries some wiggle room … ‘That poll showed that 92 percent of Democrats, if I ran, would vote for me.’ That’s true, and he still narrowly led Trump 44-41 in a 2020 rematch, but all that’s in the general election. And polls show significantly fewer Democratic primary voters say they would vote to advance him to that contest.
In conclusion, Blake listed six candidates who ran in 2020. He also listed Governors Whitmer, Newsom, Cooper, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
AOC will likely win over the majority of the Democratic youth, but that will be nowhere near enough to win the nomination. Bernie Sanders had the best chance to win as a progressive, and he finished second in 2016 and 2020; he will likely not run in 2024.
Gretchen Whitmer does not seem interested in running for President in 2024. She is the Governor of a swing state, so some Democrats might be intrigued by her potential.
Elizabeth Warren could say, “I told you so,” if the Democrats lose big in the midterms, which could lead to her launching a 2024 White House bid.
He also listed ineffective California Governor Gavin Newsom, who continues to buy ads in Florida and Texas. If Americans want to see the country run by Newsom, similarly to how he ran San Francisco and the Golden State — into the ground — due to his incompetence, he is the perfect candidate for it.
The person on this list that I’m intrigued by is North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. He is a common sense, moderate Democrat. He does not try and appease the far-left, and he is a Governor in a state that Biden lost in 2020. So Cooper seems like the best bet for the Democrats.
North Carolina is the best place in the world to do business. pic.twitter.com/Ro8FTmR3Kd
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) July 13, 2022
As for the rest of the candidates, the GOP should welcome those candidates with open arms because they will likely lose to the GOP nominee.
