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. The DNC must nominate 9 out of 10 of these candidates if they wish to give the GOP nominee victory in 2024.
Most Democratic voters are not interested in seeing President Biden as the nomination, even though he continues to promise Americans that he will be running for president in 2024. Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker and other Democrats are open to a White House run after the midterm elections in 2022.
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.”
He listed as number nine 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. Recently, he launched an ad campaign in Florida targeting 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.”
Blake placed Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-MA (at number five) at the top of the list.
“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.”
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States is number 3.
“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. Harris is now one of the unpopularest modern vice presidents, and Biden looks like the unpopularest president in his first term after Harry S. Truman. She has a bigger pedestal than anybody on this list in the event of a post-Biden race.”
Blake ranked second 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. She is currently the least popular modern vice-president, just as Biden seems to be unpopular in this moment since Harry S. Truman’s first term. She has a bigger pedestal than anybody on this list in the event of a post-Biden race.”
Blake listed Joe Biden as the number one candidate.
“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. According to polls, significantly fewer Democratic primary voters said they would vote for him to win that race.
Blake then listed six potential 2020 candidates. Additionally, he listed governors Whitmer, Newsom and Cooper as well, along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez.
AOC is likely to be elected by the vast majority of Democratic youth. However, that won’t make it possible for him to win the nomination. Bernie Sanders was the progressive with the greatest chance of winning, finishing second in 2016/2020; he won’t run for president in 2024.
Gretchen Whitmer doesn’t seem to be interested in running as President for 2024. Some Democrats may be interested in her potential as a Governor in a swing state.
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.
Gavin Newsom of California, an incompetent governor, was also mentioned. He continues to purchase ads in Florida as well as 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’s a moderate, common-sense Democrat. Cooper does not seek to appease the extreme-left and is also a governor in a state where Biden lost in 2020. Cooper appears to be the best choice for Democrats.
North Carolina is one of the most desirable places in the United States to conduct business. pic.twitter.com/Ro8FTmR3Kd
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) July 13, 2022
For the remaining candidates, it is important that the GOP welcomes them with open arms as they could lose to the GOP nominee.
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