2020 Preference Rankings
There's very little reason for me to be settled on just one candidate at this point, but I have thoughts. What point is a blog if I don't share them with my (incredibly limited) audience? So, I'm starting a Ranking of Preference for 2020 Democratic Candidates. I'm considering a number of factors when putting together this ranking.
Ranking Factors (in No Particular Order)
- Candidate's Story: Why them and why now? Why are they running for president? Why are they the best candidate (in their minds or those of their supporters)?
- Campaigning and General Election Strength: The most important thing is beating Trump. Why do I think one candidate would be better in the general than another? Read below to find out!
- Ability to Inspire: Let's face it--turning out voters is essential, and people are reluctant to turn out if they are not inspired.
- Qualifications for the Job: This whole experiment with an extremely unqualified president has been a complete disaster. The Democratic candidate needs to be ready, able to pick good advisers, able to listen to people who know more than them, able to learn the job quickly or already have a high level of understanding of the job and be someone we can trust to make the right decisions.
- Positions on Issues: I want to support a candidate I agree with. If I don't agree with their position on an issue, can I accept their reasons for why they believe what they believe?
- Momentum/Trending: Is this candidate trending up or down in my rankings? Why?
- Status: Have they declared their run or exploratory committee? If not, will they probably do so?
2020 Preference Rankings
April 18, 2019 version
1.
(Holding)
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Kamala Harris
Junior Senator from California
(Age 54)
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Harris recently addressed her controversial truancy policy as the district attorney of San Francisco. I have to give her props for saying she was wrong in the past. She’s handling the long slog of the campaign pretty well, but she’s getting buried in the news cycle.
I’d like to see her be a little more bold on some more policy proposals, but I’m a biased supporter of the idea of increasing teacher pay nationwide.
She plays it safe a bit too much for my tastes.
Video Playlist:
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(+1)
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Elizabeth Warren
Senior Senator from Massachusetts
(Age 69)
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No one does policy like Warren. She’s not the stump campaigner that I’d like, but she is destroying her peers on policy proposals that are well thought-out and would make a significant impact. I’d like to see some more environmental policy, immigration policy, foreign policy, and some more gun safety policy, but she’s nailing the economic ideas.
She’s by far my favorite choice for veep and still one of my favorites for the top of the ticket.
Video Playlist:
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3.
(+3)
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Pete Buttigieg
Mayor of South Bend, Indiana
(Age 37)
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Buttigieg is having a great moment as the new “It Boy” ever since his Pod Save America interview. He’s an incredibly inspiring campaigner, and I could really see him winning the nomination. He’s still pretty policy-light, and he’s somewhat moderate on some issues where I’m to his left. He also has some history as mayor where his bureaucracy didn’t help marginalized members of his community adapt to his ambitious plans for South Bend. A problem like that would snowball at the federal level.
I’m tentatively interested and I want to see him be a big part of the primary going forward.
He’s the most inspiring candidate in the field.
Video Playlist:
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4.
(-2)
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Joe Biden
Former Vice President of the United States
(Age 76)
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Biden still hasn’t declared.
His fumbling semi-apology for the incident with Lucy Flores (among others) was a significant gaffe in a career full of major faux pas.
A lot of people know and respect Biden so much that they tend to overlook he has a history as a horrible campaigner.
He’s run for president multiple times before. He’s not good at running for the office. He’d govern very well, but getting there is most of the problem.
I’m quickly souring on him as my pick for the candidate.
He’s an excellent pick for secretary of state.
Video Playlist:
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5.
(-1)
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Cory Booker
Junior Senator from New Jersey
(Age 49)
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Booker’s story and his message are amazing. He’s almost as inspirational as Buttigieg, he’s much more experienced in government, he’s a strong communicator, he’s got a message that people’s anger is based in their love for their country and they need to use that anger to motivate them to make change.
I can get behind that.
He’s just not campaigning well. He gets buried in the news with measured responses to Trump instead of carving a path (like Warren and Buttigieg).
Video Playlist:
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6.
(+3)
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Jay Inslee
Governor of Washington
(Age 68)
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Climate change is the single biggest threat to humanity. Inslee gets that and makes it the centerpiece of his campaign. He is on the right side of nearly every issue. He understands and likes Warrens policy proposals. He’s intelligent, well-versed, and would be the ideal candidate if the field were smaller. In this field, he’s not going to break out of the pack.
That said, I would want him working in the administration. Probably secretary of the interior. He needs to be a part of the party’s future and the party’s response to climate change.
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7.
(+1)
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Stacey Abrams
Former Minority Leader from Georgia
(Age 45)
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Stacey Abrams has not declared she's running.
Abrams is amazing. She’s brilliant, charismatic, and knows that for Democratic well-being, we need to pay attention to voting rights. She inspires people from Georgia and if she had the right moment to do so, she could do it nationally.
She needs to get in the race soon or it’s too late.
Video Playlist:
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8.
(-1)
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Beto O’Rourke
Former Congressman from Texas
(Age 46)
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Beto has drawn crowds and inspired people in Texas. At the federal level, he’s getting schooled by the mayor of the fourth largest city in Indiana. Not a good look. He’s got funding, he’s got attention, and he’s fading fast.
I’d support him in the general, but I think he waited way too long to get into the race and it’s hamstrung him. He could recover, but I’m not sure it will happen.
Video Playlist:
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9.
(-3)
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Kirsten Gillibrand
Junior Senator from New York
(Age 52)
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Gillibrand had a history of doing things that were politically expedient. It’s easy to paint her as a hypocrite because of it and could be low-hanging fruit for an opponent.
Her historical positions on gun safety and immigration were abhorrent to me. She’s changed to the correct side, but her tendency to follow rather than lead is troubling. She lost major points on my book because she was unwilling to call out the anti-Muslim bigotry and reckless endangerment that Trump broadcast attacking Ilhan Omar. I don’t agree with everything Omar says, but Gillibrand's mealy-mouthed response to the assault cost a lot of respect that I had for her.
Video Playlist:
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10.
(holding)
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Amy Klobuchar
Senior Senator from Minnesota
(Age 58)
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I honestly don’t know enough about Klobuchar other than that she sells herself as a moderate and has a history of being a terrible boss.
Video Playlist:
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11.
(+2)
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Bernie Sanders
Junior Senator from Vermont
(Age 77)
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Sanders is warming on me as a primary candidate.
He’s probably the worst general election candidate on the list to this point.
I know people point to poll numbers.
Sanders’ career is a gold mine for opposition researchers. He’s vulnerable from every period of his career. His messaging is good. He’s campaigning better this time than 2016. He’s still an awful general election candidate.
It doesn’t help that he’s almost 80. Call me ageist if you want to. Research says that cognitive abilities decline in your 70s. He has a lot to offer... in the Senate.
Video Playlist:
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12.
(+3)
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Julián Castro
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary from Texas
(Age 44)
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Great immigration proposal that I can really support.
Video Playlist:
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13.
(+1)
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Tulsi Gabbard
Congresswoman from Hawaii
(age 38)
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Gabbard has... questionable foreign policy impulses. She’s got an awful history on LGBT rights (which she’s apologized for). But she’s young, has a strong appeal to Sanders’ supporters, and she is an interesting story.
If she were going to break through and make a name for herself in the primary, I think she probably would do so in the debates.
I don’t think she’s going to make it on the stage.
Video Playlist:
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14.
(-2)
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Andrew Yang
Entrepreneur
(Age 44)
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A strong advocate of universal basic income. Very intelligent and has good ideas. Not an inspiring campaigner.
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15.
(New)
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Eric Swalwell
Congressman from California
(Age 38)
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The gun safety candidate.
I don’t see him making the debates, but he’s all in on one of my top issues.
I don’t know much more about him. His announcement was viewed as a blip in the news coverage.
Video Playlist:
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16.
(New)
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Tim Ryan
Congressman from Ohio
(Age 45)
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17.
(-7)
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John Hickenlooper
Former Governor of Colorado
(Age 67)
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Other than the porn jokes, he’s got very little going for him.
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18.
(New)
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John Delaney
Former Congressman from Maryland
(Age 56)
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Also has very little going for him in the campaign. He’s got high name recognition in Iowa because he’s been campaigning there for years. (Literally.)
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19.
(New)
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Wayne Messam
Mayor of Miramar, Florida
(Age 44)
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Newcomer. I know next to nothing about him.
Video Playlist:
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20.
(New)
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Mike Gravel
Former Senator from Alaska
(Age 88)
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Not a serious candidate/contender. Only filed to run specifically to push the field to the left on foreign policy.
Will drop out and endorse the most progressive candidate after the summer debates.
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21.
(New)
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Marianne Williamson
Activist and Author
(Age 66)
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What little I’ve heard about her has not been good.
She’s apparently a “New Age Author and Spiritual Leader” according to her Wikipedia entry.
Yeah, I’m not sold.
She might as well be a reality TV star in my eyes.
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According to Wikipedia, here are the people interested who have not declared (not appearing in my rankings):
- Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator from Colorado since 2009
- Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana since 2013; Attorney General of Montana 2009–2013
- Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, New York since 2014
- Seth Moulton, U.S. Representative from MA-06 since 2015
- Joe Sanberg, entrepreneur and investor from California
What are my issues?
- Climate change (Green New Deal or an alternative plan)
- Economy (jobs, justice, safety net, poverty, universal basic income, etc.)
- Gun safety (common sense restrictions)
- A New Second Bill of Rights
- Universal healthcare for all
- Voting rights - one person one vote (eliminate the electoral college)
- Get money out of politics (end Citizens United)
- Employment (federal jobs guarantee)
- Housing (Free quality public housing)
- Address inequality (incredibly high tax rate on wealthy; wealth/land taxes)
- Free quality public education through public college (class sizes, teacher pay, etc.)
- Equality for all (protect marginalized communities)
- Equal access to information (net neutrality and national public broadband internet)
- Strengthen unions
- Criminal justice reform
- Reform the judiciary (commission a study and whatever experts think works best, expanding the courts, rotations among courts, whatever)
- Human rights (at home and around the world)
- Immigration reform
- Restoring the US as a leader by example rather than by might
- End the Authorized Use of Military Force
- And more...
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