With the 2020 presidential primary season on the horizon, the Democratic field is beginning to come into focus. While just about everyone on the left, many in the center, and some on the right think that any alternative to the current administration would be an improvement, the Democrats must be careful to make it clear that they represent a movement of real change, not simply a return to stagnation and neoliberalism. That being said, they must also unite (yes, unite) around a candidate who has an actual shot at winning.
The Democratic field is already shaping up: Tulsi Gabbard (Rep.-HI), John Delaney (Rep.- MD), former Housing Secretary Julian Castro, Venture for America’s Andrew Yang, and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg have all announced their intention to run for the highest office. Senators Kamala Harris (CA), Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) have also announced. Several others are expected to declare soon, among them Amy Klobuchar (Sen-MN) and possibly Beto O’Rourke, who narrowly lost his 2018 Senate race to Ted Cruz in Texas. And while some on the left have concerns about their candidacies, Joe Biden, the former Vice President, and 2016 Democratic primary runner-up Bernie Sanders (Sen-VT), are two high-profile politicians who are likely to join the crowded field.
Let’s take a look at these potential candidates. Tulsi Gabbard is a representative from Hawaii and supported Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Primary election, but she has recently come under fire for her past support of groups that support LGBT conversion therapy. She also has ties to Hindu nationalist groups. John Delaney, of Maryland, has said that if he is elected, he will make “only bipartisan proposals in the first 100 days [of his tenure in office].” While bipartisanship is an important quality, this comes across as having no real convictions. It comes at a time when Democrats are, as a whole, moving further left, and Republicans are digging in their heels in support of Trump. Castro is one of the most high-profile Latinos to ever seek the Democratic nomination. His liberal policies and young age (44) make him appealing, but many say he is too inexperienced. However, even if he does not win the nomination, his candidacy would further diversify the field of candidates.
ld of candidates. In terms of slightly more serious candidates, there are a number of possibilities. Elizabeth Warren is a highly intelligent, powerful woman, but she describes herself as “a capitalist down to [my] bones,” and has come under fire for claiming to be of Native American descent. She has signed a pledge to refuse fossil fuel donations and, as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has been tougher on banks than many of her colleagues, but she has traditionally been a fairly easy target for the right, who describe her as “shrill” and “unlikeable.” While these insults are largely the result of sexism, she is admittedly not the most appealing of candidates overall.
Kamala Harris served as California’s Attorney General and is currently a Senator. She is more likeable than Warren, more experienced than Castro, and represents a more liberal side of the Democratic establishment. She has stated her support for, among other things, Medicare for All and a $15 minimum wage. The question remains, though: is America ready for a smart, sharp, empowered black woman to be President? Kirsten Gillibrand is another potential candidate. She was just elected to her second term as a Senator from New York. Her political career has been one of commendable adaptation; she has moved left along with the rest of the party on key issues such as gun control. Furthermore, she is distinctly likeable, and has the undeniable advantage of being white, which, unfortunately, may be what the party needs.
Other possibilities have even closer ties to the establishment than Harris, Gillibrand, and Warren. Cory Booker has recently been criticized for taking a lot of money from large pharmaceutical companies, and is seen by many as out of touch with the increasingly popular leftist wing of the Democratic party, spearheaded by the new Congresswoman from NY-14, the 29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, represents a bipartisan, amiable face that the New York Times called “Minnesota nice,” but that others say is too centrist. As a Senator, she has been derisively called the “Senator of Small Things,” for her focus on things like regulating swimming pool safety and lead levels in toys. While she would be a nice change from the toxicity and partisanship of our current politics, it is unclear that she represents the kind of radical change Democrats want in 2020.
Former liberal hopeful, Beto O’Rourke garnered national attention for his impressive Senate run in Texas. He raised millions of dollars from small donations only, and did good work to make Texas more purple. He is also a younger white man, which seems in many respects very pragmatic. However, when he was a State Senator from El Paso, he voted in line with Donald Trump’s policies nearly a third of the time, and has been hesitant to support ideas like Medicare for All and the abolishment of ICE, which are becoming more mainstream in liberal policies.
Many are worried that Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders will run again. Biden is distinctly out of touch with the new face of the Democratic party, and is frankly too old (he’ll be 78 by the time the next president takes office). Bernie is even older, and, while I believe he should have been the 2016 Democratic nominee, his moment in the spotlight has, in my view, largely come and gone. Both Biden and Sanders should instead focus on using their large bases and web of connections to campaign for whoever appears to be the most likely to win.
This campaign season appears to be shaping up to be difficult. Democrats must decide if they will run someone more radical or more establishment, a firebrand or someone committed to civility. My opinion, formed by political values and pragmatism, is that Kirsten Gillibrand would be the best option, with someone like Beto O’Rourke, a generically appealing man, as her Vice President. While I would love to see Kamala Harris become our first black female president, I worry that her identity represents too much change for those in the center. Should Gillibrand win, I would recommend Harris as her Attorney General and Warren as her Treasury Secretary. Regardless of who secures the nomination, the left must be ready to rally around that candidate completely, rather than remaining split the way it did in 2016. It is important to hold powerful people accountable, including those you support, but first, you have to get them elected.