Who will be the Democratic Party candidate in the presidential election of 2020?
Donald Trump has only been in the White House for a year and we are still nine months away from the mid-term congressional elections in November. But already there is speculation about who the Democrats will field in 2020 to take back the Oval Office from the Republicans.
During his time as president, Trump has continued to tweet several times a day and to run election-style rallies, so he is in effect in permanent campaigning mode, but he may not survive in the office long enough to be able to seek a second term.
Meanwhile there is no obvious or clear challenger emerging on the Democrat side. For a few weeks, there was the notion that Oprah Winfrey might run for the office – as if we need another television celebrity in the West Wing – but she has now ruled this out.
Some of my American friends are excited about the idea of Bernie Sanders running again and there is recent news that he is considering another race. However, by the time of the election, he will be 79. There is talk about former Vice-President Joe Biden going for the top office. Yet he is only a year younger than Sanders and very much an establishment figure.
Among more than 30 names being talked about for the candidacy, there are two interesting women senators: Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris (Jamaican father/Indian mother). Then there is senator Cory Booker who is African-American. A ticket with a woman and a black candidate – say, Warren and Booker – would be something.
Of course, it’s far to soon to say – but it’s fun to speculate.
In the fictional world of television, Jed Bartlet of “The West Wing” was the president we had wanted Bill Clinton to be and currently Elizabeth McCord of “Madam Secretary” is being groomed to do what Hillary Clinton might have done.