I know it's early (perhaps too early) to be thinking about the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, but I doubt I'm the only one considering it. Democrats across the nation are eager to boot Trump out of the White House, and they're already thinking about who can do that. And maybe I'm wrong, but I think they will nominate the person they think has the best chance of winning against Trump.
Who might that person be? Immediately after the election, the Politico / Morning Consult Poll asked Democrats about that. Between November 7th and 9th they asked 733 Democrats nationwide what their current preference was. The number in parentheses is the number of actual people picking the candidate, and the black bars represent the percentage choosing each candidate.
Unsurprisingly, the first two choices were Joe Biden (26%) and Bernie Sanders (19%).
But third place was a surprise for me -- Beto O'Rourke at 8%. That's more than other often mentioned candidates like Elizabeth Warren (5%), Kamala Harris (4%), and Cory Booker (3%). I don't think that's just a wish of Texas Democrats. O'Rourke seems to be getting some buzz from Democrats in other states -- people looking for a fresh face who could energize Democrats the way Barack Obama did in 2008.
In Iowa, the Polk County Democratic Party (Des Moines) has already invited O'Rourke to visit them. They want to get a close look at him. He hasn't responded to their request, but I hope he does visit them. I'd love to see what Iowa Democrats think of him -- whether they would like him as much as Texas Democrats do.
NOTE -- I have been accused by some readers as already being on the Joe Biden bandwagon. It's not true. I admire Biden, and could easily support him if he gets the nomination. But my current sympathies lie with either Kamala Harris or Beto O'Rourke. Of course, that could change once things start getting serious.
