Although it may seem premature, given all the fuss surrounding the new administration of President Donald Trump, Washington insiders are already talking about who could face off against Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
While some names are potentially serious contenders, others are only being bandied about because they’ve garnered media attention in the last several years — but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a shot at being elected president.
Although the Democrats have a crude slate of people who might be interested in the job, there’s not yet a “Godzilla” candidate among them whose name recognition and star power come near to what Hillary Clinton had (and even then, she still ended up tanking spectacularly and throwing her party into a chaotic state).
Instead, Trump’s biggest challenge could come from an outsider — someone who looks and sounds like he does — a person who owes less of an allegiance to any political party and more to a popular audience of people who have been supporting him or her for years — a media personality or a television celebrity, for example.
Even though the Trump administration is more concerned with carrying out day-to-day responsibilities, officials in the White House are keeping tabs on many of these potential challengers:
Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio
Sherrod Brown has been in the Senate for more than 10 years and is enough of a serious contender to have made the shortlist for Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential picks before she settled on less-than-impressive Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.
It helps that Brown is perceived as a populist — particularly among white, working-class voters — as compared to other Democratic leaders who are more closely aligned with elites. His alliances with Bernie Sanders over the years also haven’t hurt him in this regard.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut
Like Sherrod Brown, above, Senator Murphy is also being taken seriously as a potential 2020 candidate, at least as far as gambling websites are concerned. Both he and Brown are proven fundraisers who have built strong networks of supporters and enjoy substantial popularity within their party.
A strong advocate for gun control, Murphy has stood up for his beliefs in the Senate, much to the chagrin of Republicans and the NRA. Murphy has said he’s not interested in the presidency, but isn’t that what every politician says until the day before they announce their run for office?
Democratic Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper
As the governor of a Western state, Hickenlooper has strong appeal within his party as someone who could draw voters from Middle-America “flyover country.” But for now, his name doesn’t ring too many bells for the average Joe.
Although Hickenlooper has experience in the private sector before he became governor — he founded a brewery early in his career — he’s seen as having less of a combative posture politically than some of the other figures on this list. And using the last election as a yardstick, the fight in 2020 has the potential to turn quite ugly.
Dallas Mavericks Owner and Entrepreneur Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban is known as a tech company founder and as one of the hosts of ABC’s Shark Tank. The smart technology titan is renowned as a skillful dealmaker and shrewd gambler who’s not often wrong when it comes to making predictions, which he also isn’t shy about leaking to the media; then again, he recently stated he didn’t think Donald Trump would last four weeks as president.
The White House is much more concerned about Cuban than many of the other names on this list because of his crossover appeal to both Democrats and Republicans. As an outsider, he fits much more into Trump’s populist mold than most other possible candidates. Like Trump, Cuban could also dip into his own pockets to pay for his campaign.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Massachusetts’ “Pocahontas,” as President Trump refers to her, has been a lightning rod for controversy within the Democratic Party. On the one hand, many progressives love her hard left stances on everything from college tuition to Wall Street Reform, but on the other, the polarity of her positions and her “no-fun” near-constant dour expressions would make her an easy target for Trump to make quick work of. Not to mention that her advanced age (she turns 71 in 2020) may also turn voters off (although Trump himself will be 74 in 2020).
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Like Elizabeth Warren, former presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders both stimulates and rankles voters because of his extreme-left positions and the harangue of his speeches. At age 79 in 2020, he would be the oldest major candidate to run for the presidency (by six years).
As much as he still enjoys a great deal of support from a significant percentage of voters, he’ll likely be seen as too old and too much of a crank in the next general election to compete against the happier, warmer and incumbent Trump.
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York
For many years, there have been rumblings about Governor Andrew Cuomo, the son of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, running for higher office. But as with his father before him, Cuomo’s window of opportunity may have passed. His popularity ratings are suffering, and a contract bid-rigging scandal involving one of his aides and seven businessmen may have derailed his chances.
Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey
Like Cuomo, above, former Newark mayor Cory Booker isn’t as clean corruption-wise as his party would like him to be. While a major scandal like that which has enveloped New Jersey’s other Democratic senator, Bob Menendez, hasn’t yet materialized around Booker, word is that there are more than enough skeletons in his closets to put the junior senator in a political cemetery, and like Trump’s friend, Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie, that dark past is likely too blemished to run away from.
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
Relatively new Senator Gillibrand has been talked about as a potential candidate, but most insiders believe she’s too young to be taken seriously for the job. Although she’s considered an “up-and-comer” in her party, a notable lack of charisma and name recognition hurt her chances. She would be a big unknown in a national race against popular President Trump.
Democratic Governor Jerry Brown of California
Governor Jerry Brown of California is enjoying the fruits of heady doses of popularity in his home state due to Democrats’ dissatisfaction there with the 2016 presidential election results and Brown’s outspoken positions against the Trump administration. As a two-time governor with 28 years between his terms, Brown has the mettle to be taken seriously from a national perspective.
But public sentiment shifts rapidly in California as former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger found out. A half-serious secession movement appears to be underway in the state; it’s unlikely it will amount to anything, but if Brown can tap into that dissatisfaction and/or enlarge it to a national movement, he could cement his potential.
It’s true that California’s electoral and popular votes are formidable. But it’s equally true that the capacity for disasters in the Golden State — both natural and fiscal — abound, and what appear to be happy days at the moment could turn sour if any one of California’s perennial nemeses (earthquakes, fires, droughts, financial issues) rears their ugly heads. Being stuck in the governor’s seat at such a moment could dim Brown’s political prospects if he’s not careful.
Hillary Clinton
As far-fetched as it may seem, there are some in the Democratic Party who would like to resurrect Hillary Clinton one more time for a shot at the nation’s top job. But given how badly she botched the contest the last time around, combined with how corrupt many voters perceive her to be, a 2020 candidacy would likely be a Hail Mary pass from her party. There’s also the matter of her health, which, to be sure, would be scrutinized as never before if there was another campaign from the former Secretary of State.
Kanye West
Out of all the people on this list, only West has actually said he may run for the presidency in 2020. Of course, whether he has a snowball’s chance in hot water of winning is another matter. With no political experience to speak of and, in fact, no experience in doing much besides appearing on the cover of a bunch of celebrity magazines, West would be hard to take seriously as a candidate.
It’s difficult not to picture him being more bored with presidential cabinet meetings than he appears to be with his reality-star wife in gossip-column photos.
