Two months from today the polls will be open in Iowa and Democrats will start voting on who they want to see battle Donald Trump for the presidency. But they’re in trouble and whoever they decide to be their candidate will have a hard time beating Trump.
As it stands right now, according to Real Clear Politics, here are the top 5 candidates holding the hopes of the Democratic Party.
- Joe Biden 27%
- Bernie Sanders 16%
- Elizabeth Warren 14%
- Pete Buttigieg 11.4%
- Michael Bloomburg 4%
The problem for the Democrats is that each of the top contenders have a fatal flaw that will likely make them poor candidates in the general election.
Joe Biden, for example, has a long history of being a politician and has contradicted himself on so many issues, it’s hard to really know where he stands. Beyond the fact that he is the most mistake prone candidate and could sabotage his own campaign with a thoughtless comment at any time, Biden just doesn’t get it.
His new #NoMalarkey campaign slogan is taken straight out of the 1920’s. The phrasing is as about as relatable to young voters as dropping Golden Girls references during speeches. It is hard to imagine a general election where Biden will be attacked by Trump and the former Vice President gracefully dodges the onslaught. Biden will likely get caught up in the drama and then Trump will win.
Four years ago, there was some real magic in the Bernie Sanders camp, and his message resonated with the young people of the party and started to grow a movement. Hillary put a stop to that. Four years later, the magic isn’t really there, and Bernie is now 78-years-old. The long and grueling campaign season will wear on the Democratic Socialist, and ultimately could be the deciding factor in this primary. His best chance was four years ago.
Warren and Buttigieg have similar problems. Both are doing very well in raising donations and holding strong in the pack behind Biden. The thing is, both alienate a large section of the traditional left leaning voters.
Warren is on the left side of the Democratic Party. She is more progressive than Hillary and will likely turn off more moderate Democrats. Voters that will likely vote a third party instead of sticking with the Democrats.
Similarly, Buttigieg his having a hard time attracting African American voters. In South Carolina Mayor Pete is only polling around 6.5% while Biden is in the 30’s.
All the top candidates have something that will make it tough for the Democrats to win in 2020. If the left can’t work the Impeachment process and remove Trump, it doesn’t look like they will be able to beat him in the election. At least with the candidates they have now.
You never know… the person that wins the Democratic nomination may not even be in the race right now.
