ShortKing Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 My second choice is Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She's favored to win reelection this year, and a blue wall Democratic woman would be the ideal nominee for a party that will have to defend the Biden Administration without the advantage of incumbency. She's got pretty good name recognition for a mid-sized state governor (in part thanks to Trump's consistent attacks on her), and she can position herself against DC as need be while still embracing Democratic orthodoxy that she governed with in Lansing. My third choice is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. She's younger than Biden, more progressive than most of the candidates we've drafted, and has the experience and policy wonkery to be a serious contender for the nomination. Her campaign caught fire for a period of time in 2020, and at one point she was the frontrunner ahead of Biden, and while she made a number of missteps, she's a more experienced candidate and campaigner now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Oh and action to @Hestia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hestia Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 1 minute ago, ShortKing said: My second choice is Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She's favored to win reelection this year, and a blue wall Democratic woman would be the ideal nominee for a party that will have to defend the Biden Administration without the advantage of incumbency. She's got pretty good name recognition for a mid-sized state governor (in part thanks to Trump's consistent attacks on her), and she can position herself against DC as need be while still embracing Democratic orthodoxy that she governed with in Lansing. My third choice is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. She's younger than Biden, more progressive than most of the candidates we've drafted, and has the experience and policy wonkery to be a serious contender for the nomination. Her campaign caught fire for a period of time in 2020, and at one point she was the frontrunner ahead of Biden, and while she made a number of missteps, she's a more experienced candidate and campaigner now. Why did you feel you just had to steal both the ones I was thinking? Lol good picks for both. Definitely both plausible. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPotatoTed Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 1 minute ago, ShortKing said: My second choice is Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She's favored to win reelection this year, and a blue wall Democratic woman would be the ideal nominee for a party that will have to defend the Biden Administration without the advantage of incumbency. She's got pretty good name recognition for a mid-sized state governor (in part thanks to Trump's consistent attacks on her), and she can position herself against DC as need be while still embracing Democratic orthodoxy that she governed with in Lansing. My third choice is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. She's younger than Biden, more progressive than most of the candidates we've drafted, and has the experience and policy wonkery to be a serious contender for the nomination. Her campaign caught fire for a period of time in 2020, and at one point she was the frontrunner ahead of Biden, and while she made a number of missteps, she's a more experienced candidate and campaigner now. I think any governor is going to be tainted by COVID. There will be accusations that they overreacted or underreacted or both. We haven't elected a Governor to the Presidency in 22 years, because there's an actual track record of leadership to complain about. Ha. I like Warren even though I don't consider myself to be progressive. That said, I don't see the fire in her to win the primary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 6 minutes ago, ShortKing said: My third choice is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. She's younger than Biden, more progressive than most of the candidates we've drafted, and has the experience and policy wonkery to be a serious contender for the nomination. Her campaign caught fire for a period of time in 2020, and at one point she was the frontrunner ahead of Biden, and while she made a number of missteps, she's a more experienced candidate and campaigner now. Liz Warren absolutely blowing her chance to win in 2020 was just sad to watch. Her campaign caught fire and then for whatever reason her staff just... derailed her campaign from everything that had made it work in the first place. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Just now, Rezi said: Liz Warren absolutely blowing her chance to win in 2020 was just sad to watch. Her campaign caught fire and then for whatever reason her staff just... derailed her campaign from everything that had made it work in the first place. oh 1000%, I don't like Warren or her policies, but as a candidate, the selfie line thing she did where she would stay behind a rally or speech and spend hours just letting voters take selfies with her was so smart, turning your voters into mini campaign surrogates posting Warren on their feed or their stories, and obviously, she was great at articulating her perspective and campaign message on the debate stage, only to then completely fall apart and come in third in her own home state of Massachusetts, what a wild ride. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hestia Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 After a great deal of thought (and realizing there aren't *that* many actually good options), I've decided to go slightly out of the box and pick Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock. He's charismatic, energetic, and is definitely capable of taking a long presidential run potentially to victory. He is running for re-election this year, but I think if he wins that, it definitely shows that he can win in a battleground like Georgia (having done so twice) and showing that he can win even in tough dynamics for Democrats. I believe back to @MrPotatoTed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPotatoTed Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 9 minutes ago, Hestia said: After a great deal of thought (and realizing there aren't *that* many actually good options), I've decided to go slightly out of the box and pick Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock. He's charismatic, energetic, and is definitely capable of taking a long presidential run potentially to victory. He is running for re-election this year, but I think if he wins that, it definitely shows that he can win in a battleground like Georgia (having done so twice) and showing that he can win even in tough dynamics for Democrats. I believe back to @MrPotatoTed He's another one I don't know very well, but I don't expect any Georgia Democrat who wins election/re-election to leave voluntarily, as they may be replaced by a Republican. For my pick, I'll go with...Bernie Sanders! He'll be 83, which sounds insane -- but so far, he seems to be at least as with it (if not more so) than Biden, who will be 82. So if our opening move is that surely 82-year-old Biden will be re-nominated, then 83 doesn't feel so out of reach. There are also few people in the party that have as much "running for President" experience as he does. ;c) He's obviously got passionate supporters with a significant portion of the party wanting him to be President -- maybe not the majority, but it's the third round and I'll take what I can get. Feel the Bern, baby! Action to @Rezi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 For my 3rd pick, I'll go with Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky! The young moderate dem Governor is quite popular in his red state and could help Dems in Appalachia and the South. This also comes from me just seeing a poll today which polled national approval of a bunch of fairly well-known figures and... Beshear? Which felt weird to me, and as if someone is trying to pish him to run. For my 4th pick, I'll go with a personal wish fulfillment pick and say Jared Polis. The Colorado Governor is quite popular, and with good reason. He's one of the closest things we have to a Libertarian Democrat, as well as being the first openly gay man to be elected Governor of a state. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Back to @MrPotatoTed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPotatoTed Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 I’ve already said my piece about governors not being electable due to covid, so I’ll move on to my final pick. With my fourth and final pick for the Democrat nomination, I’ll go WAY outside the box, with someone who not only isn’t a politician...but might not even be a Democrat: Actor Matthew McConaughey. He gave serious thought to running for Governor for Texas, and says he’s learned a lot about what people are looking for and what they need. He calls himself a “let’s meet in the middle deal maker”, which to me sounds like a blend of Biden and Trump. Obvious name recognition and he’ll draw a crowd, plus media coverage. He might even get Trump supporters (not that there’s many of them voting in a Democrat primary). @Hestia for your final pick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hestia Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 I will go a teeny-weeny bit outside the box. I'll pick Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth. While nothing has really shown she does want to run for nationwide office, I think if she did, she would absolutely crush it. She would definitely be on a very short shortlist for a potential VP if Buttigieg or someone else wins in 2024. I think she would have a good shot on her own with her backstory and compelling narrative, but lack of name ID will hurt her unless she can solve that relatively quickly. Onto @ShortKing! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 For my fourth pick, I'm gonna go with Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina. For me, 2020 showed what a party can do when its singular focus is winning the general, when a host of candidates dropped out and endorsed Biden ahead of Super Tuesday, and if for whatever reason Biden's not in the running, and electability becomes the party's top concern, I think picking a guy who manages to win in a red leaning swing state twice, even as Trump carried the state on the same ballot both times makes a lot of sense. He's a straight white guy in a party that wants to represent the diversity of the country, which is why he hasn't been drafted up until now probably, but this is a Democrat who managed to win over the Trump voters he needed while not alienating the party base, and that'll be worth something to a party that's staring down the possibility of a GOP trifecta in 2024. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPotatoTed Posted May 5, 2022 Author Share Posted May 5, 2022 Alright! That's four rounds, so we'll move on to the Republican nominee. Our draft order this time is...rolling dice... Me@ShortKing@Rezi@Hestia I get the easy low-hanging fruit: Donald Trump. I think if he is alive, he absolutely runs for President. He is not capable of giving the spotlight to anyone else. And if he runs, I think he's got at least an 80% chance of beating all the pretenders to the Trump throne. Action to @ShortKing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 My first pick is Ron DeSantis. Early polls show he's somewhat competitive even with Trump in the field and far and away GOP voters' first choice if Trump is off the table. From the largest swing state in the country and showing that he can command news cycles whenever he wants to, he looks situated to win a second term and is well positioned to be an early frontrunner for the GOP nomination. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Action to @Rezi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Trump and DeSantis were the easy choices, this is where it gets interesting. There's a couple valid choices, but I'll go with Larry Hogan. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Action to @Hestia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hestia Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Alright, so I get 4th and 5th. For my 4th option, I will choose the last of the "Big 3" in my opinion. I'll go with former VP Mike Pence. In the case that Trump doesn't run, I think DeSantis has real problems with actually being charismatic and being able to sustain the momentum he's got now. I kind of think his popularity will pop like a balloon if actually tested at a debate. That's where things get actually interesting. Pence has a good shot in Iowa, where we've got a ton of evangelical Christians. Pence is a good option for them, and has consistently ran around 20-25% nationally. If it fractures and fractures hard, Pence is a good option to consolidate both consistent conservatives and never-Trumpers. For the 5th option, I'm going to go with South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. He doesn't seem to make really any part of the party necessarily mad, and could help the GOP's image on diversity and attempting to broaden its base. Scott could definitely help with that and speak to both parts of the party. He also seems to be a good speaker and would be able to potentially put Biden on the back foot. I believe it goes back to @Rezi 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Those are really good picks and they were next on my list, which I can only assume is payback for Whitmer and Warren 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Really like the Scott pick, he was on my shortlist at #3. I believe I'll have to go with the last remaining member of that shortlist and double down on moderates. Governor Chris Sununu. He's too moderate for most of the modern GOP, but could be amazing on the general election ticket. He's also said that he's gonna look at a potential run, and is one of the few politicians that I could see actively going against Trump. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Back to @ShortKing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Next on my list is Nikki Haley. She's had some missteps, and is a little too transparent with the way she will flip flop on just how supportive of Trump she is at any given moment, but she commands respect from many in the GOP establishment, and it's notable that when it comes to Republican candidates in a swing state or district (think Young Kim or Glenn Youngkin), one of the first endorsements they look for is Nikki Haley's. Popular with the party faithful and persuadable voters, Haley has a clear, albeit narrow, path to either spot on the 2024 ticket. Action to @MrPotatoTed 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPotatoTed Posted May 5, 2022 Author Share Posted May 5, 2022 1 hour ago, ShortKing said: My first pick is Ron DeSantis. Early polls show he's somewhat competitive even with Trump in the field and far and away GOP voters' first choice if Trump is off the table. From the largest swing state in the country and showing that he can command news cycles whenever he wants to, he looks situated to win a second term and is well positioned to be an early frontrunner for the GOP nomination. Totally agree. I think it's 80% Donald Trump, 19% Ron DeSantis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPotatoTed Posted May 5, 2022 Author Share Posted May 5, 2022 46 minutes ago, Hestia said: Alright, so I get 4th and 5th. For my 4th option, I will choose the last of the "Big 3" in my opinion. I'll go with former VP Mike Pence. In the case that Trump doesn't run, I think DeSantis has real problems with actually being charismatic and being able to sustain the momentum he's got now. I kind of think his popularity will pop like a balloon if actually tested at a debate. That's where things get actually interesting. Pence has a good shot in Iowa, where we've got a ton of evangelical Christians. Pence is a good option for them, and has consistently ran around 20-25% nationally. If it fractures and fractures hard, Pence is a good option to consolidate both consistent conservatives and never-Trumpers. For the 5th option, I'm going to go with South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. He doesn't seem to make really any part of the party necessarily mad, and could help the GOP's image on diversity and attempting to broaden its base. Scott could definitely help with that and speak to both parts of the party. He also seems to be a good speaker and would be able to potentially put Biden on the back foot. I believe it goes back to @Rezi I think if Jan 6 insurrection hadn't happened, Mike Pence would be the frontrunner. But Trump has dragged Pence for not (illegally) overturning the election, and all of my neighbors scratched Pence off of their Trump/Pence signs that are still hanging in their yards to this day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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