Three names I hadn't considered but I think I'd be very happy with, as a result of
this FiveThirtyEight chat:
Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.
I think Senator Baldwin is my new second choice. Unlike Tammy Duckworth she's not a Trump tar baby (she's gay rather than a disabled veteran), but she's still a strong choice, in that she's an unobjectionable Midwestern senator. I'm trying to decided whether I like her or Klobuchar better. Klobuchar is a better speaker, but also further left.
Senator Jon Tester of Montana
Coming from the Mountain West, he's pro-gun and a moderate on economic issues. He's also not especially a compelling speaker, but he's the ranking Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee. The only issue I have with him personally is that he opposed the DREAM ACt
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg
He was mentioned twice in the comments, though not in the article itself. A gay Millennial veteran
who gave a TED talk. He's no Obama in terms of his speaking ability, but he's still a decent speaker.
I think at this point, in terms of how much I'd like them to be the Democratic nominee, by which I mean how much I like them and how much I like their chances in the general, I'd say my ratings are as follows:
- Tammy Duckworth
- Tammy Baldwin
- Amy Klobuchar
- Tulsi Gabbard
- Pete Buttigieg
- Julian Castro
- John Tester
- Jason Kander
- Joe Biden
- Kirsten Gillibrand
- Jeff Merkley
- Corey Booker
- Deval Patrick
- Kamala Harris
- Bernie Sanders
The last six names (Gillbrand on down) I think have a good chance of pulling defeat from the jaws of victory but still would find them acceptable as president if they won. Sanders I think is the most likely of those six to win the general (probably the primary too), but given he'd probably have a Democratic Congress if he won, I'd be much less OK with the idea him as president than I was in 2016.
Elizabeth Warren I'd
probably vote for unenthusiastically in the general while being convinced she'd lose and probably make a poor president if she'd win. Any celebrity/businessperson candidate (including Oprah, Zuckerberg, Mark Cuban, and Michelle) I'd absolutely refuse to vote for while bitching even more than I did when the Dems coronated Hillary. Sherrod Brown remains my least favorite candidate; he's the only hopeful who's come up where I'm legit not sure if I'd be more upset at him or Trump winning.
Anyone else I haven't mentioned it's because I either don't have even the faintest opinion on them or think there's literally zero chance of them running. If they did run, Ron Wyden or Zoe Loefgren would beat out even Tammy Duckworth on my list, because I love their understanding of technology, which is something vanishingly rare in politicians, but I think there is zero chance of either of them running.