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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDemocrats Have Made One Thing Very Clear About 2020: They're Over White Men
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/democratic-presidential-candidates-2020-diversity-white-men.htmlDemocrats Have Made One Thing Very Clear About 2020: Theyre Over White Men
Or, why Kamala Harris looks like a likely nominee.
By Jamelle Bouie
Nov 15, 20183:11 PM
snip//
Democrats desire for diversity is increasingly apparent. Democratic voters nominated an unprecedented 180 female candidates in House primaries, as well as 133 people of color, including Native American and Muslim American candidates. Democrats also nominated 21 openly LGBT candidates for Congress. For the first time in the partys history, white men were a minority in the House Democratic candidate pool. And while election officials are still tallying votes in several states, the Democrats incoming class of House members reflects the diversity of their candidate pool.
This thirst for diversity extended to statewide races. Democrats nominated black candidates for governor in Florida, Georgia, and Maryland, for lieutenant governor in Michigan, for attorney general in Nevada and Illinois, and for Senate in Mississippi. The incoming senator from Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, is openly bisexual, and the governor-elect of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, is Latina. In CNNs exit polls, 65 percent of voters who valued electing racial and ethnic minorities and 66 percent of voters who valued electing women backed Democratic candidates. It helps explain the striking success of nonwhite candidates in predominantly white districts, like Lauren Underwood of Illinois, Lucy McBath of Georgia, or Antonio Delgado of New York.
All of this brings obvious takeaways for the 2020 presidential race. Calls for Democrats to nominate Beto ORourke, former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, or Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown make sensethese are talented, charismatic politicians who might improve the partys appeal with downscale whites. But they ignore or dont take seriously the clear preference for diverse candidates among Democratic primary voters. Assuming they run, their odds of winning arent lowSanders was the runner-up in 2016 and Biden is a popular figure in the partybut they arent as high as they might appear either.
The opposite is true for the cohort of white women and people of color who are clearly in the race for president. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren may have stumbled with her attempt to settle questions about her heritage, but shes still in the running. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota may be unknown on the national stage, but they are skilled politicians with demonstrated appeal to rural and working-class whites. The same is true for Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who hasnt made the same moves toward running as her peers but who might appeal to Democratic primary voters for her progressive politics, clear appeal to working-class whites (she won 60 percent of white union households in her re-election bid this year), and history-making potential: She would be the first openly LGBTQ president.
If theres anyone who sits at the intersection of what Democratic voters seem to want in a candidate, its Sen. Kamala Harris of California. A nonwhite woman, she looks like the most active and loyal parts of the Democratic base. A black woman with South Asian heritage, she would make history as president. Shes close to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party (but not so progressive that she doesnt have real opposition on the left, tied to her controversial record as state attorney general) and has built herself up as a tough, unapologetic opponent of the administration (although she has voted for some of Trumps nominees). Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, likewise, would satisfy an apparently strong desire from Democratic voters to elevate a candidate of color to the White House. (This desire is why you also shouldnt dismiss former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who is also considering a bid for the nomination and has support from top Obama allies.)
With all of that said, the very fact of a President Donald Trump should inspire humility about our ability to forecast or predict electoral outcomes. The midterm elections offer strong signals about what Democratic primary voters might want in a presidential nominee, but theres no way to know how these candidates will perform once they hit the trail. Indeed, theres no way to answer the only question that really matters for the 2020 racewho can beat Trump?
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