Speculation clouds the air as Americans begin to wonder which Democratic candidate will face President Trump in the 2020 election.
Among those considered by ABC to be most likely to run for president in 2020 are former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and former Vice President Joe Biden.
As someone who will vote in this upcoming election, being educated on the potential candidates is of utmost importance.
The mainstream media has done a good job of fantasizing about a diverse, liberal candidate winning the position. However, the media and those who have fallen under this trap are failing to consider one important detail: America is not ready to elect a diverse, liberal candidate.
With former President Obama being the only African American President of the U.S., the government has established itself as white-dominated. America is used to being represented by rich, white men.
This is not to say that I would not vote and love a diverse, liberal president who focuses on the most pressing issues of America. In fact, I will likely vote for a candidate who matches that description.
Those who are considered most likely to run for the Democratic Party nomination have a fatal flaw that will cost them the election: most of them are not white, rich, nor men.
For example, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro is Chicano (Mexican-American), and his mother was an active member in the Raza Unida Party, a Chicano nationalist movement. Castro has sufficient political experience, as he was the mayor of his native city San Antonio, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election. However, it is unlikely that he will get elected due to intense debate over border security.
Others who are likely to or officially running are Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris.
According to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), in 2018, women made up 20.6 percent of the United States Congress, with 23 percent in the Senate and 20 percent in the House of Representatives.
This goes to show that America is still adapting to more and more women holding political office. If Democratic candidates are trying to win over some Republican-leaning moderates who might be plagued with misogyny, the candidate that this demographic of the electorate will likely select is a white, fairly moderate man.
White men that are likely to run are Rep. Beto O’Rourke and former Vice President Joe Biden.
O’Rourke, a young Congressman with charisma similar to JFK, presents as a fresh-faced, intelligent man who could lead the country. However, some believe that his fairly short political career means that he lacks the experience to get elected.
Then, there is former Vice President Joe Biden. An experienced politician and social advocate, Biden certainly has the capability to get the job done. Yet some believe that since Biden is 76-years-old, and ran for president in 1984 and 1988, and lost, that he is unlikely to win in 2020.
Keep in mind, a woman, regardless of her race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, or ideology can execute the duties of office just as well as a man can. But Americans need to get over their prejudices in order for a diverse, liberal woman to gain office.
