I never did get around to writing a full diary about which candidate I support, in part because it could be summed up in a couple of sentences. Instead on this last weekend before the first actual results will finally be recorded I thought I would take a look at all the candidates. I initially was going to list them in the order of my preference, but then realized I’m not always clear on exact order so I resorted to alphabetically. I also like playing Create Your Own Cabinet out of the contenders, so I will make comments in that regard as well. Living just a few miles from the NH line means I have had the chance to see a few in person. These are my personal opinions only and should not be taken as expert analysis or objective.
Michael Bennet — He’s one I wish had caught on a bit more, but does come off as “just another Senator” (hereafter JAS) in some ways. I attended a meet & greet in his Nashua office and I found him to articulate his vision well. I also feel strongly about education as a policy area and his role as Superintendent of the Denver Public Schools brings on the ground experience in that area. He would make a good Secretary of Education.
Joe Biden — He is my top choice for this year’s nomination. He has hands down the best resume of the field to be President, which is what I tend to prioritize for a job for which you can never truly prepare. He was an active VP and his long tenure in the Senate included chairing the key committees of Judiciary and Foreign Relations, topics which often land on the President’s desk, though in previous runs pre-VP he did strike me as a bit JAS. I believe there are valid answers to any negatives he may have and while electability is not decisive with me, it sure doesn’t hurt. I attended a rally/town hall with him and John Kerry in Nashua and they were both very good.
Michael Bloomberg — Basically he strikes me as a competent technocrat on the correct side of most issues, much more RINO than DINO. New York City is one of a small handful of American cities for which a jump from Mayor to President is not that unreasonable given it has a larger population than some states. I’m glad he has committed to using his fortune to defeat Trump.
Pete Buttigieg — South Bend, OTOH, is nowhere near the size of NYC. He is definitely a “heart” candidate for me as my head is still telling me he does not have the experience to be President, but he still has plenty of time. I very much enjoy listening to him, maybe the most of all the candidates, and I love how he is willing to speak the language of faith from the left. I attended a rally/town hall for him in the same Nashua venue as the Biden rally I mentioned, which was much better attended than Biden’s. If he were elected I would have to get used to a President younger than I am for the first time. It’s not a Cabinet position of course, but he ran for DNC Chair last time and I think that might be a good fit.
Tulsi Gabbard — Probably my biggest “UGH!” of those still in the race. She seems progressive on some things, but also seems to like to poke the party in the eye because she can sometimes (“present” on impeachment, anyone?). She has also at times treated HRC in a manner that I frankly expect from Trump. My biggest policy difference with her is she comes across as very isolationist and I like to be more engaged in the world. I would hold my nose to vote for her, but it looks like it won’t come to that.
Amy Klobuchar — She is firmly in the middle tier of my preferences. I’m neither excited about her nor have anything in particular against her, but she is the definition of JAS. Maybe if she’s tapped as running mate we can see if her claims to winning midwestern votes in GOP areas pans out.
Deval Patrick — I might have given him more consideration if he had entered the race earlier, but he put that decision on hold when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. I have fond memories of his time as my Governor. Just this morning I attended a house party for him in Bedford, but unfortunately he could not attend because he chipped his tooth and then ended up needing emergency root canal. He was ably represented by Tim Murray who served as his Lt. Governor.
Bernie Sanders — This is probably not a popular opinion around here, but he is my least favorite of the five or so with any shot at the nomination. Honestly, I wish he had not entered the race once Elizabeth Warren did. I’m glad he’s running as a Democrat and I don’t accept the accusations by some that he did not do enough personally to help the ticket last time, but I do wish he would actually join the party if he wants long-term influence. He does seem to have some pretty insufferable supporters, however.
Tom Steyer — I have a ton of respect for his efforts to push impeachment before it was cool, but I still cling to the quaint notion that a President ought to have some governmental experience. I also strongly oppose two constitutional reform measures he has been pushing, namely term limits and popular referenda on a nationwide scale.
Elizabeth Warren — I absolutely love her as my Senator and when she sought re-election in 2018 she was a rare incumbent I could get excited about. If excitement were my priority I might choose her over Biden, but instead she is my strong second choice. Besides a bit of home state bias at work I am also attracted to candidates who really think things through and show they have done their homework, and as we all know Warren “has a plan for that”. I believe she is much better than Sanders at both communicating and executing a progressive agenda. For a while I thought she had the best path to the nomination because I thought she could be acceptable to both Sanders and Biden supporters. Then she faltered a bit, but it’s still possible. I attended a climate-focused town hall in Milford and of course have seen her at plenty of Senate campaign events. I would recommend her for Secretary of the Treasury or Senate Democratic Leader if President doesn’t work out.
Andrew Yang — I wish he had more time in the debates to talk more about his UBI proposal which I think is worth discussing, but I don’t think he is qualified again based on lack of political experience. There might be a seat for him on the Council of Economic Advisors. I attended a small meet & greet very early in Nashua where he autographed and gave away copies of his book The War on Normal People, which is provocative.
Let us now spare a thought for a few of the candidates who are no longer running, but contributed their perspectives and talents to this race (in the order in which they suspended their campaigns):
Eric Swalwell — I attended a small town hall for him in Milford early on. I liked his focus on gun safety. As a member of both the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees in the House I suspect he has not been hurting for things to do lately, though given his position on both I’m a little surprised he was not appointed a manager.
John Hickenlooper — I’m glad he decided to run for Senate. Now he just needs to have a chat with Steve Bullock. He has endorsed fellow Coloradan Michael Bennet.
Jay Inslee — He was my third choice for a while after Biden and Warren. I think sometimes people can get a bit alarmist about climate change, but I liked that he framed it as an opportunity to meet a challenge rather than preaching gloom and doom. He also avoided the tag of being a single-issue candidate by demonstrating how climate connects to a host of other issues. He would be great as the EPA Administrator.
Seth Moulton — Not quite my Congressman, but two towns adjacent to mine are in his district. Didn’t like his attempted take down of Pelosi (which seems not to have gone over well at home; he has a couple of primary opponents in part I think due to this), but do respect his work to get more veterans in Congress. He has endorsed Biden and I could see him as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Kirsten Gillibrand — She ran the risk of becoming JAS. While I respect her advocacy for women, particularly in the military, I also think she overplayed that hand with regard to Al Franken and suggesting that President Clinton should have resigned over the Lewinsky affair.
Tim Ryan — I think there is a constituency for him in the party and he would make a good Secretary of Labor. He has now endorsed Biden.
Beto O’Rourke — He was one I was surprised left as early as he did, though I was also surprised by the initial enthusiasm for someone who lost a big race. For a while I thought he’s make a good VP for Biden, but he is now busy trying to flip TX blue. I’d like to see him run for LG of TX in 2022.
Joe Sestak — I wasn’t originally going to include him, but in creating the Cabinet it occurred to me he would make a good Secretary of Defense.
Steve Bullock — Needs to take the hint from John Hickenlooper and run for Senate. I thought he made a good point about attracting rural voters. Seems there should be a Secretary for Rural Affairs or the like, which he would be good at, and no, I don’t think Secretary of Agriculture is quite what I have in mind.
Kamala Harris — She remains my biggest surprise in terms of who has ended their campaigns. At first she seemed to not take positions, but got better over time and I thought was doing a good job straddling the progressive-moderate fence. I definitely think she could have kept going, but I also said all along and continue to believe that her talents are best suited for Attorney General.
Julian Castro — Someone else who I thought might have gotten more traction, though I did tire of his whining about debate rules. If he were in the administration I’d like to see him as the head of a much-revamped ICE. My real fantasy now for him is running for Governor of TX in 2022, with Beto O’Rourke as LG as I mentioned above. I believe in TX the top two offices are technically not ticketed, but those two would still make a great team. He has endorsed Warren.
Cory Booker — I first learned about him from a documentary, I believe called “Street Fight”, about his efforts to wrest control of Newark from the machine of his mayoral predecessor and then clean up the city both literally and figuratively. I attended a house party in Nashua for him early in the process. He wound up being JAS which surprised me a bit. He’s seeking re-election, but I think would make a good HUD Secretary.
John Delaney — He’s just not where the party is these days, though he might make a good Secretary of Commerce. I confess to feeling a little badly for him, having been the first to declare by quite a bit and practically moving to Iowa. He just dropped out yesterday. I recall Warren responding to his policy timidity in a debate by say, “I don’t know why anyone would go through all the trouble of running for President just to tell us what we can’t do and shouldn’t fight for.”
Anyway, that’s my two cents (which may be all it’s worth, though Warren says you can pay for a lot with that!). I know I did not include every former candidate who made almost no impact on the race. Please share your thoughts, particularly on your preference rankings, but please also remember we are ultimately on the same team and when November rolls around vote blue no matter who!