Little-Known Democratic Presidential Contenders Deserve a Look, Too

By SAM URETSKY

This is a difficult time to be a Democrat. It’s easy enough to oppose Donald Trump – most people do that – but picking a Democrat to support is comparable to a trip to Baskin-Robbins. While there are only about 24 Democrats who are officially running for the nomination, the web site fivethirtyeight.com has about 30 people to choose from. With Joe Biden having the benefit of universal name recognition, and Joe Sestak at the bottom, tied for name recognition with Steve Bullock, Seth Moulton and Wayne Messam. According to fivethirtyeight, only seven candidates have 1% support or better, and only three on the list have general name recognition, one of whom is Hillary Clinton. Since Secretary Clinton (who is not running) polls 0.7%, it seems as if name recognition has limited value.

There are a number of ways to deal with this surfeit of choices. One of which is to simply avoid thinking about the nominee until the number of candidates gets down to an acceptable level, say 14 or 15. For a small investment you can buy a MAGA hat, which will announce to the world that you aren’t thinking about politics, or economics, or foreign policy, or anything else. An alternative to the hat would be to lament the cancellation of Mad magazine by wearing a “what, me worry?” t-shirt.

The unfortunate fact is that, with so many candidates, name recognition becomes important. Some of the candidates, like Vice-President Biden, already have recognition, but others will have to try to stand out during the debates. Mr. Biden stands out because of his years as vice-president and Sen. Sanders is known from his run for the nomination in 2016 with fewer opponents, but others may not have the opportunity to introduce themselves.

The Atlantic wrote about Mayor Pete Buttigieg, “the most striking example of a lesser-known candidate polling well ... who was virtually unknown at the start of his campaign but still managed to attract an outsized share of support.” Mayor Buttigieg is extremely telegenic, but he had help from President Trump who tweeted, “Alfred E. Neuman cannot become president of the United States.” Of course the baby boomers, a group that tends to vote Republican, grew up devoted to Alfred E. Neuman, the symbol of Mad magazine. Also, Mayor Pete probably is a genius, at least with respect to his linguistic ability. In spite of his age and political office, he deserves consideration.

Joe Sestak is also worth some attention by virtue of his military experience. On Dec. 26, 2018, the New York Times published a story, “Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam?” While Pew Research reported, “US veterans, who broadly supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election, have remained positive about the job he is doing as president,” there’s a difference between gaming the system to avoid the draft, and actively draft dodging with a false claim of bone spurs. Mr. Sestak, before going into politics, was a three-star admiral who would almost certainly be less inclined to saber rattling than the current CinC. He jests at scars that never felt a wound, or a bone spur either.

Steve Bullock, a two-term governor of Montana, has focused on campaign finance. According to the Washington Post, “Bullock boasts a strong record fighting the influence of wealthy donors. As attorney general, Bullock defended the 1912 ban [on corporate spending in Montana elections], which was overturned after the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. And he is suing the Trump administration over a regulation that allows certain political nonprofit groups to obfuscate the identities of their donors. As governor, he signed an executive order to require all state government contractors to disclose their political spending, something he says he would do as president.” Gov. Bullock’s message has reached many voters, and small donations are starting to increase.

Most of the other lesser-known candidates have at least some virtues that might justify consideration. Certainly both Pete Buttigieg and Wayne Messam, mayor of Miramar City, Fla., have more political experience than the current incumbent. And then there’s Kirsten Gillibrand, junior senator from New York, who has moderate name recognition, and polls in the decimals. The Washington Examiner headlined “Kirsten Gillibrand is what 0% in the 2020 polls looks like.” Part of Ms. Gillibrand’s problem is reflected in the Politico headline “Franken scandal haunts Gillibrand’s 2020 chances.”

Then-Sen. Franken was accused of groping radio host Leeann Tweeden as they returned from a USO tour. Although Ms. Tweeden appears to have been sincerely offended, the photograph in question seems to have been meant as a joke in bad taste. There was never a proper investigation of the incident, and Sen. Gillibrand was fast to throw Sen. Franken under the bus and helped force his resignation from the Senate. The Politico report describes how a number of Democratic donors will not contribute to Gillibrand and one who would not even vote for her. The Examiner concluded, “Kirsten Gillibrand will never be president. At least she’ll get a decent book deal out of it.” Look for it on the remainder pile.

Sam Uretsky is a writer and pharmacist living in Louisville, Ky. Email sdu01@outlook.com.

From The Progressive Populist, August 15, 2019

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