It doesn't matter if you are a progressive democrat or a moderate democrat. We all have the same goal. We want to nominate the candidate that will beat Trump in November of 2020! We have different answers to who we think that will be. But, that is our priority.
There are only three true progressive candidates in the democratic race. Tulsi Gabbard, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Progressive voters have an easier time choosing which candidate they support. That is why Warren and Sanders are doing so well.
But, most moderate voters simply haven't decided yet. That is why many moderate candidates aren't polling strongly. We just haven't decided. We also can't forget about the candidates like Cory Booker and Kamala Harris that are a little too left to be moderate and a little to right to be progressive.
The voters the eventual nominee will need to win over are the ones that are not registered democrats. The ones who didn't vote or went third party in 2016. That group includes republican voters that can't bring themselves to swim in Trump's pool of slime by voting for him.
I happen to know a republican that falls into that category. His idea of a perfect president would have been John McCain. He is a veteran who can't stand anything about Trump. He is one of those "vote red not instead!" voters. Yet, in 2016, he clearly declared Trump was "not my president!". So, he represents the voters we need but aren't talking about during the primaries.
I decided to ask him, "Are there any candidates in the current democratic field, including Bloomberg, that you would vote for in the general election?" He didn't even hesitate "That Harris one, what's her name? I like her."
Kamala Harris? That was surprising. Isn't she just a little too progressive for a die hard republican? He's always seemed like a moderate republican. But, that answer did surprise me. Then I thought about why he might like her. She's tough on crime. She also was impressive with the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation. She is definitely strong, intelligent and brave!
I thought he would answer with Joe Biden or the candidate I currently support, Pete Buttigieg. Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, his star is rising. Around this time last year I read an article in the Washington Post on him. I've been leaning to him ever since. That was before he announced. He was still thinking about it and made a point of acknowledging he is a long shot. He is an Episcopalian who quotes the bible sometimes. He is also a gay married man. So, why did I think this person would choose Mayor Pete?
1. He is a Rhodes Scholar
2. He served in the Navy from 2009-2017 in the reserves, deploying in 2015.
3. He has been mayor for a conservative town since 2012
4. That military experience puts him in a strong position for handling foreign issues.
His platform includes support for reducing income inequality, pro-environmental policies, cooperation between the Democratic Party and organized labor, universal background checks for firearms purchases, the Equality Act, a public option for health insurance, and preserving the DACA program for children of illegal immigrants. Buttigieg also supports reforms that would end gerrymandering, overturn the Citizens United v. FEC decision, and abolish the Electoral College.[10][11]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Buttigieg
He started off trying to appeal to progressive voters. As he has pulled away from that, his polling numbers have jumped. Part of that jump occurred when his husband, Chasten, started doing campaign events on his own. Showing the kind of first husband he will be.
I plan to ask others in a similar situation to this person the same question. I am curious about what the answers will be. He hadn't heard of Pete Buttigieg. But, he has friends in Indiana. He'll probably look into Buttigieg and might rethink his answer.
Before democratic voters step into their voting booths to cast a primary vote, we need to ask this question of those who aren't voting in the primary. But, who can make a difference in the general election. The voters that don't like Trump but keep saying "I want to see who the democrats nominate first." A lot of people are saying that. They will only vote democrat if we elect a candidate that makes sense to them.
"Are there any democratic candidates you would vote for in the general election?"
Kamala Harris, I very much like Pete Buttigieg. But, this person does have me looking closer at Kamala Harris. I have been focusing on the top four candidates. After all, they are the ones polling strong enough where the actual candidate is likely among them. Harris and Booker flip between the 5th and 6th spot in the polls. I wonder what it would say if this question was asked of everyone who we might win over as well as democrats.
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