With all the commotion raised by President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey and the House passing the American Health Care Act, many Democrats and a number media members are already considering possibilities of a 2020 challenger to Trump. For a change, a Californian may be part of the conversation.
California has not had a president in the White House since the 1980s when Ronald Reagan occupied the office, and has not had a credible contender for the job since Jerry Brown and Pete Wilson made efforts in the 1990s. What is striking about this absence of California presidential contenders is that the most populous and powerful state in the nation can usually be counted on as a launching pad for presidential bids.
From the beginning of the Republic, states such as Virginia, New York, and Ohio have been the birthplace of presidents when those states were dominant in American politics.
Perhaps California’s two decade absence from the presidential contest can be explained by the fact that top politicians on the Democratic side were considered too senior to run for the job. On the Republican side, the only possible national figure, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was constitutionally prohibited from the presidency.
California politicians often have a national profile and you would expect California politicians would make a run for the top spot. Given that California has become a solid Democratic state and the Democrats are looking for a combatant to take on Donald Trump four years from now, California is ready to jump back into the presidential political fray.
This week the Sacramento Bee offered a headline, President Kamala Harris?, topping an article pointing to steps she has taken to set up a national profile.
The Washington, D.C. centered publication The Hill recently took a look at “The 43 people who might run against Trump in 2020.” Of the 43, eight are Californians (maybe nine), and only one a registered Republican.
This list assumes there will be no politicians from Trump’s own party to challenge him. I suggest that is a premature and unlikely assumption.
The California politicians on the list are Senator Kamala Harris, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Governor Jerry Brown. The non-politicians are billionaire and environmentalist Tom Steyer, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg, and actor Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, who as far as I can tell is the only registered Republican on the list. Johnson was born in California and his movie interests keep him here. The additional member on the list I tied to California is actress and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey, who has a place in Santa Barbara County.
Fun and games to be sure, creating a list so far ahead of the election. California legislators are attempting to make the state relevant in national politics by moving the presidential primary up to March. Capturing delegate rich California could provide great headwind for a Democratic challenger to Trump and given the state’s recent track record, making sure that the leading contender is acceptable to the liberal base of the state party.
A candidate from California would have an advantage in winning the state primary.
But one serious question to ask is can a politician from California, who has moved left to be successful in this state, gain traction across the country?
Let the games begin.