Who do you THINK (not want) will be the Dem leaders in 3-5 years

[DUU]

Lots of jockeying going on, curious who you think will be the leader(s) in 3-5 years.

[Walleye]

1. AOC

[Celerity]

17. I hope so, but she likely has only one path, that being to run and win a NY US Senate seat (hopefully in 2028).

In the US House, she is likely to be blocked (for a long time IMHO) by an alliance of Dem leadership (both official and unofficial) working with the centrist New Democrat Coalition (now the largest single Dem caucus, as they have passed up the Progressive Caucus) and the further to the right Problem Solvers and conservative Blue Dogs.

That leaves her few options (at least for a long time) other than a run for the US Senate. She will face a tsunami of opposition centrist Dem, conservadem, Rethugs of all stripes, corrupt police unions (or as I call them, organised crime gangs), RW billionaires, AIPAC, and other assorted anti-AOC forces. It will be a brutal primary and then general election IF she chooses to go forward with a run at the Senate. IF Cuomo wins the NYC mayor race general election this fall, and IF 2028 is when AOC decides to make a run for Senate, you can be very sure that Cuomo will go all out to try and destroy her candidacy. That is one of the true underlying reasons that certain types so wanted serial sexual harasser Cuomo to win and were thrilled that he is running as a sore-loser in the general.

I do not think AOC can win a Dem POTUS primary for some time (if ever). Perhaps she could be picked as a VPOTUS running mate by some Dem POTUS primary winner, but a Dem POTUS primary winner will be under insane pressure to NOT pick her.

I think she decides to run for the US Senate. I support her 100 per cent in that. I think she is one of the best Democrats in elected office. I also know she is one of the most hated as well, and that certainly is not just limited to Rethugs and other outside of our party.

Finally, (and this is very depressing, at least for me) I also think that if she tries and fails to be elected to the US Senate OR if she decides to not even try for the US Senate, she may well withdraw from further elective politics, much to the joy of certain types both here on DU and in the real world, and much to loss of an even greater number, ie not just the ones who support her nationally and even internationally, but to the nation as a whole.

Time will tell.

[Walleye]

18. I think the Democratic Party needs to go through an attitude change. We need to win with our best people.

I think AOC would make a great senator. A lioness of the senate. She could have a long career there.

[hlthe2b]

2. I am trying to decide how to feel about Harris passing on running for CA Governor and if that signals a possible

2028 Presidential run. I supported her wholeheartedly in 2024. I honestly don't know how to think about a future run... As to the others, I think we have some considerable talent, but our future really relies on an early Dem/Independent electorate rallying behind a single candidate, because running or not, Trump will be a major chaotic factor. A really tough primary that bruises all involved is probably inevitable, but self-defeating IMO.

[msfiddlestix]

9. I predicted serious problems with Harris winning back in 2020 elections. I think after the 2024 loss, I totally get her

decision, and we all have to take off our collective rose glasses. . I'd like to vote for the person who represents what I believe in and embrace as policies we support.
Unfortunately, we clearly have to make different considerations.

[tinrobot]

13. Do yourself a favor and watch her Colbert interview

Where she explains her reasoning to no run for governor.

It was one of the most refreshing interviews I've heard this year. She is speaking some truths that people need to hear.

[hlthe2b]

19. Yes. A Good, frank interview with little to no effort to sugar-coat what is going on now, especially.

I can see why she would want to take more time to process, and frankly, California, as powerful as it is, and as well led currently by Newsom, is still a big damned target for Trump and his Fascists. If Harris were to have run and been elected, that could only increase. I am not saying that is the reason for her not to run, but whoever assumes that role needs to be singularly focused for the fights to come.

[tinrobot]

22. Ouside of a campaign, she has much more ability to speak freely

And when she speaks, people will be more inclined to listen and believe her. If she were campaigning, everything she said would be perceived through that lens. People would assume her words were only to get elected.

The cynic in me says this could also be a good tactic for 2028 if that's her ultimate goal. By saying the system is broken, she positions herself as the outsider. Then again, the system IS broken.

[msongs]

23. glad to hear she is still vice president nt

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Newsom, Slotkin, Shapiro /nt

[jaymac]

4. talent

Dems have a lot of talent in the field. I only hope that the DNC and the $$$$ arm of the Democratic Party can recognize who has the electorate excited and ready to go and will back them. too often I've seen them choose the "who's turn it is" candidate. again I say, if the establishment could have just gotten beyond the socialist label on Bernie and backed him, we'd have had a really excellent shot at achieving that "more perfect union" . instead we've had a lot of Leonard Leo's dreams come true.

p.s. no diss to Hillary.she's an incredibly spectacular individual.......woud have been a great prez but she was the lesser candidate in terms of excitement and enthusiasm

[W_HAMILTON]

11. We, the Democratic voters -- not """The Establishment""" -- rejected Sanders.

And this is coming from a Sanders voter in 2016 that brought friends/family to vote AGAINST him in 2020.

If anything, """The Establishment""" bent over backwards to appease him, but we, the Democratic voters, had the ultimate say.

PS - No matter what the alt right deluded some people into thinking, they were never going to vote for Sanders and they only supported him because he could be used as a wedge to divide Democrats. For the couple of weeks in the 2020 primary when it looked like Biden was finished and Sanders was going to be the Democratic nominee, his bro """friends""" on the right showed their true colors and turned on him.

[msongs]

24. bernie spent his whole career bad mouthing democrats until he needed money to campaign nt

[JustAnotherGen]

5. Too soon

The question *I think* assumes that it comes via the electoral process.

Is that the framework of the question?

[Emile]

6. AOC

[Walleye]

20. I agree. We have to embrace the intelligence and talent of our people.

[msfiddlestix]

7. Not an effing Clue. You gotta Chrystal ball?

[Torchlight]

8. Absolutely no idea

Way too far out from the event horizon to know how the terrain will present itself at the time, let alone who will be viable candidates to best traverse the terrain.

[LeftinOH]

10. Andy Beshear, Mark Kelly..

[CTyankee]

12. How about Wes Moore? I think he is very appealing!

[Bettie]

14. Whoever the expensive

Consultants decide on. So, whoever has enough money to pay those consultants

[cadoman]

15. that's what the presidential primary is for

Harris had the option of being the de-facto leader but she appears to have largerly absconded--to the point that Colbert actually asked her who the presumed leader was rather than assuming it was her.

We have Congressional leadership in the House and Senate, state Governors who are regional leaders, party leadership at the DNC, PAC leadership, etc.

Our party chief executive candidate is selected during the primary. No sense in stressing it till then.

[Ping Tung]

16. Top of my head: AOC, Newsom, Klobuchar

I believe the party will come to its senses and move to the left.