The First Democratc Candidate has entered the Race. Who will be the next & who should s/he/they be?

[Drunken Irishman]

124. Why didn't they line up in 1992 or 2000?

In 1992, most major candidates sat out.

This is a list of candidates who announced, and ran:

Bill Clinton:

A little known governor from a very small southern state whose coming out party was a widely panned speech at Michael Dukakis' convention. At the start, he wasn't seen as a front-runner, though, to be fair, there was a lack of front-runners in 1992.

Jerry Brown:

A retreat governor who lost in his last election leading up to the 1992 election, failing to beat Pete Wilson in his 1982 senate election. He was gone from politics for ten years and not really perceived as much of a national candidate this go around.

Paul Tsongas:

A middle of the road, bland senator from Massachusetts who made Bill Clinton seem liberal. Worse, Tsongas was battling health concerns and had zero charisma.

Bob Kerrey:

Like Tsongas but with an extensive personal story due to his service. Still, Kerrey was hardly a heavyweight at this point - having only served in the U.S. Senate for four years prior to his announcing.

Douglas Wilder:

A historical candidate due to his race but not nearly as inspirational or charismatic as Jesse Jackson or Barack Obama.

Eugene McCarthy:

By 1992, he was pretty much ostracized from the Democratic Party - even having endorsed both Reagan and the Libertarian Bob Clark over Jimmy Carter in 1980.

That's it. Those were the major candidates. Why? Not because everyone thought Bill was inevitable - but because they thought Bush was. It's the nature. Hillary looks very difficult to beat. I don't blame candidates for not wanting to run.