Opinion: The Real Electable Democrat Is Kamala Harris

[Bradshaw3]

53. Wishful thinking

Obama won in 2012 with 51 percent of the vote. He ran as a unifier (remember "no red America, no blue America&quot and was personally liked by a solid majority of Americans - and still got only 51 percent as an incumbent. Harris is not running as a unifier, and her appeal to the swing voters in the upper midwest that will be needed to win the electoral college is very much an iffy proposition. Factors such as voter suppression and meddling will be there again in 2020.

So as much as people want to believe GOTV and appeal to the base is the answer, it still will come down to winning WI, MI and PA. The Dems big gains in 2018 came mostly from white suburban women who mostly supported moderate candidates. A senator from California with the most liberal voting record in the senate may appeal to DUers but it definitely does not to large swathes of swing voters we will have to have to not only win the presidency but also take the senate.