2024 Election Starts Now!

2020 is soooo boring!

I mean, we haven't had the Iowa Caucus, the New Hampshire Primary or Super Tuesday yet, but what everyone wants to know about is 2024. I mean, we have been talking about these same candidates for a year, let's get to the good stuff.

Well, that is probably not true.  I think most people hate the eternal election cycle.  It's the media trying to fill the need for constant information.

In any case, I suppose you can't top a headline like Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump lead 2024 polls for clickbait.

Now, there will be a Republican Primary next month.  I heard it would be an up/down vote on Trump, but the Register is saying it will be a straw poll.  In any case, William Weld and Joe Walsh (who campaigned in Iowa this weekend) will challenge, and it will be uphill as the Donald had at least 76% of party support per November polls.

An even longer shot is Rocky de la Fuente, running as a Republican, after a 2016 Democratic primary race where he finished with the most votes of anyone not named Hillary or Bernie.  His 2016 campaign -which ran from his motor home - not only caught Dave Barry's attention, but made news when annoyed neighbors in Iowa called in complaints about him parking his bus and semi next door.

I don't see what the issue is

He ran in the General Election under the Reform Party (remember them) banner and finished 8th overall.  I bring de la Fuente up for the mere chance to mention that not only is he running in many states' primaries as a Republican, but his similarly named son is running in those same states as a Democrat.

Anyway, the media didn't do much with the 2020 Republican caucus, which most likely will be known for Mark Sanford campaigning at Arby's

We got the Meats!

In any case, that 2024 headline is the type to get clicks.  It is perhaps a bit misleading, as the order is technically:

40% Pence

29% Don Jr

26% Haley

16% Ivanka
15% Rubio
13% Pompeo, Abbott
8% Rick Scott, DeSantis
7% Tim Scott

That's your top ten anyway, you can  see Axios's full results here.

Still, I can see why you lead with that.  Political families conjure images of...

Oh, like that wasn't what you were thinking!

political dynasties like the Bushes and Clintons, which I think people usually want to steer away from.

Haley, of course, has acted all along like she intends to run in 2024.  Pence, by all accounts, has always felt like he is destined to be President, and there does not seem to be much to prove otherwise.

Politico wanted to take it a step further than conventional wisdom by taking the question seriously. With Gov Ron DeSantis of Florida, they suggest Sen. John Hawley from Missouri as other Republicans to watch.  Of course, Politico is also suggesting Trump would try to pull a Grover Cleveland if he loses in 2020 and run for the office again.

You may not be sure where it is right now, but you know you own this ruler

It is worth noting that a big personality like Trump will leave a void.  The Republicans for years were sold pitches from people trying to cash in on the Gippers' legacy from Gary Bauer and Al Haig to Pat Buchanan and Dan Quayle.  

The Dems have that problem, too.  How do you follow up Obama?  Joe Biden, Deval Patrick, Eric Holder, and even  Elizabeth Warren would like you to think they are his true heir.

Besides, there has been plenty of talk about if people are loyal to the Republican Party or more loyal to Trump.  So, I get it.

That said, we probably don't need to be talking about the 2024 Democratic Presidential Nominee race, but here we are.

Zager/Evans are the ticket to beat in 2525!

Where to even begin?  Well, for starters, why even speculate?  Presidents Cuomo, Gephardt and Muskie will tell you that it's a bad look.

Perhaps, you should start with saying that you could vote for Kamala, Cory and Bennet NOW, but no one seems to be doing that.

We don't know of course, if the Dems will have an incumbent in 2024.  We would highly anticipate that Bernie Sanders supporters will move as a unit looking for someone.  The media wants to say that is Ocasio-Cortez, but it could just as likely be Tulsi Gabbard or Ro Khanna.

It could be someone who came to Iowa this cycle- Dem veterans like Holder, Eric Garcetti, Sherrod Brown, Jeff Merkley, and Terry McCauliffe, or newer talent like Khanna, New York's Grace Meng, Illinois's Cheri Bustos  or New Mexico's Deb Haaland.  

In a party that seemingly picked Carter, Clinton and Obama from obscurity, you can see how ridiculous that this sounds.

Speaking of polling, the Libertarian website The Torch of Liberty has done an online poll and you can track the Libertarian race there.

December polling shows the entry of  Jacob Hornberger making a big splash.  Hornberger, a trial lawyer who went on to found The Future of Freedom Foundation is a big name in Libertarian circles.

Gary Johnson received 3.3% of the vote in the 2016 General Election, but the next  Libertarian direction might be unknown.  Big names like Justin Amash, Larry Sharpe, and Ron Paul are not running, but there are still a quality slate of candidates which will make this a more varied race than 2016's race between Johnson, John McAfee and Austin Petersen.

More traditional style candidates feature along with the return of McAfee (whose Twitter makes Trump look like Mr Rogers), perennial candidate Vermin Supreme, and Adam Kokesh, popular with anarchists for his Not President campaign.

The Torch of Liberty poll is online and voluntary, though I would say don't count out anyone on there who has significant report- meaning Hornberger, Kokesh, and candidates like Dan Behrman, Kim Ruff, Sam Robb, Max Abramson, and Souraya Faas.

The Libertarians are also back in the news as they have the newest 2020 contender in Lincoln Chafee

If I get a chance to post the picture of this tie, I am always going to take it

While I can see why the Libertarians took to candidates like Johnson and Paul in the past, Chafee will likely struggle in his quest for the nomination.  In large part because Chafee was elected as Senator from Rhode Island as a Republican in the 90s. He ran as an Independent when he ran and won the Governor race in 2010.  He became a Democrat in 2012 and ran in 2016 for that party's nomination for President.

Those changes probably won't help his chances, and yes, in case, you were wondering there still is a Prohibition Party.

Though, it looks like after the heyday of the late Earl Dodge, it may be a party in decline; not even holding a Party convention since 2012.  That said, James Hedges's 5617 votes in 2016 is their best showing in 28 years.

Phil Collins will be their nominee in 2020 and if you think that means a lot of corny Phil Collins jokes about the campaign, well, you'd be right.

 That's all!