I did my ranking of how the candidates did in the debate and then didn’t immediately do my Top Ten ranking overall, as I’ve done in the past.  The holiday has gotten in the way.  And, to be honest, thinking about my own campaign has also taken up much of my political brain over the last two weeks.  I’m up late on and Sunday night, though, so why not do a quick update before 2020 hits us right in the face.

There hasn’t been much news in the horserace.  I see lots of texts and emails from campaigns – asking for donations before the end of the year.  And I’ll do my monthly post with donations tomorrow or on New Year’s eve.  Because that’s how I like to party ;-).

  1. Elizabeth Warren – Staying steady.  I’m rolling with Warren at least until the voting starts.  Let’s see how Iowa treats the candidates.  I’m getting vibes that Warren has lost all momentum and may end up with a disappointing finish in Iowa.  I hope not, but if she’s anywhere but first or second, she’s probably done for.  On a related note, I’ve recently been adding friends in my local area to help with the social media aspect of my campaign for County Commission.  I ended up friending some die hard Kamala fans who were NOT ready to let go of her candidacy.  They didn’t really want to hear my defense of Warren when they went negative on her.  And, evidently, to some in the pro-Kamala circles, Warren and Bernie are basically the same.  All you have to do is look at my rankings here to see that I am decidedly not a Bernie fan, but I guess I get lumped in with the Bernie bros all the same? They also seem to hold some ill will toward Warren because of how she’s fundraising and how that undermined Kamala’s ability to fundraise.  It was a unique experience for me.  I figured we’re all on the same let’s get rid of Trump team.  But I guess not.  Anywho.  On with the ranking.
  2. Amy Klobuchar – up 2 spots.  I’m still concerned about the reports of how she treated her staff.  And she’s more moderate than I would like.  But I really hope a woman can win in 2020 and, if not Warren, Klobuchar is the next best option.
  3. Pete Buttigieg – down 1 spot.  I think Mayor Pete has a problem with the left wing of the party.  He’s going hard after everyone now.  I still think he has a good chance of generating enthusiasm in the general, but if he fades in Iowa, he’s destined for the DoD job in a Democratic administration.
  4. Cory Booker – down 1 spot.  If Cory can get back on the debate stage before the vote in Iowa, maybe he has a chance.  If not, he’s not getting the nomination.  I think he’d beat Trump, but don’t think he will get the chance.
  5. Joe Biden – holding steady.  His last debate performance was pretty strong.  That guy will demolish Trump.  Do a good job with the VP pick and cabinet and that’s a really good presidency.  Can he be consistent?
  6. Andrew Yang – staying steady.  I like Yang, but he’s not going to be the nominee.
  7. Bernie Sanders –  staying steady.  I worry that he’s going to do just well enough to hang around, but not well enough to win the nomination.  Makes for a messy convention.
  8. Michael Bloomberg – new to the list. I don’t necessarily like him as a candidate, but I’m intrigued by his strategy.  He’s building a massive campaign infrastructure all over the country.  If he works to use that infrastructure to hammer Trump, then maybe he should stick around a little while.
  9. Julian Castro – down 1 spot.  I keep getting fundraising texts from Julian, so I know he’s still a candidate.  He must have a lean operation to still be running.  I like his message, so go ahead and stay with us for a little while longer, Julian.
  10. Tom Steyer – down 1 spot.  How long will he stay in?