Democrats are plotting their 2020 campaign strategy.
They are desperate to defeat Donald Trump.
And they may have just stumbled on this secret weapon.
In the wake of Conor Lamb’s apparent victory in the Pennsylvania 18th special election, some Democrats now think personal popularity is how they will win.
Lamb was a down-the-line leftist who supported Obamacare, was in the pocket of big labor, and supported abortion on demand up until the moment of birth.
But he is also a military veteran who cuts an appealing personal profile.
And that helped him seek out a victory over Republican Rick Saccone, despite running in a district Trump won by 20 points.
Some Democrats now think this is the template for victory in 2020.
They believe Hillary Clinton’s massive likeability problem was key to her defeat and they are eager to correct that.
The Hill reports:
“Democrats are debating how likable their nominee will need to be ahead of a 2020 presidential race they predict will be the most negative and bruising political campaign in history.
Some say finding a fighter to take on President Trump will be more important than finding the proverbial candidate one wants to get a beer with.
“Given how radioactive this president is across wide swaths in the country, I’m not so sure how important likability will be,” Democratic strategist Jim Manley said. “It’s always nice to be liked, but people are going to be more interested in a fighter, I think.”
At the same time, others say the party would ignore personality at its own peril.
“Likability always matters in every election,” said Patti Solis Doyle, who served as Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager during her 2008 presidential bid.
Democrats believe Clinton’s negatives hurt her in 2016, and they recognize that Trump was quick to seize upon them. No matter who their nominee is in 2020, they are bracing for the same strategy from Trump.
“Trump can’t survive a referendum on him or his presidency. He can only win by making the race a choice between two evils,” says Democratic strategist David Wade. “You can safely predict he will run a scorched-earth campaign to make his opponent unacceptable, to drive down Democratic enthusiasm and take his liabilities off the table by creating a false equivalency.”
But Trump didn’t win on personality.
Polls showed he had the highest unfavourability of any candidate in Presidential history.
Trump won because Americans rallied to his America First agenda.
Some voters may say they don’t like Trump, but those Republicans and Republican-leaning voters will come home on Election Day when the choice is between Trump or a gun grabbing, baby killing socialist Democrat.
The real secret weapon in the 2020 race is Trump’s agenda.
It is popular and if the race is a referendum on the two candidate’s agendas for America, Trump will win again.
Do you agree?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
