New debate over impact of moderates in 2020 presidential race
Doug Schoen, adviser to Michael Bloomberg, on former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision to not run for president in 2020.
New concerns are emerging that Democrats may be running out of time to craft a more moderate message from their party before voters head to the polls in the 2020 presidential election.
"With the Green New Deal, Jobs for All, $15 minimum wage, Medicare-for-all, I think it's going to be very, very difficult for the [Democratic] Party to come back, especially if they nominate someone like Bernie Sanders, perhaps Kamala Harris, or Beto O'Rourke," Democratic Pollster Doug Schoen told FOX Business' David Asman on Wednesday.
Schoen, who also advised former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D) on a potential run for president in 2020, said Bloomberg’s decision not to enter the race came down to the issues.
"He felt that on the issues he cared about, like climate and guns, he could get more done as a non-candidate than he could running," Schoen said on “Cavuto: Coast-to-Coast.”
In announcing his decision to make a run for the White House, Bloomberg said, he believes he would defeat President Trump in a general election but is "clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field."
Bloomberg also said it’s essential that Democrats nominate a candidate "who will be in the strongest position to defeat Donald Trump and bring our country back together."
“We cannot allow the primary process to drag the party to an extreme that would diminish our chances in the general election and translate into ‘Four More Years,’” he said in an op-ed published by Bloomberg Opinion.
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Schoen also told FOX Business he believes former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz missed a great opportunity to position himself as a more moderate of candidates.
"He basically announced that he was a moderate Democrat running as an independent, and that's not what I think independents need or have to do," he added.
When asked about Bloomberg supporting another Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential race, particularly former Vice President Joe Biden, Schoen said, he has no sense of Bloomberg making an official endorsement anytime soon.