Political scientist Michael Cornfield said on Wednesday that the Democratic nominee in 2020 will ultimately need to focus on an issue other than President Trump on the campaign trail.
“The presidential campaign trail is littered with the carcasses of people who tried to defeat Donald Trump by running against him, instead of for something, on their own issue,” Cornfield, the director of the GW Politics Poll, told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”
“Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be the one who articulates a vision, and has an appealing personality, but above all, has warned that American people that, ‘hey, we’re ignoring this. We need to take care of this,'” he continued.
Cornfield’s comments come hours after Republicans maintained control of the Senate, but lost their majority in the House in the midterm elections.
The elections were widely interpreted as a referendum on President Trump’s first two years in office.
Trump on Wednesday appeared to be happy that Republican House incumbents who distanced themselves from him, such as Reps. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.), Barbara Comstock (Va.) and Mia Love (Utah), were all defeated.
The conclusion of the midterms has led to further speculation on who will challenge Trump in 2020.
Potential challengers include former Democratic Vice President Biden, as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
— Julia Manchester
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