On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) suggested that former Vice President Joe Biden would pose the greatest threat against President Donald Trump in 2020 because he has the most of “the secret ingredient” necessary.
“Of all the names that are out there, I think Joe Biden has the best case,” Cuomo said in a radio interview, The Wall Street Journal reported. “I think Joe Biden has the best case because he brings the most of the secret ingredient you need to win for a Democrat, which is credibility.”
The former vice president has not yet announced a 2020 run, saying he is discussing the possibility with his family. He did campaign with Democrats across the country last year, and he has consistently polled toward the front of the pack in Iowa. Cuomo said he will not run for president in 2020.
Cuomo gave his third-term inauguration speech on Tuesday, slamming Trump and insisting that accomplishment and experience are more important than rhetoric for politicians. He has a longstanding relationship with Biden. In 2015, the then-vice president visited Cuomo to offer condolences over the loss of the governor’s father. Later that year, Cuomo visited Biden to pay his respects after the death of Beau Biden.
In the heat of the 2016 Democratic primary between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the New York governor encouraged Biden to enter the race, even though he had already endorsed Clinton.
As for Biden’s “secret ingredient” — credibility — the former vice president led Barack Obama’s foreign policy on China and Ukraine, enriching his son Hunter. Peter Schweizer, who details the corruption in his book Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends, said the issue will cause Biden significant problems in 2020.
As for 2020, the governor predicted a packed Democratic primary. “I think there’s going to be a big field,” Cuomo said. Indeed, likely contenders include: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — who went public with an exploratory committee on the last day of 2018; Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.); Bernie Sanders; Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.); Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.); Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke; Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.); and more.
Better grab the popcorn!
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