I’m intrigued. Have Democrats ever put a “non-moderate” forward as their nominee in recent history? I had thought the standard wisdom was that a moderate would pull in more votes from non-Democrats, and I don’t expect that a progressive Democrat would find a broader base of support than a moderate in the general election.
George McGovern, the 1972 candidate, was considered a “non-moderate.” That did not work out well for the D’s.
With the Rs running on a platform of ignorance, hatred and extreme-right policies. I agree that a moderate Democrat “ought” to be a sure thing, while running a candidate perceived as far-left might be a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But American politics has become so topsy-turvy I shouldn’t offer advice beyond: Please choose very carefully, Dems!
The problem is that politics has become polarized, which makes finding a moderate in either party more challenging. With someone like Donald Trump in charge, the natural inclination among those on the left is to find someone who stands in polar opposition to Donald Trump and his Grand Old Party of Deplorables. That sentiment is certainly understandable, but centrists do exist and a hard-charging candidate risks alienating them. It’s going to take a candidate who can establish some street cred as a progressive while not alienating independents who might be willing to defect away from Trump. That’s going to be more challenging than it might seem.
That’s why we have to be careful about Trump’s seemingly low approval rating. He’s already proven he can squeeze enough votes in just the right places to make the electoral college vote tally work in his favor, low approval rating and all.