# Which of these politicians has a bright future? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 9, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-politicians-has-a-bright-future/790845 "2017-07-09T16:19:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-politicians-has-a-bright-future/790845/1 "2017-07-09T16:19:59Z")
For the purposes of clarity, I’m talking about the likelihood that these politicians will advance their careers within the next ten years. That would include getting elected President or VP, becoming party leader, whip, or Speaker in the House or Senate, or even become a Very Important Person who is always on the Sunday talk shows and gets a lot of press coverage like John McCain and Joe Biden did for oh, 20 years or so. Or if you can think of another way in which these politicians are likely to become more important than they are today, feel free to elaborate. I’ll list my top twenty. 1. Jeff Flake- Arizona is always producing “important” Senators and Flake seems poised to continue that tradition when John McCain shuffles off into retirement. However, like Goldwater and McCain before him, he’ll probably never be part of the leadership or succeed in running for President. 2. Tom Cotton- Imagine Ted Cruz with military service. Cotton has been very good at seeking the spotlight as well. Unlike Cruz, he could be VP or Senate Majority Leader someday 3. Kamala Harris- Duh. I’m skeptical that she can be President right out of the Senate, but she’s going to be on every Democrats’ short list for VP in 2020 and 2024. 4. Cory Garder- Gardner has done a pretty good job of making everyone happy, from his Tea Party supporters, to the voters in his purple leaning blue state, to the Senate leadership. IMO, Gardner’s going to have McConnell’s spot someday 5. Marco Rubio- Rubio has been pushed too far too fast. But he does have talent, a biography, and like Gardner, all the factions of the party seem to like him. I don’t know about President anytime soon, but he has a bright career in the Senate ahead of him, or perhaps as governor of Florida. 6. Tammy Duckworth- A vet, a straight talker, attractive, likeable. Another one for the VP short list. 7. Rand Paul- like Rubio, not ready for prime time, but as a Paul, has a natural following and he has more political talent than his father. 8. Al Franken- I’m not sure he wants to run for President, and I doubt he’d ever be considered for party leadership, but the guy is quietly becoming just an oustanding Senator. I can easily see him replacing Biden as the go-to Sunday talk show guy for the Democrats. He could have the stature of Ted Kennedy if he serves long enough. 9. Cory Booker- Duh part 2. Booker is destined for the White House, but like Rubio and Paul he has some work to do. In his case, it means standing for things and letting people see the real Cory Booker. he comes off as way too calculated. But once he gets more comfortable he’s got an easy path to the White House. Maybe not in 2020, but 2024 and 2028 he’ll be one to watch. 10. Mike Lee- A Tea Party favorite who has nonetheless carried on Utah’s tradition of not being too doctrinaire conservative. I don’t see any official promotions for Lee, but I can see him being a leader in determining what a post-Trump Republican Party will look like. 11. Nikki Haley- All she needed was foreign policy experience to complete her Presidential resume. 12. Tom Perriello- Perriello might be too liberal and too honest for his own good, and he’s lost more races than he’s won, but I think he’ll find a spot eventually, probably as governor of Virginia. 13. Elise Stefanik- She’s only 33, but she’s well on her way to being a star. She’s obviously smart, she was on GWB’s domestic policy council in her 20s and helped Paul Ryan with debate prep in 2012. 14. Tulsi Gabbard- Another vet, and well liked by the party base and leadership alike. 15. Justin Amash- He’s kind of an odd man out with the GOP as it’s only true blue libertarian, but I believe a move towards more libertarianism is the only path forward for the GOP after Trump, so this guy’s got to lead the charge. He’s young enough and smart enough. 16. Adam Kinzinger-Another veteran, another guy who has figured out quickly how to appeal to all factions in the GOP. 17. Stephanie Murphy-Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Gabby Giffords all made a point of campaigning for her for Congress in 2016. She defeated a longtime GOP incumbent in the process. 18. Mia Love-Haitian-American Mormon, the smallest minority on Earth I’d imagine. She hasn’t really distinguished herself yet, but she’s young and you know the GOP wants to feature her. 19. Grace Meng- A Chinese-American who got her law degree from an Orthodox Jewish University. She is currently Vice Chair of the DNC. Obviously the Dems see a bright future for her. 20. Tim Ryan- The Democrats’ own Ryan, he’s got a lot in common with Paul in their ways of doing politics, even if they disagree. Tim Ryan could definitely be speaker some day. I’ll also add a few names that are highly touted but who I think have already peaked: Paul Ryan, Tim Kaine, Liz Warren, Ted Cruz, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tim Scott, John Thune, Amy Klobuchar. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-politicians-has-a-bright-future/790845)._