# Who'll be the GOP presidential candidate in 2020? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 29, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057 "2016-10-29T20:03:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/61 "2016-11-01T16:23:49Z")
California is an example of good government? Sure, under Jerry Brown, but that’s because Jerry Brown has never been a part of the machine. He’s always been a maverick, his own man, and he’s resisted a lot of what the legislature has wanted. Plus once there’s no opposition party, the ruling party just fractures, as we saw in California’s affirmative action debate, where the Asians in the legislature put a stop to efforts to get rid of Prop 209. Asians were actually against 209 back when Republicans could actually win elections, but now that Republicans aren’t a threat, they calculate their interests much differently. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/62 "2016-11-01T16:57:17Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Kanye West will switch parties and run with the GOP…hell it worked for Trump. OK, I admit I’m not at all up on a lot of pop culture crap, but if it’s Kanye West, doesn’t that put a Kardashian as FL? I’m thinking that would be a Yuuuuge benefit for the GOP, since I suspect that most Trump fans are Kardashian fans, too. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/63 "2016-11-01T17:03:07Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > At this point, the GOP might as well return to no more primaries and just have the party bosses choose a nominee in a smoky room I’ve said before that the first major party to ditch the primaries will gain an instant advantage. The primaries are counterproductive. They lead to bad candidates getting nominated, lead to division within the party, and give the opposing party ammunition to use (some GOPers, I’m sure, use Clinton’s primary attacks on Obama against Obama, and Obama’s attacks on Clinton against Clinton.) ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/64 "2016-11-01T17:05:43Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > In MOST cycles, the GOP nominates the most electable candidate. This one was an exception. If it’s the new rule, then yeah, it could be Brownback, although it’s hard to see how he beats Ted Cruz if that’s where the GOP base is in 2020. Well before the insanity of this election got going, I was predicting the GOP would have a rough time. My thought was that any candidate that won the primary would have had to win over the Tea Party faction and that would make him (pronoun chosen deliberately) too right-wing to have that great a shot at the general election. But after this year, I just don’t know. Who do they have that can stir up the Trumpistas, but not endanger the GOP as a whole? Or is that an impossible task? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/65 "2016-11-01T17:09:52Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’ve said before that the first major party to ditch the primaries will gain an instant advantage. The primaries are counterproductive. They lead to bad candidates getting nominated, lead to division within the party, and give the opposing party ammunition to use (some GOPers, I’m sure, use Clinton’s primary attacks on Obama against Obama, and Obama’s attacks on Clinton against Clinton.) The attacks are important, because they help vet a candidate. What I think should happen is a combination: hold the primaries, but make it more proportional, no winner take all states, and a two thirds majority needed to win on the first ballot(the Democrats had that rule long ago). After the first ballot, delegates are released. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/66 "2016-11-01T18:06:46Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’ve said before that the first major party to ditch the primaries will gain an instant advantage. The primaries are counterproductive. They lead to bad candidates getting nominated, lead to division within the party, and give the opposing party ammunition to use (some GOPers, I’m sure, use Clinton’s primary attacks on Obama against Obama, and Obama’s attacks on Clinton against Clinton.) Depends on timing as well and what they replace the primary horse race with. Criss crossing the country helps to solidify the base and get them excited. If the candidates instead cut down those public rallies and just made private appeals to party bosses, you may have a nominee who is uninteresting to the voters and unable to get people out to the polls. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/67 "2016-11-01T18:11:44Z")
Unexciting, but competent candidates used to be the norm. Now we’re selecting candidates for the X Factor, as if it’s a reality show. I’m not suggesting going to smoke filled rooms, but the Democratic idea of superdelegates as a just in case measure might be a good idea for both parties. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/68 "2016-11-01T19:15:02Z")
I cannot imagine that Reice Preibus isn’t seriously already talking to party bosses about superdelegates. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/69 "2016-11-01T19:18:09Z")
Doesn’t look like they are going that route, but going purely proportional might prevent a future Trump situation. Without those winner take all states, Trump might have had the most delegates(Cruz would have been close), but he’d have been nowhere near a majority. Then if there’s no first ballot nominee, you throw the convention open. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/70 "2016-11-01T19:24:48Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Doesn’t look like they are going that route, but going purely proportional might prevent a future Trump situation. Without those winner take all states, Trump might have had the most delegates(Cruz would have been close), but he’d have been nowhere near a majority. Then if there’s no first ballot nominee, you throw the convention open. Even with the current system, this was what was on track to happen this year. After his Wisconsin victory, Cruz was on path to deny Trump a majority. Until Cruz mysteriously dropped out. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/71 "2016-11-01T19:30:58Z")
I’ll be beating the drum for the most reasonable candidate in the field three years from now, and maybe i’ll get better luck this time. After all, I did get McCain in 2008, and when I was supporting him he was pretty much left for dead. That’s why I always keep my hopes up. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/72 "2016-11-01T20:45:40Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Romney wasn’t horrible, but he was no John Huntsman. Whom nobody even remembers, much less wants to vote for. The point was that your claim that “If the nutcase base agrees to present the public with that candidate, then it’s pretty much a sure win” is provably false, as Romney showed. Now it’s time to address the problem that your party’s base is nutcases, but you support them anyway. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/73 "2016-11-02T08:34:07Z")
Romney was up against a candidate who could unusually mobilize young and minority voters. We’re already seeing that Clinton cannot duplicate that in the early voting data. So yes, and reasonable Republican should win. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057/74 "2016-11-02T10:07:05Z")
Do please acknowledge that your assertion is contrary to the data. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wholl-be-the-gop-presidential-candidate-in-2020/770057.md?page=3)