The Republican race is headed to South Carolina with two fewer candidates. The day after finishing sixth and seventh in the New Hampshire primaries, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina announced on Wednesday that they were suspending their campaigns.
Fiorina was always a long shot—she was practically a political newcomer, having only run one unsuccessful Senate campaign. And while her record at HP was vulnerable to attack, Republican figures saw in her both private-sector experience and a woman who could counter Hillary Clinton’s monopoly on a “historic” woman’s candidacy. While many political professionals sniffed at Fiorina’s candidacy, remembering that 2010 Senate race, she broke out after a commanding performance in the undercard to the first Republican debate. That earned her a promotion to the main stage at the next debate, where she scored another victory. But it was all downhill from there. Dogged by questions of honesty and unable to earn media attention, her campaign faded quickly.
Christie, on the other hand, entered the race as a front-runner. As the Republican Party went through a fractious nomination process in 2012—reluctant to acknowledge that Mitt Romney would get the nod—a group of powerful donors begged Christie to jump into the presidential race. But Christie demurred, saying he wasn’t ready to run after just 18 months as governor. Maybe later.
When the 2016 race rolled around, Christie thought he was ready to run. But by then, the donors weren’t begging him—and even if they had, the traditional GOP moneymen have been pushed far to the side this election.
Christie’s fall has been steep, matched only by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. As my colleague Molly Ball noted, the Associated Press reported the news of Christie’s 2013 reelection by practically naming him the front-runner: “Gov. Chris Christie was re-elected with ease Tuesday, demonstrating the kind of broad, bipartisan appeal that will serve as his opening argument should he seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.” The early polls agreed: Until late January 2014, he led surveys of Republicans.
That was also, of course, when the George Washington Bridge scandal hit Christie. Although Christie himself hasn’t been directly tied to any wrongdoing, an investigation ensnared many of his closest aides, and whether or not prosecutors can prove the governor was involved, something didn’t smell right to many voters. The scandal cut right to Christie’s core: He had built his reputation on credibility and competence, and the idea that a major political vendetta that ensnarled traffic across state lines had been hatched in his office without his knowledge was a serious to blow to at least one of those. Christie’s favorability rating took a nosedive and never recovered.
Christie managed to float back to the top of the polls late in 2014, but then Jeb Bush jumped into the race—remember when that was a game-changer?—followed by Donald Trump. Christie never recovered the lead. He decided to throw a hail-Mary pass in New Hampshire, hoping that his no-nonsense demeanor and proximity would resonate in the state. Christie does seem to have dealt a body blow to Senator Marco Rubio in the last debate before the primary, but it didn’t help him, and he couldn’t break double-digits. From there, it was hard to see a path for him going forward.
Was it Bridgegate that killed Christie’s chances? Perhaps, but this a whodunit with more than one suspect. The first damaging moment came on the eve of the 2012 election, when Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey. President Obama came to visit the Garden State, and Christie welcomed him—much to the fury of Republicans who wanted him to snub the president. Romney aides blamed Christie for their loss, though it probably didn’t make much difference, and Christie said it was unacceptable to snub a sitting president when his state needed federal help. Many in his party never forgave him, though.
Once the Bridgegate scandal had broken, the rest of Christie’s record in New Jersey started to seem less positive, too. There were the nine credit downgrades the state suffered during his term. There was the collapse of Atlantic City, too. Besides, Christie was always on the liberal side of the GOP. Even if he was to the right of the class of New England Republicans, he wasn’t a great fit in today’s party. He was a consummate insider in a year of outsiders, and the field was jam-packed with moderate, technocratic governors and former governors: Christie, Jeb Bush, and John Kasich.
Though it might have seem otherwise back in early 2014, it appears that, contrary to the words of his idol’s hit, Chris Christie was not born to run—at least not for this office, in this cycle.
Though the field has shrunk considerably, there’s still a crowded slate of candidates. To help out with that, this cheat sheet on the state of the presidential field will be periodically updated throughout the campaign season. Here’s how things look right now.
* * *
The Republicans
JIM GILMORE
Who is he?
Right? Gilmore was governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002. Before that, he chaired the Republican National Committee for a year. In 2008, he ran for Senate in Virginia and lost to Mark Warner by 31 points.
Is he running?
Yes. He filed his papers on July 29, 2015.
Who wants him to run?
Who knows?
Can he win?
Nah.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
Holy Freudian slip, Batman!
JOHN KASICH
Who is he?
The current Ohio governor ran once before, in 2000, after a stint as Republican budget guru in the House. Between then and his election in 2010, he worked at Lehman Brothers. Molly Ball wrote a definitive profile in April.
Is he running?
Yes. His announcement was July 21, 2015, at the Ohio State University in Columbus.
Who wants him to run?
White-collar Republicans. Kasich’s pitch: He has got better fiscal-conservative bona fides than any other candidate in the race, he has proved he can win blue-collar voters, and he has won twice in a crucial swing state.
Can he win the nomination?
Kasich delivered a strong second-place finish in New Hampshire, following through on his strategy. For the moment, that makes him the leader in the establishment-technocrat-governor lane of the race. But his national polling remains bad, and he has a lot of catching up to do elsewhere. Can he sustain his momentum beyond the Granite State?
What else do we know?
John Kasich bought a Roots CD and hated it so much he threw it out of his car window. John Kasich hated the Coen brothers’ classic Fargo so much he tried to get his local Blockbuster to quit renting it. George Will laughed at him. John Kasich is the Bill Brasky of philistinism. John Kasich probably hated that skit, too.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
Nope.
DONALD TRUMP
Who is he?
America’s sweetheart—well, America’s high-school sweetheart, the one you get embarrassed thinking about decades later.
Is he running?
And how.
Who wants him to run?
A shocking portion of the Republican primary electorate; Democrats; white supremacists. The rest of the Republican field, along with its intellectual luminaries, however, are horrified.
Can he win the nomination?
After a huge win in New Hampshire, Trump is back on top. So, uh, maybe he’ll be the nominee after all!
What else do we know?
He cheats at golf—probably.
JEB BUSH
Who is he?
The brother and son of presidents, Bush served two terms as governor of Florida, from 1999 to 2007.
Is he running?
Yes, as of June 15, 2015.
Who wants him to run?
Establishment Republicans; George W. Bush; major Wall Street donors.
Can he win the nomination?
The good news for Bush: He did better than expected in New Hampshire. The bad news for Bush: That’s still a long way back, and he’ll have to climb a long way back to be a contender. Bush’s campaign is a case study in how money isn’t everything. Despite the $100 million super PAC backing him, Bush has been a feckless, adrift candidate. Every now and then a poll will show him rising to, oh, fourth or something, and there will be rumors of a Bush comeback. But one look at his unfavorables shows why he has pretty much been written off.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
Yes—y en español también.
BEN CARSON
Who is he?
A celebrated former head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, Carson became a conservative folk hero after a broadside against Obamacare at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast.
Is he running?
Yes. He announced May 4, 2015.
Who wants him to run?
Grassroots conservatives. Carson has an incredibly appealing personal story—a voyage from poverty to pathbreaking neurosurgery—and none of the taint of politics.
Can he win the nomination?
No. He’s done. If it’s any consolation, history weighed heavily against Carson’s chances all along: Not since Dwight Eisenhower has either party nominated anyone without prior elected experience for the presidency.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
No.
MARCO RUBIO
Who is he?
A second-generation Cuban-American and former speaker of the Florida House, Rubio was catapulted to national fame in the 2010 Senate election, after he unexpectedly upset Governor Charlie Crist to win the GOP nomination.
Is he running?
Yes, he announced on April 13, 2015.
Who wants him to run?
Rubio enjoys establishment support. He has sought to position himself as the candidate of an interventionist foreign policy.
Could he win the nomination?
For a second after Iowa, it looked like Rubio’s plan was coming together perfectly. Then came his debate collapse and distant finish in New Hampshire. That called into question his ability to consolidate the anti-Trump, anti-Cruz faction of the Republican Party, and suddenly his path looks much rockier.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
It’s decent.
TED CRUZ
Who is he?
Cruz served as deputy assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration and was appointed Texas solicitor general in 2003. In 2012, he ran an insurgent campaign to beat a heavily favored establishment Republican for Senate.
Is he running?
Yes. He launched his campaign March 23, 2015, at Liberty University in Virginia.
Who wants him to run?
Hard-core conservatives; Tea Partiers who worry that Rand Paul is too dovish on foreign policy; social conservatives.
Can he win the nomination?
It looks more likely than ever, especially after his commanding Iowa victory over Trump. Once dismissed as too conservative and too hated by even fellow Republicans, Cruz’s stock has risen over the course of the fall. But Cruz still contends with the fact that much of his party absolutely despises him, so much so that they’re willing to back Trump.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
No.
* * *
The Democrats
HILLARY CLINTON
Who is she?
As if we have to tell you, but: She’s a trained attorney, former secretary of state in the Obama administration, former senator from New York, and former first lady.
Is she running?
Yes.
Who wants her to run?
Most of the Democratic Party.
Can she win the nomination?
Yep. But could she lose it, too?
What else do we know?
The real puzzler, after so many years with Clinton on the national scene, is what we don’t know. Here are 10 central questions to ask about the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Does her website have a good 404 page?
If you’re tolerant of bad puns and ’90s ’80s outfits, the answer is yes.
BERNIE SANDERS
Who is he?
A self-professed socialist, Sanders represented Vermont in the U.S. House from 1991 to 2007, when he won a seat in the Senate.
Is he running?
Yes. He announced April 30, 2015.
Who wants him to run?
Far-left Democrats; Brooklyn-accent aficionados; progressives who worry that a second Clinton administration would be far too friendly to the wealthy.
Can he win the nomination?
When Sanders launched his campaign, this question seemed beside the point. That’s no longer true: Sanders is running neck and neck or even ahead of Clinton in key early primary states and regularly drawing larger crowds than her. After narrowly losing in Iowa and trouncing Clinton in New Hampshire, he’s starting to narrow the gap.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
Yes, and it is quintessentially Sanders.
* * *
Third Party and Independent
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
Who is he?
The billionaire finance-and-technology entrepreneur was benevolent dictator mayor of New York from 2002 to 2013.
Is he running?
No, but there have been trial balloons launched in the press. On February 8, he told Financial Times, “I find the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an outrage and an insult to the voters.” He will reportedly decide by March.
Who wants him to run?
If the past is any indication, it’s mostly Bloomberg aides. Supposedly, Bloomberg is terrified of a Trump vs. Sanders race and would run if that was the matchup. Is there a base for Bloomberg, a fiscally conservative but socially liberal abrasive New Yorker? Seems unlikely.
What are his prospects?
Bloomberg himself has repeatedly belittled his own electability, either as an individual or, in the abstract, as a third-party candidate. And he’s probably right. It’s hard to imagine who would vote for him, especially if Clinton wins the Democratic nod: He’s slightly to the right of her, but Republicans hate him, and he makes her seem like Miss Congeniality.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
Please. This is a guy who doesn’t even think websites are necessary.
JILL STEIN
Who is she?
A Massachusetts resident and physician, she is a candidate of nearly Stassen-like frequency, having run for president in 2012 and a slew of other offices before that.
Is she running?
Yes. Stein announced in June 2015 that she would again seek the nomination of the Green Party, which she won in 2012.
Who wants her to run?
Stein seems to have strong support with the Green Party. She managed to collect nearly 500,000 votes in 2012—the party’s strongest showing since Ralph Nader’s disastrous 2000 run but well short of the 2.9 million votes he got.
What are her prospects?
She seems well placed to win the nomination. Her rivals include Darryl Cherney, a musician the FBI once accused of bombing himself, and Bill Kreml, a Taoist professor emeritus of political science. It’s too soon to speculate how she might fare in the general election compared with 2012.
Does her website have a good 404 page?
Possibly not original, but kind of soothing and on-message.
GARY JOHNSON
Who is he?
Oh come on, you remember Gary! He ran for the GOP nomination in 2012 and then got the Libertarian Party nod after that didn’t work out. He was previously a two-term governor of New Mexico. He now runs a company that sells THC lozenges.
Is he running?
Sure is. He announced his attempt for an encore performance with the Libertarian Party on January 6.
Who wants him to run?
As his company’s site notes, “Now that he’s associated with what is being hailed the best legal cannabis product on the market, Gary may be drafted for President of the United States by a grateful nation one day.” Johnson is also an unusually talented and successful politician to vie for the Libertarian line. The 1.3 million votes he collected in 2012 were the party’s all-time high—so to speak.
What are his prospects?
He’s running against the outlandish oddball former tech titan John McAfee in the party, so that looks good. But of his general-election chances, he told my colleague Nora Kelly, “I have no delusions of grandeur here. I know what happened last time.”
Does his website have a good 404 page?
No.
* * *
Out of the Running
Republicans
CARLY FIORINA
Who is she?
Fiorina rose through the ranks to become CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005, before being ousted in an acrimonious struggle. She advised John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and unsuccessfully challenged Senator Barbara Boxer of California in 2010.
Is she running?
No longer. Fiorina dropped out on February 10, following a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary.
Who wanted her to run?
She was a business-friendly candidate with a talent for a sharp turn of phrase or jab. But it was never exactly clear what Fiorina’s constituency was going to be, and a strong following never materialized.
Could she have won the nomination?
No. Fiorina couldn’t crack 5 percent in New Hampshire and was already off the debate stages when she dropped out.
What else do we know?
Fiorina’s unsuccessful 2010 Senate race against Barbara Boxer produced two of the most entertaining and wacky political ads ever, “Demon Sheep” and the nearly eight-minute epic commonly known as “The Boxer Blimp.”
Did her website have a good 404 page?
No.
CHRIS CHRISTIE
Who is he?
What’s it to you, buddy? The combative New Jerseyan is in his second term as governor and previously served as a U.S. attorney.
Is he running?
No longer. He suspended his campaign on February 10.
Who wanted him to run?
Moderate and establishment Republicans who don’t like Jeb Bush or John Kasich; top businessmen, led by Home Depot founder Ken Langone.
Could he have won the nomination?
Maybe in 2012. This year, Christie staked his chances on New Hampshire, and he ended up a distant eighth. On the evening of February 9, he suggested he might drop out soon. But Christie was already probably toast. The tide of opinion had turned against Christie even before the “Bridgegate” indictments. Citing his horrific favorability numbers, FiveThirtyEight bluntly punned that “Christie's access lanes to the GOP nomination are closed.”
Did his website have a good 404 page?
We would have gone with the GIF, but sure.
RICK SANTORUM
Who is he?
Santorum represented Pennsylvania in the Senate from 1995 until his defeat in 2006. He was the runner-up for the GOP nomination in 2012.
Is he running?
No. He will dropped out on February 3.
Who wanted him to run?
Social conservatives. The former Pennsylvania senator didn't have an obvious constituency in 2012, yet he still went a long way, and Foster Friess, who bankrolled much of Santorum's campaign then, is ready for another round.
Could he have won the nomination?
Never. As much as Santorum felt he deserved more respect for his 2012 showing, neither voters nor the press seemed inclined to give it to him, and he remained trapped in the basement. Even in Iowa, which he narrowly won in 2012, he came in almost last, ahead of only Jim Gilmore.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
No.
RAND PAUL
Who is he?
An ophthalmologist and the son of libertarian icon Ron Paul, he rode the 2010 Republican wave to the Senate, representing Kentucky.
Is he running?
No. He suspended his campaign on February 3.
Who wanted him to run?
Some Ron Paul fans; Tea Partiers; libertarians; civil libertarians; noninterventionist Republicans.
Could he have won the nomination?
Once tabbed by Time as the most interesting man in politics, he failed to elicit much interest from voters. The deathwatch stories in December (and September and October) were clearly premature, but they weren’t wrong.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
No.
MIKE HUCKABEE
Who is he?
An ordained preacher, a former governor of Arkansas, and a Fox News host, he ran a strong campaign in 2008, finishing third, but sat out in 2012.
Is he running?
No. Huckabee dropped out on February 1 after pulling less than 2 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses.
Who wanted him to run?
Social conservatives; evangelical Christians.
Could he have won the nomination?
No. Evangelicals, his old base, flocked to Ted Cruz instead. Huckabee’s answer was to play a populist, but that never really took.
Did his website have a good 404 page?
It’s pretty good.
LINDSEY GRAHAM
Who is he?
A senator from South Carolina, he’s John McCain’s closest ally in the small caucus of Republicans who are moderate on many issues but very hawkish on foreign policy.
Is he running?
No sir. Graham kicked off the campaign June 1, 2015, but suspended it on December 21.
Who wanted him to run?
John McCain, naturally; Senator Kelly Ayotte, possibly; Joe Lieberman, maybe?
Could he have won the nomination?
No. But he had some fun in losing it.
What else do we know?
Graham promised to have a rotating first lady if he wins. We were rooting for Lana del Rey.
BOBBY JINDAL
Who is he?
A Rhodes Scholar, he’s the outgoing governor of Louisiana. He previously served in the U.S. House.
Is he running?
No. He kicked off his campaign on June 24, 2015, but suspended it on November 17.
Who wanted him to run?
It was hard to say. Jindal assiduously courted conservative Christians, both with a powerful conversion story (he was raised Hindu but converted to Catholicism in high school) and policies (after other governors reversed course, he charged forward with a religious-freedom law). But he still trailed other social conservatives like Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee.
Could he have won the nomination?
No. Jindal never gained traction at the national level, faced an overcrowded field of social conservatives, and his stewardship of Louisiana came in for harsh criticism even from staunch fiscal conservatives.
What else do we know?
In 1994, he wrote an article called “Physical Dimensions of Spiritual Warfare,” in which he described a friend’s apparent exorcism.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
Meh. Good joke, but past its expiration date.
RICK PERRY
Who is he?
George W. Bush’s successor as governor of Texas, he entered the 2012 race with high expectations but sputtered out quickly. He left office in 2014 as the Lone Star State’s longest-serving governor.
Is he running?
No. He announced on June 4, 2015, but dropped out of the race on September 11, 2015.
Who wanted him to run?
Bueller?
Could he have won the nomination?
No. Perry promoters insisted that Rick 2016 was a polished, smart campaigner, totally different from the meandering, spacey Perry of 2012. It didn’t seemed to matter in this field. Perry had to quit paying his staff in South Carolina and New Hampshire, and was down to a single staffer in Iowa when he dropped out.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
That depends. Is this an “oops” joke? If so, yes.
SARAH PALIN
Who is she?
If you have to ask now, you must not have been around in 2008. That’s when John McCain selected the then-unknown Alaska governor as his running mate. After the ticket lost, she resigned her term early and became a television personality.
Is she running?
No, despite a bizarre speech in January 2015 that made a compelling case both ways.
Who wants her to run?
Palin still has diehard grassroots fans, but there are fewer than ever.
Can she win the nomination?
No.
When will she announce?
It doesn’t matter.
MITT ROMNEY
Who is he?
The Republican nominee in 2012 was also governor of Massachusetts and a successful businessman.
Is he running?
Probably not, but who knows! He announced in late January 2015 that he would step aside, but now New York claims that the Trump boom has him reconsidering.
Who wanted him to run?
Former staffers; prominent Mormons; Hillary Clinton’s team. Romney polled well, but it’s hard to tell what his base would have been. Republican voters weren’t exactly ecstatic about him in 2012, and that was before he ran a listless, unsuccessful campaign. Party leaders and past donors were skeptical at best of a third try.
Could he have won the nomination?
He proved the answer was yes, but it didn't seem likely to happen again.
JOHN BOLTON
Who is he?
A strident critic of the United Nations and a leading hawk, he was George W. Bush’s ambassador to the United Nations for 17 months.
Is he running?
Nope. After announcing his announcement, in the style of the big-time candidates, he posted on Facebook that he wasn’t running.
Who wanted him to run?
Even among super-hawks, he didn’t seem to be a popular pick, likely because he had no political experience.
Could he have won the nomination?
They say anything is possible in politics, but this would test the rule. A likelier outcome could be a plum foreign-policy role in a hawkish GOP presidency.
SCOTT WALKER
Who is he?
Elected governor of Wisconsin in 2010, Walker earned conservative love and liberal hate for his anti-union policies. In 2013, he defeated a recall effort, and he won reelection the following year.
Is he running?
No. Walker dropped out of the race on September 21, 2015.
Who wanted him to run?
Walker was a favorite of conservatives who detest the labor movement because of his union-busting in Wisconsin. He attracted interest from the Koch brothers, and some establishment Republicans saw him as the perfect marriage of executive know-how, business-friendly credentials, and social conservatism without culture-warrior baggage.
Could he have won the nomination?
For months, Walker was considered—along with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio—a top-tier contender for the nomination. Hurricane Trump hurt all three, but none more than Walker. After largely fading from view during the second presidential debate, he polled below 1 percent in a national CNN poll. Perhaps a radically different campaign would have produced a different result, but Walker didn’t seem ready for national prime time.
Did his website have a good 404 page?
Aye, matey.
GEORGE PATAKI
Who is he?
Pataki ousted incumbent Governor Mario Cuomo in 1994 and served three terms as governor of New York.
Is he running?
No. He announced his entry on May 28, 2015, but dropped out on December 29—using the free TV time he’d won to compensate for Donald Trump’s Saturday Night Live appearance.
Who wanted him to run?
Apparently no one: His RealClearPolitics average by the time he dropped out was a neat 0.0. Establishment Northeastern Republicans once held significant sway over the party, but those days have long since passed.
Could have have won the nomination?
Nope.
Did his website have a good 404 page?
No.
* * *
Democrats
MARTIN O'MALLEY
Who is he?
He’s a former governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore.
Is he running?
No. O’Malley announced he was suspending his campaign after getting less than 1 percent in the February 1 Iowa caucus.
Who wanted him to run?
Not clear. He has some of the leftism of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, but without the same grassroots excitement.
Could he have won the nomination?
No. Why O’Malley—who says all the right progressive things—couldn’t gain any momentum among progressives who seem eager for Sanders, for Warren, really for anyone but Clinton, is a fascinating conundrum.
What else do we know?
Have you heard that he plays in a Celtic rock band? You have? Oh.
Did his website have a good 404 page?
No.
LAWRENCE LESSIG
Who is he?
Lessig is a professor at Harvard Law School, a political activist, and an occasional Atlantic contributor.
Is he running?
No. Having announced a run in early September, he dropped out on November 2, 2015.
Who wanted him to run?
Lessig’s campaign was designed to cater almost exclusively to the many Americans who are upset about the influence of money in politics. He pitched himself as a “referendum president” who would pass his proposed Citizens Equality Act of 2017, which would enact universal voting registration, campaign-finance limits, and anti-gerrymandering provisions.
Could he have won the nomination?
No. In dropping out, he cited his inability to break into the Democratic debates, but given his lack of electoral experience, his idiosyncratic platform, and the track record of his Mayday PAC in the 2014 election, he never really had a shot.
What else do we know?
In a season six episode of The West Wing, a fictional Lessig (played by Christopher Lloyd) worked with the White House to write a new constitution for Belarus.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
“Sorry, we’re too busy fixing democracy to design a clever 404 page!” You have time now!
LINCOLN CHAFEE
Who is he?
The son of beloved Rhode Island politician John Chafee, Linc took his late father’s seat in the U.S. Senate, serving as a Republican. He was governor, first as an Independent and then as a Democrat.
Is he running?
No. Chafee announced his run on June 3, 2015, but ended it October 23.
Who wanted him to run?
You can meet all 10 of them in this great NPR piece.
Could he have won the nomination?
No. Chafee’s showing in the first debate was so bad that even Wolf Blitzer begged him to get out for his own reputation’s sake.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
No.
JOE BIDEN
Who is he?
Biden is the vice president and the foremost American advocate for aviator sunglasses and passenger rail.
Is he running?
No. After lengthy deliberation, Biden ruled out a run on October 21, 2015.
Who wanted him to run?
The original driving force for the run seems to have been the late Beau Biden, along with his brother, Hunter. An outside group called Draft Biden (slogan: “I’m Ridin’ With Biden”) tried to coax him in.
Could he have won the nomination?
It’s highly doubtful. Even when Hillary Clinton was at her weakest, she had huge organizational advantages. And past presidential campaigns showed that Biden, while compelling, could be an undisciplined, self-defeating candidate.
ELIZABETH WARREN
Who is she?
Warren has taken an improbable path from Oklahoma, to Harvard Law School, to progressive heartthrob, to Massachusetts senator.
Is she running?
Are you still scrolling down here to check? Not a chance, amigo.
Who wants her to run?
Progressive Democrats; economic populists; disaffected Obamans; disaffected Bushites.
Can she win the nomination?
No, because she’s not running.
* * *
Independents
JIM WEBB
Who is he?
Webb is a Vietnam War hero, author, and former secretary of the Navy. He served as a senator from Virginia from 2007 to 2013.
Is he running?
No. Webb launched a Democratic bid July 2, 2015, but dropped it October 20, 2015. He has since made noises about mounting an independent campaign, but on February 11 said he would not run.
Who wanted him to run?
As a Democrat, doves; the Anybody-But-Hillary camp; my colleague James Fallows. As an independent? Maybe some of the same socially conservative, economically populist Democrats who backed him before. But he barely registered in the race the first time around.
What were his prospects?
Bad. Every independent candidate is at best a very long shot, and Webb’s weaknesses—dislike for campaigning, weak fundraising, heterodox views—were on clear display during his Democratic bid.
Does his website have a good 404 page?
No.