David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report published an op-ed article in the New York Times on Wednesday provocatively titled “Why a Long Democratic Primary Slugfest Might Help Re-Elect Trump.” In the piece, Wasserman argues that the Democratic presidential nomination race in 2020 could well turn out to be a protracted fight that exposes or exacerbates deep divisions within the party, that the identity of the Democratic nominee might remain unresolved until the July national convention in Milwaukee, and that internal conflict could prevent Democrats from unifying to defeat Donald Trump in the November general election. …
However, I think that this scenario is far less probable than Wasserman suggests—and that even if no candidate ends the primary season with a majority of delegates formally pledged to him or her, neither messy infighting nor ineffective opposition to the Republican ticket are particularly likely consequences. Here are some of the reasons behind this skepticism: CONT.
David A. Hopkins, Boston College