Asa Hutchinson Is Running - Updated

Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson is running for president. From Politico: 

“I am going to be running. And the reason, as I’ve traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country, and I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts,” Hutchinson said during an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week.” “I believe I can be that kind of leader for the people of America.”

Hutchinson will make a formal announcement later this month in Bentonville, Arkansas, he said.

Mr. Hutchinson has an interesting take on Donald: 

On Sunday, Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor, reiterated the call he first made Friday for Trump to withdraw from the race.

“Well he should,” Hutchinson said, when asked whether Trump should pull out of the race. “But at the same time, we know he’s not [going to]. And there’s not any constitutional requirement.” The indictment will become too big of a “sideshow,” Hutchinson said, adding that the former president should focus on his defense instead of another bid for the White House.

“I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person. And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that’s too much of a sideshow and distraction, and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process[.] Read the entire article here. 

I've moved Mr. Hutchinson to the "I'm Running" list:

I'm Running (and the date they declared their candidacy)

1. Donald Trump (November 15, 2022)
2. Nikki Haley (February 14, 2023)
3. Vivek Ramaswamy (February 21, 2023) By the way, who is this guy? Politico describes him as a "multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and self-described intellectual godfather of the anti-woke movement." Okay.  
4. Asa Hutchinson (April 2, 2023)

... and deleted his name from the "I'm Thinking About Running" list:

I'm Thinking About Running

1. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas
2. John Bolton, former White House National Security Adviser
3. Liz Cheney, former congresswoman from Wyoming
4. Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, was a candidate in 2016
5. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas 
6. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas 
7. Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida
8. Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona
9. Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence
10. Will Hurd, former congressman from Texas
11. Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative 
12. Governor Kristi L. Noem, South Dakota
13. Robert C. O’Brien, national security advisor 
14. Vice President Mike Pence
15. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
16. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, 2012 Republican nominee for president
17. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida 
18. Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska 
19. Senator Rick Scott, Florida
20. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania

Days until Election Day: 583

And one more thing: Since my last post, Donald has been indicted (or "indicated", as he put it in a Truth Social post) by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, after a vote to indict by the Grand Jury. I have lots of thoughts about this, no surprise, but for now I'll just say that my dream in life is to live in a country where no one is stupid enough to send money to Donald Trump. Apparently a fund-raising blitz, which started seven seconds after the indictment was announced, has raised as much as 5 million dollars. How can people still be sending this man money? Wouldn't it be more entertaining to sit around setting $100 bills on fire? 

Update: Back on January 6, The Daily Mail ran a story saying that John Bolton would run in 2024, based on an interview Bolton gave to Good Morning, Britain. I saw the tweet the Mail sent out at the time but the story didn't get much traction, and as of yet Mr. Bolton hasn't officially announced, so I'm keeping him on the I'm Thinking About Running list. (Am I obsessed with lists? Yes.) You can read the Daily Mail story here.  

Update #2 on April 12: Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina has formed a presidential exploratory committee. This is from the Washington Post:

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, has spent recent months laying the groundwork for a national campaign via early state travel and donor events. The exploratory committee will allow Scott's team to ramp up fundraising and fund travel before he officially declares a bid.

Based on this, I'm moving him to the "I'm Running" list. 

I'm Running (and the date they declared their candidacy)

1. Donald Trump (November 15, 2022)
2. Nikki Haley (February 14, 2023)
3. Vivek Ramaswamy (February 21, 2023) By the way, who is this guy? Politico describes him as a "multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and self-described intellectual godfather of the anti-woke movement." Okay.  
4. Asa Hutchinson (April 2, 2023)
5. Senator Tim Scott (April 12, 2023)

There's one more piece of political news. Yesterday it was announced that Chicago will host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which will take place on August 19-22 next year.

Days until the election: 573

Who's Running in 2024? - Updated

In my last post, on November 14 of last year, I included a list from the Washington Post of the "top 10 individuals most likely to be the Republican nominee" for president in 2024. At the time, Ron DeSantis was in the top spot:  

1. Ron DeSantis
2. Donald Trump
3. Mike Pence
4. Glenn Youngkin (Governor of Virginia)
5. Tim Scott
6. Kari Lake (former news anchor running for Governor of Arizona)
7. Ted Cruz
8. Nikki Haley
9. Mike Pompeo
10. Rick Scott

The Post updates their list periodically; here's how the race looks to them now, in a list published yesterday: 

1. Donald Trump
2. Ron DeSantis
3. Tim Scott
4. Mike Pence
5. Nikki Haley
6. Glenn Youngkin
7. Mike Pompeo
8. Chris Sununu
9. Kristi Noem
10. Vivek Ramaswamy

The list is in "order of likeliness to be nominated, which takes into account both how likely they are to run - or that they're already running - and their formidability if they do." Others considered to be worth mentioning are Asa Hutchinson (former governor of Arkansas,) John Bolton (former White House national security adviser,) Liz Cheney (former congresswoman from Wyoming,) Greg Abbott (governor of Texas) and Will Hurd (former congressman from Texas.) Numbers 1, 5, and 10 from the list above are now declared candidates: 

I'm Running (and the date they declared their candidacy)

1. Donald Trump (November 15, 2022)
2. Nikki Haley (February 14, 2023)
3. Vivek Ramaswamy (February 21, 2023) By the way, who is this guy? Politico describes him as a "multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and self-described intellectual godfather of the anti-woke movement." Okay.  

I'm Not Running (potential candidates who have definitively ruled themselves out, at least for 2024)

1. Senator Tom Cotton
2. Senator Josh Hawley
3. Former Governor Larry Hogan

Things can only heat up from here, stay tuned for more.   

Days until Election Day: 590

Note: The Republican National Convention will take place July 15-18, 2024, in Milwaukee. The three finalist cities for the Democratic convention are Atlanta, Chicago and New York City; the dates have not yet been announced. 

And one more thing: In that November 18 post, I also included an "I'm Thinking About Running" list, which looked like this: 

I'm Thinking About Running: 

1. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas
2. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas 
3. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas 
4. Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida
5. Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona
6. Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence
7. Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor 
8. Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri
9. Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland 
10. Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative 
11. Governor Kristi L. Noem, South Dakota
12. Robert C. O’Brien, national security advisor 
13. Vice President Mike Pence
14. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
15. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, 2012 Republican nominee for president
16. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida 
17. Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska 
18. Senator Rick Scott, Florida
19. Senator Tim Scott. South Carolina 
20. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania
21. Donald Trump

If we tweak this list a bit, i.e., Donald and Nikki Haley are on the I'm Running list, Senator Hawley and Governor Hogan are on the I'm Not Running list, and adding Wapo's "worth mentioning" names (Asa Hutchinson, John Bolton, Liz Cheney and Will Hurd) the I'm Thinking About Running list looks like this: 

1. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas
2. John Bolton, former White House National Security Adviser
3. Liz Cheney, former congresswoman from Wyoming
4. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas 
5. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas 
6. Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida
7. Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona
8. Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence
9. Will Hurdm former congressman from Texas
10. Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas
11. Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative 
12. Governor Kristi L. Noem, South Dakota
13. Robert C. O’Brien, national security advisor 
14. Vice President Mike Pence
15. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
16. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, 2012 Republican nominee for president
17. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida 
18. Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska 
19. Senator Rick Scott, Florida
20. Senator Tim Scott. South Carolina 
21. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania

As people declare themselves to be running or not running I'll update the lists. 

Update on March 27: I never had Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on my "Thinking About Running" list, but apparently he was considering it. A couple of days ago, however, he announced that he won't be running this time around. I've updated the "I'm Not Running" list:

I'm Not Running (potential candidates who have definitively ruled themselves out, at least for 2024)

1. Senator Tom Cotton
2. Senator Josh Hawley
3. Former Governor Larry Hogan
4. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

Days until Election Day: 589

Update #2 on March 29: I haven't seen Chris Christie's name mentioned as a potential candidate in 2024, but according to the Washington Post he's considering it: 

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie sharply criticized Donald Trump on Monday during his first trip this year to New Hampshire, as he kept the door open to entering the GOP presidential primary against his former ally and signaled he would decide by June.

In a nearly two-hour town hall at St. Anselm College's New Hampshire Institute of Politics, Christie said Trump's name more than 20 times, attacking the former president over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election that he lost, mocking his policy acumen and blaming him for Republican losses in the 2022 midterms. Christie also portrayed himself as uniquely well positioned to take on Trump.

"You know, Donald Trump said a couple of weeks ago, 'I am your retribution.' Guess what, everybody? No thanks. No thanks," Christie said to applause from his audience in an early-nominating state. "If I was going to pay somebody to be my retribution, I guarantee this, it wouldn't be him."

Christie, who has been publicly critical of Trump as he weighs a White House bid, continued, "Here's why it wouldn't be him, because he doesn't want to be my retribution. That's baloney. The only person he cares about is him. And if we haven't learned that since Election Day of 2020 to today, then we are not paying attention."

I've updated the "I'm Thinking About Running" list: 

1. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas
2. John Bolton, former White House National Security Adviser
3. Liz Cheney, former congresswoman from Wyoming
4. Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, was a candidate in 2016
5. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas 
6. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas 
7. Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida
8. Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona
9. Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence
10. Will Hurd, former congressman from Texas
11. Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas
12. Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative 
13. Governor Kristi L. Noem, South Dakota
14. Robert C. O’Brien, national security advisor 
15. Vice President Mike Pence
16. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
17. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, 2012 Republican nominee for president
18. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida 
19. Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska 
20. Senator Rick Scott, Florida
21. Senator Tim Scott. South Carolina 
22. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania

Days until Election Day: 587

Who Will Run In 2024? - Updated

The mid-term election is over, which means the 2024 campaign for president is now underway, and you know what that means: Lists. I like lists, in particular lists of who might or might not run, who is or is not running for president. On October 18, 2020, I posted a list of 24 Republicans who appeared to be at least considering a run for president four years in the future. (This was 2 1/2 weeks before the 2020 election took place; at that point there were two possible outcomes for 2024: Donald would be completing his second term or Joe Biden would be gearing up to run for reelection.) Here's that list:   

1. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas
2. Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming 
3. Senator Tom Cotton, Arkansas 
4. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas 
5. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas 
6. Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida
7. Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona
8. Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence
9. Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor 
10. Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri
11. Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland 
12. Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative 
13. Governor Kristi L. Noem, South Dakota
14. Robert C. O’Brien, national security advisor 
15. Vice President Mike Pence
16. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
17. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, 2012 Republican nominee for president
18. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida 
19. Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska 
20. Senator Rick Scott, Florida
21. Senator Tim Scott. South Carolina 
22. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania
23. Donald Trump Jr. 
24. Ivanka Trump

Two years later things look a little different. At that time there wasn't much talk about Donald running in 2024 if he lost in 2020, which is why he's not on this list. Don Jr. and Ivanka are, however, but with Donald almost certain to run, the kids are out of contention. Representative Liz Cheney sacrificed her career to pursue the truth as part of the January 6 commitee and Senator Tom Cotton is the first to officially announce that he's not running. He gets to be the first name on the "I'm Not Running" list: 

I'm Not Running

1. Senator Tom Cotton

With those tweaks to the list above, here is my current "I'm Thinking About Running" list: 

I'm Thinking About Running: 

1. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas
2. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas 
3. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas 
4. Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida
5. Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona
6. Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence
7. Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor 
8. Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri
9. Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland 
10. Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative 
11. Governor Kristi L. Noem, South Dakota
12. Robert C. O’Brien, national security advisor 
13. Vice President Mike Pence
14. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
15. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, 2012 Republican nominee for president
16. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida 
17. Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska 
18. Senator Rick Scott, Florida
19. Senator Tim Scott. South Carolina 
20. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania
21. Donald Trump

As soon as candidates start to officially declare they're running, I'll put up the I'm Running list. 

Update on November 16: I hadn't seen it when I initially wrote this post, but on Saturday, the Washington Post posted their list of the top 10 individuals most likely to be the Republican nominee in 2024 and note that their list is ranked, my list above is simply alphabetical. This is how the Washington Post sees the GOP race right now, (or at least as of Saturday): 

1. Ron DeSantis
2. Donald Trump
3. Mike Pence
4. Gleen Youngkin (Governor of Virginia)
5. Tim Scott
6. Kari Lake (former news anchor running for Governor of Arizona)
7. Ted Cruz
8. Nikki Haley
9. Mike Pompeo
10. Rick Scott

Since the list was published, Kari Lake lost her race for Governor of Arizona, Rick Scott is challenging Mitch McConnell for Senate Minority Leader, and, oh yeah, last night Donald Trump officially announced that he's running for president. Again. That means he gets to be the first name on the "I'm Running" list: 

I'm Running

1. Donald Trump (November 15, 2022)

Days until the 2024 election: 720

Blogging The Bach - Updated

Did you hear that Arie and Lauren got married? It's true and as I said in last week's Guessing Game post (read it here,) I have to eat a little crow. Last year when Arie got engaged to Lauren in dramatic fashion after breaking up with Becca, I said that pigs will dance on Mars before the two of them get married. I gave it six months. Yes, Rosebuds, I was wrong. They made it legal on Saturday in Hawaii with Our Host Chris Harrison officiating and several Bachelor alums in attendance. They're also expecting a baby.

Harrison posted some Instagram pictures:

View this post on Instagram

It’s was an incredible wedding week. My blessings and prayers to Mr & Mrs Luyendyk and baby Luyendyk on the way. For now it’s Aloha! Back to helping @coltonunderwood find love tomorrow night #JustMauied #TheBachelor

A post shared by Chris Harrison (@chrisbharrison) on Jan 13, 2019 at 2:30pm PST

... and although the happy couple didn't make the cover of People, they are featured as an "Exclusive" on the new issue of Us Weekly:

Exclusive: Are Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez ready to walk down the aisle? Find out everything we know about the $160 billion dollar divorce, how wife MacKenzie caught him cheating and more. Pick up your copy on newsstands now! pic.twitter.com/bef4GNRYRP

— Us Weekly (@usweekly) January 16, 2019

There was also this little drama between ex-friends Arie and Jef Holm, who competed against each other on Emily Maynard's season, became BFF's then for some reason started hating each other:

Pay up @jefholm... Put that trust fund money into something positive instead of bottle service. Asshole https://t.co/APS3H80BV3

— Arie Luyendyk Jr. (@ariejr) January 2, 2019

No word yet on whether Jef has paid up. 

I still don't find Arie and Lauren to be particularly compelling as a couple, but for what it's worth, so far at least, Bachelor/Bachelorette couples who get married, stay married.

With that, I'll segue into the new season of The Bachelor, starring Colton Underwood, starting, as usual, with the updated list:

1. Alex Michel
2. Aaron Buerge
3. Andrew Firestone
4. Bob Guiney
5. Jesse Palmer
6. Byron Velvick
7. Charlie O'Connell
8. Travis Stork
9. Lorenzo Borghese
10. Andrew Baldwin
11. Brad Womack (the first time around)
12. Matt Grant
13. Jason Mesnick
14. Jake Pavelka
15. Brad Womack (second try) 
16. Ben Flajnik
17. Sean Lowe
18. Juan Pablo Galavais
19. Chris Soules
20. Ben Higgins
21. Nick Viall
22. Arie Luyendyk, Jr. 
23. Colton Underwood

Thoughts after two episodes:

Is Colton engaged? Almost certainly, that's the whole point of the show but producers (or ABC's marketing team) are clearly trying to create some suspense about the outcome. In interviews, Colton has dodged the question of whether or not he's engaged, and the "This season on the Bachelor" preview at the end of episode 1 ended with Colton jumping a fence and apparently running off into the night. (Boss of the Bachelor Robert Mills called the maneuver the Underwood Overwood.) Chris Harrison also gave an interview in which he tried to make it sound as if Colton had dropped out halfway through. Did he disappear for good? Don't make me laugh. I wrote about this two years ago when there was a similar storyline on Nick's season:

Nick can't leave. In spite of all the dramatic emoting at the end of episode six and the beginning of episode seven, Nick can't just throw up his hands in despair and leave. That ridiculous storyline is an example of one of my biggest pet peeves about the show, i.e., it was totally scripted and completely fake.

How do I know? Because The Bachelor is big business, there's serious money at stake and Nick is an employee with a signed contract. He can't just walk away. Seriously. Think about it. Ask yourself this: What would happen if the lead walked out after filming 6 episodes? Answer: There would be no show. ABC would be running reruns of Dancing With The Stars on Monday nights and we'd all be watching The Apprentice. (And the quitter would be facing a serious lawsuit.) I can't imagine any circumstances, other than an actual tragedy like the death of the lead, under which they would stop filming and shut down production. (Read the entire post here.)

Note that a few months  after I wrote that, production on Bachelor In Paradise was temporarily shut down, not due to the death of anyone but to deal with an issue of sexual consent, but in the end filming started up again and the show went on as planned.

Anyway, take a deep breath and relax. Colton won't be gone for long.

Colton is young and so are the women. After two 36-year-old Bachelors, Nick and Arie, Colton is a whole decade younger, turning 27 on January 26. His women are young too, the youngest, Heather, is 22 and the oldest Elyse and Tracy, are 31. Nine are 23 and the average age is 25.4, which is actually a pretty good fit for Colton. Many, many of them are blonde:

pic.twitter.com/0y3zUE5QPd

— Kristen Baldwin (@KristenGBaldwin) January 12, 2019

I admit that I struggled a bit to get my blogger juices flowing to write about the show this time around, possibly because after 22 previous seasons, quite a few of my thoughts were repetitive. In other words, I've written similar stuff before.

From Chris Soules' season, in a post titled Pomegranates And Pig Noses, Kids Named Kale and Too Much Whiskey, dated January 6, 2015:

A Red Carpet? Really? When it was announced that the premiere would be a live three-hour special, I figured it would be like the Women Tell All and After The Final Rose shows, with fans watching in real time in a large viewing room. We got to that eventually but first we had to endure almost a full hour of "red carpet arrivals." Note to producers: The Bach isn't the Oscars and Sean & Catherine, Des & Chris, Andi & Josh, et al, are so not Brangelina. The whole thing was way, way too self-referential and when I saw a bug at the top of the screen that said "first limo arrival in 58 minutes," I almost bailed. The DVR was running and I figured I could catch up in the morning, happily fast-forwarding through the boring parts. In the end I stayed, but just barely.

On the other hand, give the producers credit. They've been very savvy about building the brand of this show and utilizing social media to keep fans engaged. I heard the show was trending on Twitter last night, and as of 10.15 Tuesday morning as I'm writing this it's still at #3. I've said many times that the most entertaining part about the show is following the hilarious tweets in real time and it's still true. (Read the post here.)

It wasn't exactly the same, but four years later we had another 3-hour premiere and it didn't work any better than the first one. Too much!

From Ben's season, A Horse, A Bachelorette And A Unicorn Walk Into A Mansion, dated January 12, 2016:

I'm so glad ABC ditched the big red carpet arrival and live watch party they tried last year. This time around we're back to the regular format: A review of Ben's journey, shots of him driving and looking pensive, some intro videos of selected women, then, drum roll please, the limo arrivals.

I thought Ben handled himself well, but really. How weird must it feel to stand there as each successive woman gets out of the limo and tries to be memorable? I assume he got coaching, from producers and/or the show's resident shrink, on how to remain calm, handle everything as it comes, no eye-rolling or doubling over in despair, etc. (Read the post here.) 

From Nick's season, The Bach Is Back And So Am I! dated exactly two years ago today, January 16, 2017, and talking about how the show has changed since the first season in 2002:

The biggest difference, however is not what we see on screen but what happens off screen: Social Media. Strange as it sounds now, Social Media almost didn't exist in 2002. No Twitter, no Facebook, no cell phone cameras and no Instagram, etc. It was a lot easier to keep the outcome secret in those days, and the participants didn't become nearly as famous as they do today. In fact, I've come to believe that "gaining enough Instagram followers to make money with #ads" is now the prime reason for going on the show.

The most recent Bachelorette, JoJo, has 2 million followers, and Ben Higgins has 1.5 million. Even such also-rans as Ashley Iaconetti, Caila Quinn, Amanda Stanton and Jade Roper Tolbert have several hundred thousand followers each. Do they run ads? Oh you bet they do, for such stellar products as vitamins that make your hair shiny, tea that helps you lose weight, and Ponds Cold Cream. (Both JoJo and Kaitlyn want us to believe that they've been using Ponds for years, which is, to put it mildly, not credible.) JoJo's runner up Robby Hayes (current Insta followers: 333,000,) got himself in hot water when it came out that he had reached out to previous Bach alums and asked them to help him get more followers. Even with all the evidence to the contrary, it's still important to pretend that everyone is there for the "right reasons." (Read the post here.)  

Last year I didn't do weekly blog posts about Arie's season; it wasn't until the scandal happened during the finale and After The Final Rose that I took to the blog. You can read all my Arie posts here.

Former contestant Sharleen Joynt, who was on Juan Pablo's season in 2014 and now writes about the show from that informed perspective, gives a weekly list of her top four contestants. Specifically, who she thinks is on track to win. She is ferociously unspoiled, and bases her lineup on things like screen time, background music, one-on-one dates and alone time with Colton. After episode one, her top four were:

1. Cassie
2. Hannah G
3. Caelynn
4. Demi

After week two, a slight revision, with Cassie and Hannah G switching places and apparent villain-in-the-making Demi replaced by 31-year-old Elyse:

1. Hannah G
2. Cassie
3. Caelynn
4. Elyse

Sharleen's initial predictions are usually right on target. It's unlikely that Demi will win, given her edit but right now I'd say there's a pretty good chance Colton is engaged to either Cassie, Hannah G, or Caelynn, with Elyse as a possible longshot.

You can read Sharleen's posts at Canadian magazine Flare.com (click here) or at her personal website All The Pretty Pandas. That's all for now, Rosebuds, meet me back here next week, same Bach time, same Bach channel.   

Monday morning update. Bach runners-up Jason and Blake were on Good Morning, America this morning  and at the end of their segment they each listed their top three guesses to win. Who did they pick? Blake says it's Caelynn, Hannah B or Hannah G; Jason picked Elyse, Caelynn and Hannah G.

The List Keeps Growing - Updated

I'm not the only one who's pondering who might run against Donald in 2020. Politico has a story about potential Democratic candidates, grouped by categories including Senators, Governors, House Members, Obama Alums and Outsiders.

Most of the names on Politico's list are already on mine, but there are a few new names I hadn't seen mentioned as candidates before. I'm adding Virginia Senator Mark Warner, Massachusetts Representative Joe Kennedy, former secretary of state John Kerry and actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to the list. Really? The Rock? Politico says his name keeps emerging:

Resumé: Actor; WWE wrestler

What he's known for: Being the Rock and knowing what is cooking

2020 Status: Dwayne Johnson says he doesn't have the experience for the job, but his name keeps reemerging. Who knows what the future holds if the "Fast and the Furious" franchise ever ends?

Politico also mentions Andrew Cuomo and Oprah as potential candidates but based on their recent statements I've already moved them to the "I'm not running" list. (Read the article here.)

Potential Democratic Candidates, in alphabetical order:

1. Michael Avenatti (Lawyer, represents Stormy Daniels and others) added Oct. 1
2. Joe Biden (Former VP)
3. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
4. Peter Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana) added Sept. 8
5. Cory Booker (New Jersey senator)
6. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
7. Jerry Brown (Governor of California)
8. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
9. Julian Castro (Former secretary of Housing and Urban Development) 
10. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
11. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
12. Tulsi Gabbard (Congresswoman from Hawaii) added Sept. 8
13. Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles) 
14. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York senator)
15. Luis Gutierrez (Congressman from Illinois)
16. Kamala Harris (California senator)
17. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
18. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
19. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
20. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Actor) added Nov. 10
21. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
22. Joe Kennedy (Congressman from Massachusetts) added Nov. 10
23. John Kerry (former Secretary of State, 2004 Democratic nominee) added Nov. 10 
24. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator)
25. Mitch Landrieu (Mayor of New Orleans)
26. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
27. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
28. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
29. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
30. Martin O'Malley (Former governor of Maryland, ran in 2016 primaries)
31. Beto O'Rourke (Texas Congressman, running for the U.S. Senate) added Sept. 13
32. Deval Patrick (Former governor of Massachusetts)
33. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
34. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
35. Howard Schultz (Businessman, former CEO of Starbucks)
36. Tom Steyer (Businessman) added Sept. 8
37. Eric Swalwell (Congressman from California) added Nov. 8
38. Mark Warner (Virginia senator) added Nov. 10
39. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts senator)
40. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

Reminder: Not every name on this list is "viable" as a future nominee or president, or even seriously interested in running, necessarily. It's just a list of every name I've ever seen mentioned, anywhere, as someone who might run in 2020.   

Declared Democratic Candidates, in order of their announcement

1. John Delaney (7/28/17) 
2. Andrew Yang (11/6/17) 
3. Richard Ojeda (11/11/18)

I'm Not Running

Oprah Winfrey
Andrew Cuomo
Sheryl Sandberg, added Sept. 8
Jason Kander, added Oct. 17
Robert Iger, added Oct. 22

Days until the presidential election: 723 

Monday morning update: According to Politico, a Democrat named Richard Ojeda, who ran for a Congressional seat in West Virginia and lost, has filed paperwork to run for president. I've added him to the "Declared Candidates" list above. (Read the story here.)

Days until the election: 721

Another Name On The List

The midterms are over, so start your engines and take a deep breath. 2020 is officially underway. Last time around the first Republican to officially declare himself to be a candidate was Ted Cruz, on March 23, 2015. (There was far less suspense on the Democratic side last time, so I didn't keep much of a list, and Hillary didn't officially announce until June, 2015.) This time, with a Republican incumbent the suspense is on the Democratic side, and with so many potential candidates, I expect the official announcements to start any day now. (Yes, there are already two officially declared candidates on the list below, but they're not really, as the late Charles Krauthammer used to say, viable.)

Before we get any official announcements, however, I'm adding another name to the "Potential" list. Eric Swalwell is a Democratic Congressman from California and until I saw an item at Politico a few minutes ago I had never heard his name. Apparently he's been thinking about running for quite a while:

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell plans to run for president in 2020, according to a person close to the California congressman who is familiar with his plans. 

"He's definitely running," the source said. 

This week-end, Swalwell will be the first potential presidential candidate to visit Iowa after the midterms with a trip to meet the Asian & Latino Coalition in Des Moines and Iowa Democratic Party chairs in Dubuque. The travel to Iowa was first reported by NBC News and confirmed by POLITICO. 

The 37-year-old Swalwell has been positioning himself for a run over the past year, with several trips to early primary voting states and endorsements of three young congressional candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire through his Future Forum PAC. He has also asked for lists of potential staffers for the early-state contests. (Read the article here.)

I've added Rep. Swalwell's name to the Potential list, and remember, not every name on this list is "viable" as a future nominee or president, or even seriously interested in running, necessarily. It's just a list of every name I've ever seen mentioned, anywhere, as someone who might run in 2020. I expect that within six months or so, this list will have shrunk considerably and the "I'm not running'' list will have expanded.

Potential Democratic Candidates:

1. Michael Avenatti (Lawyer, represents Stormy Daniels and others) added Oct. 1
2. Joe Biden (Former VP)
3. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
4. Peter Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana) added Sept. 8
5. Cory Booker (New Jersey senator)
6. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
7. Jerry Brown (Governor of California)
8. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
9. Julian Castro (Former secretary of Housing and Urban Development) 
10. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
11. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
12. Tulsi Gabbard (Congresswoman from Hawaii) added Sept. 8
13. Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles) 
14. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York senator)
15. Luis Gutierrez (Congressman from Illinois)
16. Kamala Harris (California senator)
17. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
18. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
19. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
20. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
21. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator)
22. Mitch Landrieu (Mayor of New Orleans)
23. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
24. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
25. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
26. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
27. Martin O'Malley (Former governor of Maryland, ran in 2016 primaries)
28. Beto O'Rourke (Texas Congressman, running for the U.S. Senate) added Sept. 13
29. Deval Patrick (Former governor of Massachusetts)
30. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
31. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
32. Howard Schultz (Businessman, former CEO of Starbucks)
33. Tom Steyer (Businessman) added Sept. 8
34. Eric Swalwell (Congressman from California, added Nov. 8)
35. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts senator)
36. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

Declared Democratic Candidates, in order of their announcement 

John Delaney (July 28, 2017)
Andrew Yang (November 6, 2017) added Sept. 8

I'm Not Running

Oprah Winfrey
Andrew Cuomo
Sheryl Sandberg, added Sept. 8
Jason Kander, added Oct. 17
Robert Iger, added Oct. 22

Days until the presidential election: 725 

"I'm Not Running"

I missed it at the time, but in an interview with presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit a couple of weeks ago, Disney Chairman Robert Iger said definitively that he's not running for president:

"You mentioned my running for president. I'm not doing that," Iger said, emphatically. ''We keep coming back to some of these themes, but no, that's off the table. I'm running the Walt Disney Co." (From an article at Deadline, read it here.)

I'm moving Mr. Iger to the "I'm Not Running" list.

Potential Democratic Candidates:

1. Michael Avenatti (Lawyer, represents Stormy Daniels and others) added Oct. 1
2. Joe Biden (Former VP)
3. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
4. Peter Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana) added Sept. 8
5. Cory Booker (New Jersey senator)
6. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
7. Jerry Brown (Governor of California)
8. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
9. Julian Castro (Former secretary of Housing and Urban Development) 
10. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
11. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
12. Tulsi Gabbard (Congresswoman from Hawaii) added Sept. 8
13. Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles) 
14. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York senator)
15. Luis Gutierrez (Congressman from Illinois)
16. Kamala Harris (California senator)
17. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
18. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
19. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
20. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
21. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator)
22. Mitch Landrieu (Mayor of New Orleans)
23. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
24. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
25. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
26. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
27. Martin O'Malley (Former governor of Maryland, ran in 2016 primaries)
28. Beto O'Rourke (Texas Congressman, running for the U.S. Senate) added Sept. 13
29. Deval Patrick (Former governor of Massachusetts)
30. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
31. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
32. Howard Schultz (Businessman, former CEO of Starbucks)
33. Tom Steyer (Businessman) added Sept. 8
34. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts senator)
35. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

Declared Democratic Candidates, in order of their announcement 

John Delaney (July 28, 2017)
Andrew Yang (November 6, 2017) added Sept. 8

I'm Not Running

Oprah Winfrey
Andrew Cuomo
Sheryl Sandberg, added Sept. 8
Jason Kander, added Oct. 17
Robert Iger, added Oct. 22

Days until the midterm election: 15
Days until the presidential election: 743

CNN's Monthly Power Rankings: October, 2018

On Monday CNN published their fourth "monthly power rankings" list of potential Democratic presidential candidates, which is mostly unchanged from last month. In fact the first five names on the list are exactly the same. (See last month's list here.)

Here are the rankings for October:

1. Elizabeth Warren (last month: 1)
2. Kamala Harris (last month: 2)
3. Joe Biden (last month: 3)
4. Kirstin Gillibrand (last month: 4)
5. Bernie Sanders (last month: 5)
6. Amy Klobuchar (last month: 7)
7. Cory Booker (last month: 6)
8. Eric Garcetti (last month: 8)
9. Steve Bullock (last month: 9)
10. Michael Bloomberg (last month: not on the list)

Eric Holder is included as an "honorable mention." Who was #10 last month? Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who is running against Ted Cruz for a senate seat. CNN explains their rankings here.

There's also some news concerning a couple of candidates on our master list. Julian Castro said he's seriously thinking about running and in fact is "likely to do it." That's not enough to put him on the Declared Candidates list but I'll keep my eye on Mr. Castro. He spoke to CBS News this morning, see that interview here.

I'm also removing one name from the list. Jason Kander, who was running for mayor of Kansas City this year and was seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2020, has withdrawn from the mayor's race for health reasons:

"I truly appreciate all the support so many people in Kansas City and across the country have shown me since I started this campaign. But I can't work on myself and run a campaign the way I want to at the same time, so I'm choosing to work on my depression," he continued.  

Kander served as an Army Intelligence Officer in Afghanistan and returned from his tour about 11 years ago. He said that his "tour over there still impacted me every day."

... "I'm done hiding this from myself and the world. When I wrote in my book that I was lucky to not have PTSD, I was just trying to convince myself. And I wasn't sharing the full picture. I still have nightmares. I am depressed," Kander said. (Read the CNN story here.)

I give Mr. Kander enormous credit. For a politician to make this kind of admission is incredibly difficult and incredibly courageous. He's only 37. I'm cheering for him to get the help he needs and when he's ready, he can figure out what he wants to do next. For now, however, I'm moving him to the I'm Not Running list, leaving 36 names on the Potential list.

Potential Democratic Candidates:

1. Michael Avenatti (Lawyer, represents Stormy Daniels and others) added Oct. 1
2. Joe Biden (Former VP)
3. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
4. Peter Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana) added Sept. 8
5. Cory Booker (New Jersey senator)
6. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
7. Jerry Brown (Governor of California)
8. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
9. Julian Castro (Former secretary of Housing and Urban Development) 
10. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
11. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
12. Tulsi Gabbard (Congresswoman from Hawaii) added Sept. 8
13. Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles) 
14. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York senator)
15. Luis Gutierrez (Congressman from Illinois)
16. Kamala Harris (California senator)
17. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
18. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
19. Robert Iger (Businessman, Chairman/CEO of Disney)
20. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
21. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
22. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator)
23. Mitch Landrieu (Mayor of New Orleans)
24. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
25. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
26. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
27. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
28. Martin O'Malley (Former governor of Maryland, ran in 2016 primaries)
29. Beto O'Rourke (Texas Congressman, running for the U.S. Senate) added Sept. 13
30. Deval Patrick (Former governor of Massachusetts)
31. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
32. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
33. Howard Schultz (Businessman, former CEO of Starbucks)
34. Tom Steyer (Businessman) added Sept. 8
35. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts senator)
36. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

Declared Democratic Candidates, in order of their announcement 

John Delaney (July 28, 2017)
Andrew Yang (November 6, 2017) added Sept. 8

I'm Not Running

Oprah Winfrey
Andrew Cuomo
Sheryl Sandberg, added Sept. 8
Jason Kander, added Oct. 17

Days until the midterm election: 20
Days until the presidential election: 748

Lady GaGa

Issue dated October 22, 2018: Lady GaGa


Lady GaGa was on the Guessing Game list last week, along with co-star Bradley Cooper, and they were featured on last week's cover in a sidebar headline. This week GaGa gets the cover all to herself, although it doesn't look as though People actually interviewed her for this story. The teaser article at People.com includes a couple of quotes that are identified as something she "recently told People" (read it here,) but the new cover doesn't scream "People Exclusive" or "The People Interview." Now that A Star Is Born is a monster hit, it appears that People dipped into the archives to put together a main cover story about a suddenly hot topic.

Barbara Bush's wedding is also featured this week.

Last year at this time: Issue dated October 23, 2017


And one more thing: Start thinking about who might be the next so-called Sexiest Man Alive. If People's pattern holds, the 2018 title-holder will be announced five weeks from today. To get you in the mood, here's the list of past winners, and note that Lady GaGa's co-star was the winner back in 2011:

1985 Mel Gibson
1986 Mark Harmon
1987 Harry Hamlin
1988 John Kennedy, Jr.
1989 Sean Connery
1990 Tom Cruise
1991 Patrick Swayze
1992 Nick Nolte
1993 Sexiest Couple: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford
1995 Brad Pitt
1996 Denzel Washington
1997 George Clooney
1998 Harrison Ford
1999 Richard Gere
2000 Brad Pitt
2001 Pierce Brosnan
2002 Ben Affleck
2003 Johnny Depp
2004 Jude Law
2005 Matthew McConaughey
2006 George Clooney
2007 Matt Damon
2008 Hugh Jackman
2009 Johnny Depp
2010 Ryan Reynolds
2011 Bradley Cooper
2012 Channing Tatum
2013 Adam Levine
2014 Chris Hemsworth
2015 David Beckham
2016 Dwayne Johnson
2017 Blake Shelton
2018 ????

Adding A Name

I've added another name to my master list of potential Democratic candidates. Michael Avenatti has become famous for representing Stormy Daniels, the porn actress who had an affair with Donald Trump. I don't see him as a potential president, but he's making noise about running so he's on the list, which now numbers 37.

Potential Democratic Candidates:

1. Michael Avenatti (Lawyer, represents Stormy Daniels and others) added Oct. 1
2. Joe Biden (Former VP)
3. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
4. Peter Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana) added Sept. 8
5. Cory Booker (New Jersey senator)
6. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
7. Jerry Brown (Governor of California)
8. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
9. Julian Castro (Former secretary of Housing and Urban Development) 
10. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
11. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
12. Tulsi Gabbard (Congresswoman from Hawaii) added Sept. 8
13. Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles) 
14. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York senator)
15. Luis Gutierrez (Congressman from Illinois)
16. Kamala Harris (California senator)
17. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
18. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
19. Robert Iger (Businessman, Chairman/CEO of Disney)
20. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
21. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
22. Jason Kander (Former Secretary of State of Missouri)
23. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator)
24. Mitch Landrieu (Mayor of New Orleans)
25. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
26. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
27. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
28. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
29. Martin O'Malley (Former governor of Maryland, ran in 2016 primaries)
30. Beto O'Rourke (Texas Congressman, running for the U.S. Senate) added Sept. 13
31. Deval Patrick (Former governor of Massachusetts)
32. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
33. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
34. Howard Schultz (Businessman, former CEO of Starbucks)
35. Tom Steyer (Businessman) added Sept. 8
36. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts senator)
37. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

Days until the mid-term election: 36 
Days until the presidential election: 764

CNN's Monthly Power Rankings: September, 2018

CNN is out today with what they're calling their third "monthly power rankings" among potential 2020 Democratic candidates for president. I haven't seen or posted about the first two lists but I'll try to keep up going forward. Here's how the list looks today:

1. Elizabeth Warren
2. Kamala Harris
3. Joe Biden
4. Kirsten Gillibrand
5. Bernie Sanders
6. Cory Booker
7. Amy Klobuchar
8. Eric Garcetti
9. Steve Bullock
10. Beto O'Rourke

To do a little demographic sorting, four out of the 10 are women (Yay!,) two are African American, two are over 70 years old (Saunders, 77 and Biden, 75) and one turns 70 next June (Warren.) The youngest is Beto O'Rourke, who will turn 46 on September 26. Who's he? He's the Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, running against incumbent Ted Cruz, with at least the possibility of pulling an upset. To me, putting him on a top 10 list feels like a bit of a stretch, but here's how CNN explains it:

Yes, we know that O'Rouke is currently just a House member in the minority party. And that he is still less than a 50-50 bet in his challenge to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) this fall. BUT -- and yes, it is a big "but" -- if O'Rourke does beat Cruz, he will immediately be touted as one of the hottest things in Democratic politics. And buzz like that you simply can't buy. Plus, O'Rourke has already proven he is a remarkably strong fundraiser; he has brought in $23 million in less than two years even while refusing all donations from political action committees. (Read the article here.)

I've added Beto to my master list of potential candidates. 

1. Joe Biden (Former VP)
2. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
3. Peter Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana) added Sept. 8
4. Cory Booker (New Jersey senator)
5. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
6. Jerry Brown (Governor of California)
7. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
8. Julian Castro (Former secretary of Housing and Urban Development) 
9. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
10. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
11. Tulsi Gabbard (Congresswoman from Hawaii) added Sept. 8
12. Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles) 
13. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York senator)
14. Luis Gutierrez (Congressman from Illinois)
15. Kamala Harris (California senator)
16. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
17. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
18. Robert Iger (Businessman, Chairman/CEO of Disney)
19. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
20. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
21. Jason Kander (Former Secretary of State of Missouri)
22. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator)
23. Mitch Landrieu (Mayor of New Orleans)
24. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
25. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
26. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
27. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
28. Martin O'Malley (Former governor of Maryland, ran in 2016 primaries)
29. Beto O'Rourke (Texas Congressman, running for the U.S. Senate) added Sept. 13
30. Deval Patrick (Former governor of Massachusetts)
31. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
32. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
33. Howard Schultz (Businessman, former CEO of Starbucks)
34. Tom Steyer (Businessman) added Sept. 8
35. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts senator)
36. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

Days until the mid-term election: 54 

Days until the presidential election: 782

Time For A List - Updated

The 2018 mid-term election is two months from yesterday, which means that the 2020 presidential campaign starts two months from today. Oh, I know, the unofficial/hidden 2020 campaign started 17 seconds after you-know-who was declared the winner in 2016, but once the mid-terms are over the real campaigning will start. After all, November 3, 2020 is just 788 days away.

First, a look back. There were 17 declared Republican candidates in 2016, and seven other Republicans who pondered running then formally said no. Do you remember them all? Never fear, here are the lists, and note that the "I'm running" announcement dates were all in 2015; the "I'm not running" dates were in 2014 (Portman) and 2015 (everyone else.) 

Declared GOP Candidates, in order of their official announcement:

1. Ted Cruz (March 23) 
2. Rand Paul (April 7)
3. Marco Rubio (April 14)
4. Dr. Ben Carson (May 3) 
5. Carly Fiorina (May 4) 
6. Mike Huckabee (May 5) 
7. Rick Santorum (May 27)
8. George Pataki (May 28)
9. Lindsey Graham (June 1) 
10. Rick Perry (June 4) 
11. Jeb Bush (June 15)
12. Donald Trump (June 16) 
13. Bobby Jindal (June 24) 
14. Chris Christie (June 30)
15. Scott Walker (July 13) 
16. John Kasich (July 21) 
17. Jim Gilmore (July 30) 

Officially Not Running
Rob Portman (Dec 2)
Paul Ryan (Jan 12)
Mitt Romney (Jan 30)
Rick Snyder (May 7)
John Bolton (May 14) 

Mike Pence (May 20) 

Bob Ehrlich (August 4)

This time around we'll have a Republican incumbent, probably named Trump but possibly, just possibly, named Pence. It's unlikely but also possible, just possible, that a Republican would run against the incumbent in the primaries. Who might "primary" the president? The one name I've heard so far is Ohio governor John Kasich. If he, or any other Republican, declares himself (or herself) to be a candidate, I'll start a Republican list, but this time around the real suspense is on the Democratic side. 

So who is running? These are the names I've seen mentioned, somewhere, anywhere, as potential Democratic candidates, listed in alphabetical order:

1. Joe Biden (Former VP)
2. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
3. Peter Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana) added Sept. 8
4. Cory Booker (New Jersey senator)
5. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
6. Jerry Brown (Governor of California)
7. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
8. Julian Castro (Former secretary of Housing and Urban Development) 
9. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
10. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
11. Tulsi Gabbard (Congresswoman from Hawaii) added Sept. 8
12. Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles) 
13. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York senator)
14. Luis Gutierrez (Congressman from Illinois)
15. Kamala Harris (California senator)
16. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
17. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
18. Robert Iger (Businessman, Chairman/CEO of Disney)
19. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
20. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
21. Jason Kander (Former Secretary of State of Missouri)
22. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator)
23. Mitch Landrieu (Mayor of New Orleans)
24. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
25. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
26. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
27. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
28. Martin O'Malley (Former governor of Maryland, ran in 2016 primaries)
29. Deval Patrick (Former governor of Massachusetts)
30. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
31. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
32. Howard Schultz (Businessman, former CEO of Starbucks)
33. Tom Steyer (Businessman) added Sept. 8
34. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts senator)
35. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

It turns out there is one Democratic politician who has already declared himself a candidate, way back in July, 2017. His name is John Delaney and he's a Congressman from Maryland. So far he's pretty obscure, but since he's official, he gets to be the first one on my Declared Candidates list.  

Declared Democratic Candidates, in order of their announcement 

John Delaney (July 28, 2017)
Andrew Yang (November 6, 2017) added Sept. 8

Oprah Winfrey and Andrew Cuomo (Governor of New York) have also been mentioned as possible candidates but they've both said they're not running. That means they get to be the first two names on the "I'm Not Running" list. 

I'm Not Running

Oprah Winfrey 

Andrew Cuomo 
Sheryl Sandberg added Sept. 8

As the potential candidates declare themselves to be officially in or officially out of the 2020 race, or if Oprah and/or Andrew change their minds and go for it, I'll update my lists.  

Days until election day: 788

Saturday afternoon update: I just saw a June 18, 2018 article at the Washington Post containing a few more names. I've added Peter Buttigieg, Tim Ryan, Tulsi Gabbard and Tom Steyer to the Potential Candidates list, businessman Andrew Yang, who I've never heard of before, to the Declared Candidates list, and Sheryl Sandberg to the I'm Not Running list. 

Days until the mid-term election: 59
Days until the presidential election: 787