It's funny, but I could see many of these people as top contenders. I'm not sure about Warner, though. I'm not sure if he could break out in the field. I'm going to discount Biden, Clinton, and Patrick in this scenario, purely because it makes it easier, and because I doubt they'll run. Anyway, I doubt they could hold a candle to the rest.
I would guess that the main battle would be between Cuomo, Schweitzer, and Warren. Warren would probably be the choice of the progressives, while Schweitzer would probably be a favorite of the Mountain West/heartland. I could see a lot of Democrats getting excited about a Schweitzer candidacy. Cuomo would probably be the favorite of the combine, and have Wall Street behind him.
So, really, I don't know who would win. It'd be fun to speculate, though. I think Schweitzer would win Iowa.
Schweitzer, really, is probably the Democrats' best choice. I'd have a hard time trying to think of a reason to vote against him. Pro-energy enrichment, pro-gun, skeptical of overseas conflict, pragmatic. He would have tremendous appeal in Red States. Tremendous. Not because of his policies, but because of his folksy demeanor. He could definitely connect with voters. Other than that, Republicans would have a hard time trying to label the public school-educated farmer as "out-of-touch" or "wrong for America," while they would easily do so with other Democrats:
Cuomo: Corrupt NYC liberal hostile to American values. The product of a dynasty. A son of privilege. The ultimate insider. Do you really want this man running your country?
Warren: Elitist Ivy League professor. Too feminist. She doesn't care about you.
And so on. So my vote would be for Schweitzer. For god's sake, the man uses a branding iron to veto bills. How badass is that?
And what are your thoughts on O'Malley, the one candidate you haven't mentioned here?
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