Bill Clinton wants to talk to 2020 hopefuls. They don't want to listen.
Former President Bill Clinton is still around if anyone wants to chat about the 2020 presidential election. But most Democratic primary hopefuls don't seem too interested in what he has to say, The Associated Press reports.
Clinton has sat down with a few male, long-shot candidates, such as Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, former Housing secretary Julián Castro, and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney. More prominent candidates, like Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) (whom Clinton blames for hurting Hillary Clinton's chances in the 2016 general election), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have not sought his guidance.
Clinton's advice is reportedly often centered around finding ways to appeal to the economic anxiety of white, working-class voters in states like Michigan and Wisconsin. He apparently offered the same counsel during his wife's 2016 campaign, but aides privately mocked his insistence on spending more money and time in those presumably Democratic areas, which ultimately swung toward President Trump.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While Clinton's assessment proved correct in 2016, it is now his centrist approach toward winning those votes back that is unappealing to some Democratic strategists. "Times have changed," Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told AP. "The center of gravity within the Democratic Party and the electorate overall has moved massively in a more populist direction. Read more at The Associated Press.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June



