Campaign Scribe: Dems’ Laughable Bench

Campaign Scribe: Dems’ Laughable Bench 

Hillary Clinton’s election loss made plain the Democratic Party’s shockingly shallow bench, writes Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post. At the federal level, he says, Dems “may be effectively locked out of power in all three branches of government for years. At the state level, after last month’s elections, they’ll control only 16 governorships and 13 legislatures.” Indeed, while the 17-candidate GOP primary field was mocked, Cillizza turns it around: “Democrats simply didn’t have the political talent to put forward 17 candidates (or even seven).” It’s partly because “[Nancy] Pelosi (Calif.) and Reps. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) and James E. Clyburn (SC) have had a death grip on the party’s top congressional slots for a very long time.” And because Clinton’s own machine scared off potential challengers.