The Early Line

Recently and unoriginally, I likened the competition among aspirants for the Democratic presidential nomination to a horse race. I predicted that Kamala Harris would be one of the front runners.  In the same vein, the Washington Post has begun rating people who are have already entered the race or appear likely to do so. The ratings reflect the consensus of Washington Post columnists. They are ranking candidates in order of strength, by which I think they mean likelihood to defeat Trump. Leading the field out of the gate are Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Sherrold Brown, and Beto O’Rourke in that order.  Howard Schultz, running as an independent and who should have been scratched, is running 11th. Keep your eye on Amy Klobuchar, in 7th and moving up on the outside.