Former Dem Gov. Bill Richardson Tells Smerconish 2020 Democratic Primary Heading Toward Brokered Convention

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told CNN’s Michael Smerconish that he sees the 2020 Democratic primary heading to a brokered convention due to the influx of new candidates.

“There’s a total of 4600 delegates that are out there, 3800 are pledged. But these superdelegates, 785, could be the margin of victory. They can’t vote until after the second ballot. If you look at the top tier, Mayor Pete [Buttigeig], Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and potentially two formidable candidates in Bloomberg and [Deval] Patrick coming in, they’re all bunched up around 20% or a little lower. And you need 1,918 to get a first ballot victory. I see any way that’s going to happen .. I think we’re going into a brokered convention,” Richardson said.

The chair of the 2004 Democratic National Convention was speaking with Smerconish on his eponymous show Smerconish Saturday.

Richardson went on to speculate that a brokered convention could end up naming a Democratic nominee who didn’t run in the primary, like Sen. Sherrod Brown or Michelle Obama, but stressed it was only a possibility

“I think the delegates would want somebody that can win,” Richardson said. “There’s desperation for victory. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Michelle Obama, somebody like that. Possibly Tom Hanks, the actor. I know that’s a little farfetched. But Democrats right now, there could be a very divided brokered convention where everybody is mad at each other and then somebody new emerges. That’s a possibility.”

Richardson went on to stress that he thinks this is healthy for the party, and praised the decision to winnow the number of superdelegates following the 2016 election.

“They’ve been reduced and they can only vote in the second ballot. That’s 785–it’s party insiders, you’re right, it’s elected officials, members of Congress, people that know politics, that know polling, know where the country is heading. I don’t think it’s necessarily bad that they’re going to have a very strong role.”

Watch above, via CNN.