Even under normal circumstances, the Democrats would have ample reason to despise Vladimir Putin: his kleptocratic regime; the military adventure in Syria; Crimea and Ukraine. Add to that Putin’s support for Donald Trump in 2016, and Trump’s weird, obsequious attitude towards him, and you have a recipe for conflict ahead.
At a minimum, the Democratic nominee is going to promise to “normalize” our relationship with Russia, and everyone, possibly including Putin himself, will be relieved. The question is, will the Democrats overreact? Will their loathing of the man cause them to become overly aggressive in areas like Ukraine? After all, Putin may be a thug, but he isn’t the devil, and we have to do business with him on occasion.
I don’t think it will be a problem. The Democrats’ default position on foreign policy is to avoid interventions. I suspect that will override their personal feelings about Putin.