Kamala Harris is already out the door. Cory Booker, in all likelihood, will be soon to follow. Michael Bloomberg has plenty of money, but a very limited constituency. Mayor Pete and Klobuchar are the remaining viable Biden replacements. Who would be the best choice?
They have different strengths and weaknesses. Mayor Pete has the ability to raise money, and the novelty of his campaign is attractive to some, but he can sound as technocratic as Mr. Spock, and his lack of relevant experience is a legitimate issue. Klobuchar, on the other hand, has a solid legislative and electoral record, but lacks sizzle. She doesn’t have much money, and her campaign will be dead if she doesn’t somehow win Iowa.
To me, Klobuchar would be both a better nominee and a better president. It’s a moot point, however; neither candidate has any obvious appeal to minority voters, so the likelihood of a Biden replacement victory is very low.