2020 Presidential Candidates as Pokemon Pt. III

 

Elizabeth Warren is Lucario

Lucario's FIGHTING/STEEL type is another dual that covers up a strong type's weakness.
Lucario is quite effective in their other, non-Pokemon games and has quite a number of bonafides that make her a strong candidate. As a former Republican, Warren can speak to the pointlessness of compromise with the opposition in favor of their conversion if not their outright defeat. She is to the left of a lot of candidates, but still a reformer rather than a revolutionary. She's good at coming up with policy, if not yet successful at selling it all to the American people.

 

Beto O'Rourke is Pikachu 

Pikachu is not a very good Pokemon in the game.  And yet he is at the center of the story, marketing, and promotion of the series. He is an Electric type that is known all over the world. While O'Rourke isn't quite a national figure, his failed 2018 Senatorial campaign put him on the map and he has continued the high energy campaign is transitioning to visiting all 254 counties here in Texas to, all the battleground states I guess. He has a large war chest to fuel a deep run, but is weak on outright policy. But you can't put policy on a t-shirt.

Kirsten Gillibrand is Snivy

Starting Pokemon can take you to endgame (in theatres Friday), but more often than not you'll switch out for more powerful Pokemon. She got in early, and has been a very prominent Resistance figure but others have outshined everyone of her strong suits. She is currently polling pretty poorly and might not even have enough to get onto the debate stage. If she can hang in there, she might be able to Pokevolve into one of the cooler starters. I'm not writing her off.

 

 John Hickenlooper is Cacturne

Hickenlooper is an obscure candidate and a moderate/centrist Governor from Colorado. Were the path of centrism viable, he'd be a very strong candidate in the race. He doesn't check boxes I like, but he does check boxes that make sense. But we're not there and it's not because of the phantom of extremist polarization. One side does not argue or legislate in good faith and the other side is complicit so long as they get some of the profits from that dark money. Expect him to tout his late (and not initial) role on legalization if he expects to have any legs in the race.

John Delaney is Pidgeotto

 He doesn't bring anything to the table electorally, but he's an active campaigner and has the right mix of progressive leanings and insistence on working together to fix whatever the country's problems are. Fans of high quality television might be aware of his homestate, but Maryland isn't a New Hampshire or Iowa (which he's already visited thoroughly). A lot of people sleep on Pidgey, but he's one of the first Pokemon you get and can see you through a bit. Until you give someone else Flight and start to wonder why Games Workshop sees fit to make several Flying type Pokemon based on pigeons.

To be continue...