Bill Richardson: Democrats Heading Toward Brokered Convention, Could Nominate Michelle Obama

Appearing Saturday on CNN, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) predicted the 2020 Democrat presidential primary is heading toward a brokered convention and suggested delegates could nominate former first lady Michelle Obama to face off against President Donald Trump in 2020.

A partial transcript is as follows: 

MICHAEL SMERCONISH: Governor, what do you think? Are we headed to a brokered convention?

BILL RICHARDSON: I believe we are headed toward a brokered convention for the following reason. There’s a total of 4,600 delegates that are out there, 3,800 are pledged. But these superdelegates, 785, could be the margin of victory. They can’t vote until after the second ballot. But If you look at the top tier, Mayor Pete, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and potentially two formidable candidates in Bloomberg and Patrick coming in, they’re all bunched up around 20 percent or a little lower. And you need 1,918 to get a first-ballot victory. I don’t see any way that’s going to happen, Michael. So I think we’re going into a brokered convention. The new rules from the Democratic National Committee point to a brokered convention in the second and third ballot, where everybody’s free after the second ballot, third ballot. Potentially, some new candidates might emerge that perhaps didn’t enter the primary like Michelle Obama.

SMERCONISH: Woah, you’re making news here. Do you really think that’s a possibility that she would get in?

RICHARDSON: I think the delegates would want somebody that can win. 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.