Could another African American follow Obama into the White House in 2016? Contrary to popular belief in political circles, the Democratic Party does have a deep bench of potential presidential candidates (not named Hillary) who could indeed follow President Obama into the the White House in January 2017. (Sorry Ben Carson we suspect that you will be Herman Cain-ed before the end of the Republican primaries). These potential candidates include several African American candidates though none have announced or even indicated they would be interested in running for President. But it is fun to speculate. So lets!. There is no reason why these potential candidates could not tap into the base and resources that got President Obama elected twice.

Sen. Corey Booker. Most of the talk in political circles has been the prospect of Senator Elizabeth Warren challenging Hillary for the nomination. Sen. Warren has repeatedly denied wanting to run for President and is quite busy in a war with the White House over trade. The other democratic star in the Senate is Cory Booker, a bonafide superhero See Here How many senators have rescued people from a burning house or a freezing dog and See Here Too If he chose to run or if Hillary had an epic fail. He certainly has the intelligence (Rhodes scholar, Yale law), charisma and “it” factor to make it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. At a minimum he would be a strong pick to be part of a Clinton ticket.

Gov. Deval Patrick. The former Governor of Massachusetts and friend of President Obama has previously stated that he is not interested in running for President. But, again what if Hillary has an epic fail. Gov. Patrick has the political chops, and executive leadership skills to be a formidable opponent to any of the dozens of GOP candidates. He too is a gifted orator and would appear stately and presidential on the world stage.

Rep. Donna Edwards. Congresswoman Donna Edwards from Maryland is currently running for Senate position that was vacated by the retiring Barbara Mikulski but maybe that’s not the office she should be seeking. In a potential run this progressive favorite could galvanize the electorate in the way President Obama did in 2008. She even has the support of Barbara Streisand in her Senate run. See Here

Eric Holder. The former Attorney General has national name recognition, is hated by the right, and was to some extent President Obama’s voice against police violence toward unarmed African Americans. He too has a ton of executive experience in leading the Justice Department as well as in serving in the Justice Department under the Clinton administration.

Kamala Harris. California Attorney General Kamala Harris is not quite as well known nationally yet. But this former prosecutor and current Senate candidate is fast riser in the democratic party. Sort of like hmmm President Obama. She was mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Attorney General position and her name has come up as a potential Supreme Court nominee. If the Dems lose in 2016 look out for Harris in 2020.