Apr.29

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

Democratic Presidential Candidate of the Week, #36: Jon Stewart

Here are the candidates we've profiled so far:

40. Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ)
41. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
42. Al Franken
43. Jon Tester

And now, it's our second Jon in a row:

• Full Name: Jon Stewart (but see below)
  
  
• Age on January 20, 2029: 66
  
  
• Background: Stewart is the child of immigrants, having been born to parents who came to the U.S. from Eastern Europe (Poland and Ukraine, specifically). He has said, on numerous occasions, that the things that were most formative for him growing up were the frequent antisemitism he experienced, and watching the waning stages of the Vietnam War, which give him a healthy skepticism when it comes to believing what government officials are saying.
  
  Stewart attended, and graduated from, the College of William & Mary. He was an indifferent student, and devoted most of his energies to soccer, starting for the university's varsity team for 3 years. Somewhat aimless after graduation, Stewart tried his hand at a variety of jobs, from low-level government bureaucrat to puppeteer to caterer to soccer coach. The job that did more than any other to set him on his course in life was bartending at the famous (but now closed) City Gardens nightclub in Trenton, NJ. From this, Stewart learned that there were others who shared his general outlook/aesthetic and also that he could make people laugh.
  
  In 1987, Stewart commenced his entertainment career as a stand-up comic. For his very first gig, he chose The Bitter End, since that is where Woody Allen had HIS first gig. Stewart quickly became one of the most popular comics in New York City and found regular work as both a performer and a writer for various comedic TV shows. However, when network executives looked at him, what they really saw was "host." Stewart was a finalist to replace David Letterman in 1992, and was given his own show, The Jon Stewart Show, in 1993.
  
  The Jon Stewart Show lasted for 2 years, and thereafter, Stewart pursued different avenues, including hosting or guest hosting several other shows, returning to stand-up, and appearing in movies. In 2002, he finally landed the gig he was made for, taking over Comedy Central's The Daily Show and serving as its full-time host for the next 13 years. In that capacity, Stewart not only found wealth and fame, but also earned more than a dozen Emmys, along with three Peabody Awards. He and his staff also collaborated on several books, most notably America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (2004) and Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race (2010). Both were bestsellers, and the audiobook version of each of them earned a Grammy for Stewart.
  
  
• Political Experience: Stewart has no political experience, of course. However, he has used his platform to successfully lobby Congress to pass various pieces of legislation (see below). He also conceived of, and hosted, the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in 2010, which drew more than 200,000 people. In other words, Stewart has little experience inside the halls of power, but he has pretty extensive experience with activism and community organizing.
  
  
• Signature Issue(s): Veterans and first responders. Stewart may be a liberal, but he's embraced an issue that is traditionally a conservative cause in advocating for those who put their lives on the line to keep the U.S. safe. In fact, you might reasonably conclude that he actually means it, while other partisans are just blowing hot air. For example, by lobbying (and testifying before) Congress, Stewart played a key role in securing passage of the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, which allocated almost $800 billion for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military substance. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), who both fancy themselves 2028 presidential contenders, and both present themselves as pro-veteran, voted against the bill.
  
  
• What Would His Pitch Be?: "I can speak the language of modern politics AND I get things done."
  
  
• Instructive Quote: "If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested, they're not values, they're hobbies."
  
  
• Completely Trivial Fact: Stewart's birth name was Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; he dropped the surname (and eventually changed the spelling of "Stuart") due to a poor relationship with his father. If he were to be elected president, he would be continuing a proud tradition of chief executives known by something other than their birth names, among them Hiram Ulysses Grant, Stephen Grover Cleveland, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, David Dwight Eisenhower, Leslie Lynch King Jr. (Gerald Ford), James Earl Carter (Jimmy Carter), and William Jefferson Blythe Jr. (Bill Clinton).
  
  
• Recent News: Stewart, who has returned to the Daily Show anchor desk once a week, has been in something of a war of words with Elon Musk. After much criticism of DOGE from Stewart, Musk took exception, and said he wanted to appear on The Daily Show to explain the work he's been doing. And he required that the appearance air "unedited." Maybe the South African thought that was a dealbreaker, but if so, he was very wrong, because Stewart immediately accepted those terms. It's been about a month, and Musk has "ghosted" Stewart, and refuses to answer phone calls or address questions about his promised appearance.
  
  
• Strengths for the Democratic Primaries: (1) Remember those candidates' debates, with a dozen people on stage? Well, if there's anyone who can cut through that kind of noise, it's Stewart; (2) By virtue of his day job, Stewart has a constituency among younger voters; (3) Stewart is capable of making the Pete Buttigieg move, and going into the lion's den that is Fox. That could be a useful skill.
  
  
• Weaknesses for the Democratic Primaries: (1) Stewart is an Israel-skeptical Jew—we don't know how that would play right now, and we definitely don't know how it would play in 2028; (2) Republicans clearly have much tolerance for politicians who have no experience and will "learn on the job," we tend to think Democrats have much less tolerance for this; (3) Anyone who has hosted TV shows and podcasts for more than two decades has left a treasure trove of potential material for oppo researchers to comb through and utilize.
  
  
• Polls: Occasionally a pollster tosses Stewart's name in there, if the pollster is asking about a pretty long list of candidates. In those cases, Stewart polls at around 2%-3%. That's pretty low, but it's better than the other celebrity "candidate," Stephen A. Smith.
  
  
• How Does the Readership Feel?: We asked readers for their thoughts on Stewart running for president; here are some of those responses:
  
  
  • K.T. in Oakdale, CA: I've written in a few times about Jon Stewart. I think he is by far the best, and possibly the only Democrat currently discussed, that can win over Democrats of all ages while also satisfying the public's current craving for "authenticity".
    
    Jon Stewart has a couple of unique advantages that other high profile Democrats don't. He immediately has credibility in shedding the "woke" label that has plagued Democrats; no one has this inherent advantage more than comedians. The podcast world loves Jon. Joe Rogan praises him constantly. Lex Fridman brings Jon up in many interviews, most recently with Dave Smith (another right-winger popular in that space at the moment), where they both commented on his authenticity and was the only one they could name among Democrats who could win in today's political climate.
    
    Beyond that, he is a first-rate debater and communicator. His interview with state Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-OK) on gun control is one of the most brutal dismantlings of a political position I've ever seen, and he did it in a way where you can visibly see how much Jon cared; he was shaking with emotion towards the end. Jon clearly cares about people and it shows.
    
    Much has been made about Democrats' inability to have a "sister souljah" moment, where they are willing to risk consequences and criticize their own. What did Jon do with his very first episode back on The Daily Show? Trash Democrats for being blind to Joe Biden's drawbacks, at a time where it was unpopular to do so, sparking Democrats to call him things like a "both-sidesist fraud." Jon then used his next episode to respond directly to that left-wing criticism, where he stated "Sorry for saying out loud what I saw with my eyes and then brain". He's had many moments like this, such as telling the Cheneys to "Fu** off" when Democrats were trying to court that Republican bloc, or even by defending Tony Hitchcliff after the Republican convention.
    
    And of course, Jon is famous for his speech to Congress regarding the 9/11 first responders healthcare bill. This was one of the most powerful speeches I've ever seen in real life. And it speaks to Jon's ability to persuade (look at Mike Johnson's face during the testimony!) and perhaps implement a bully pulpit as president if he had to. Actions like this are what Democrats need to win over firefighters and cops who should be natural allies with the party that supports unions, but may have veered too far left in recent times. I sometimes use my Monday poker game at the local fire department as a glimpse into the minds of that voting bloc, since I am the only non-right-winger there. And Jon is the only one they ever talk about fondly.
    
    Drawbacks? Well, he's Jewish, which has historically been a non-starter. It remains to be seen if that can be overcome; if Stewart doesn't run, then Gov. Josh Shapiro (R-PA) will certainly put that to the test. Jon's other drawback? The pendulum seems to be swinging regarding trans rights, and Jon has what the right would portray as the most extreme position; he has advocated for children to be allowed to transition (most publicly in his interview with Arkansas AG Leslie Rutledge, R). This would be the line of attack against him all day, every day. It would be truly ugly to watch. His best counter would be that he said this because he doesn't believe the government should be involved in that decision, which is a more palatable position than outright advocacy.
    
    I think he could overcome his drawbacks and win a landslide election, especially if he ends up against someone like J.D. Vance or Ron Desantis. I think his coattails could bring a pretty powerful trifecta in that kind of matchup, where authenticity would favor the Democratic candidate.
    
    
  • S.P. in Harrisburg, PA: Jon Stewart made a career of making jokes of news. If he ran for president, he would make a joke of a candidate.
    
    
  • G.C. in Conover, WI: I hope Jon runs. He has empathy and is smart as hell. And he doesn't let B.S. go without calling it out. I hope he runs just so he can debate whomever the Republicans put forward and so his truth-calling-out gets airtime with more mainstream Americans. He gets veteran issues, economic disparity, the environment, and gender issues. Then, when he wins, he can install his writing and research team as his staff. He is doing a solid for the country by doing his show again, but some of our most capable truth-speakers need to RUN and counter Trumpism to move beyond. Oh, and I hope he names Stephen Colbert as his running mate and John Oliver as his chief of staff or press secretary.
    
    
  • A.F. in Boston, MA: In words that will surely be echoed by much of the readership, Jon Stewart would make a fantastic president, but would never be elected. He is genuine: genuinely smart, genuinely caring, and genuinely knowledgeable. His tireless work for healthcare for 9/11 first responders is (or should be) legendary. It likely gives him more legislative bona fides than other members of the Democratic hopefuls.
    
    However, Jon Stewart's years of comedic work leave a lot of material for misrepresentation and character assassination (See: Franken, Al). Just as Fox has been a useful foil for Stewart, Stewart has been a foil and straw man for Fox. They'd have a field day with the hours upon hours of footage provided by his tenure on The Daily Show. Lastly, his Jewish heritage and name change are already whispered about in the seedy extremist corners of the Internet. As a candidate for president, that would be dragged into the mainstream and repeated on bullhorns for months.
    
    I'd love to see it, but I am confident that: (1) Stewart would give the Full Sherman™ and (2) it would be a disaster of a campaign because half of the electorate can't take a joke.
    
    
  • G.K. in Blue Island, IL: I have so much respect for Jon Stewart as a truth-teller with keen insights into power dynamics and cultural issues that I want to keep him outside the bubble of Washington politics. If he were ever to be drafted into a national candidacy, I feel like he'd die a thousand deaths having to keep his trap shut or edit his comments "for the sake of [the party, his running mate, winning an election, etc.]". Like I said, I respect him too much to wish that upon him.
    
    
  • K.R. in Austin, TX: Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a comedian who became a successful president of a country. Maybe Jon Stewart could do the same. Hopefully, it wouldn't end up in a Russian invasion.
    
    
  • J.L. in Glastonbury, CT: Jon Stewart is the left's answer to Donald Trump. He's a master of communication and sneering righteous indignation, and that is exactly what the American swing voter is looking for these days. A Jon Stewart candidacy would have been absurd pre-Trump. But now? There's nothing about him that would cause Trump-haters to withhold their vote. His ability to paint MAGA and Trump as a clown car of a**holes is unrivaled. As a man, his existence doesn't trigger sexist hate like Hilary Clinton, Kamala Harris, AOC, Liz Warren, and Rachel Maddow. Low-engagement voters can digest his soundbites and drink his Kool-Aid. I hope he throws his hat in the ring, because I think he could win. In debates, he would do to Democratic politicians the same thing Trump did to the Republican politicians in 2016—make them play the part of status quo. High-engagement progressives have their favorite politicians, but this is no longer a politician's game and high-engagement progressives are already locked in for any Democrat. It's the media, stupid.
    
    
  • J.B. in Bozeman, MT: Stewart would do well with educated elder millennials who came of age when The Daily Show was in its prime. However I'm not sure how popular he is with other demographics the Democratic Party needs. And after the incompetence of the current administration, I wonder if the general electorate will be in the mood for another celebrity without actual elected experience? His work with 9/11 first responders bill and other advocacy is admirable, though, and being an outsider may still be a valuable selling point. But like last week's Jon, Mr. Stewart is probably a bit too old.
    
    
  • A.G. in Scranton, PA: If they made a movie about Jon Stewart becoming President, it would be like Man of the Year, only with someone who actually can make people laugh: Mensch of the Year, Jon Stewart.
    
    The only three strikes against him in America are the letters J, E, and W.
  
  
• The Bottom Line: This might be the first candidate we've profiled where we can squint our eyes and maybe see it happening. It's not likely that Stewart will run, but it's not inconceivable. Certainly, stranger things have happened.

Next week, it's #35, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). If readers have comments about Murphy running for president in 2028, please send them to comments@electoral-vote.com.