Barack Obama and the ‘Most Electable’ Myth

A Foreign Policy analysis by historian Julian Zelizer argues that Democratic Party leaders chasing the 'most electable' 2028 candidate should recall how often that label has been wrong. Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump and Barack Obama all faced skepticism about their viability before winning both primaries and general elections.

The piece focuses on Obama's 2008 run, when a little-known first-term senator with limited experience and an unusual name overcame Hillary Clinton in the primary and John McCain in the general, despite widespread doubt that a Black candidate could win. Zelizer frames this history as a caution against parties defaulting to whoever seems safest.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.