The nervousness among Democratic establishment figures about the quality of the 2020 primary field has prompted mockery from liberal activists who say that the wealthy are worried about losing their power.

There have been a slew of reports that Democrats like Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Michael Bloomberg are thinking of jumping into the race at the last minute because they believe the current crop of top candidates — Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders — won't be able to defeat President Trump.

"It would be like it was 2019 and the top three contenders were Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, or Kamala Harris and we were sitting around saying, 'We gotta draft Dennis Kucinich, it’s the only way we can win,'" said Michael Brooks, Democratic analyst and host of a left-wing radio show.

"It’s not like Barack Obama is waiting in the wings where you have a different policy set but he’s a once-in-a-generation political talent," he said. "You got like Hillary Clinton getting spicy on Twitter, saying, 'Don’t tempt me to run again.' What are you talking about? You lost."

Democratic activists who spoke with the Washington Examiner compared concern from party elders to the 2016 GOP primary, where the insurgent Trump beat a crowded field while facing concerted efforts from conservative media, donors, and other Republican politicians to derail his candidacy.

In that race, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush started the election season with a seasoned staff and tens of millions of dollars but failed to garner enthusiasm from GOP voters who eventually swung toward the populist insurgent. Many on the Left view Biden as 2020's Bush.

Many dismissed the idea that party donors and leaders were sincerely concerned about electability, pointing to polls showing that most of the Democratic field handily defeats Trump in fictitious match-ups.

"What I think is really going on here is corporate CEOs and donors are whispering in the ears of their friends from yesteryear because their ability to game the system and rip off consumers would go down if an Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders was president. They want someone they’re more familiar with," said Adam Green, co-founder of Progressive Change Committee and former leader of the Draft Warren campaign for Senate in 2011.

"There's some incorrect assessment that a better establishment person would have done better than Biden because of these people's core strengths is name recognition as well," he said. "I mean, Joe Lieberman was in first place for a bit in 2004 until he wasn’t."

Much of the concern by some Democrats is driven by the fact that the establishment favorite, Biden, has failed to turn his steady polling into individual donors. The Washington Examiner found that his current campaign "burn," or spending, rate is one of the highest — at 112.1% — of any front-runner candidate since 2008.

At the end of September, Biden's campaign had just $9 million cash on hand, compared to Sanders at $33.7 million, Warren at $25.7 million, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Buttigieg at $23.4 million, and California Sen. Harris at $10.5 million.

Those numbers have made some Democrats wonder if the billionaire Bloomberg, who could self-fund his own campaign, should jump into the race as a moderate alternative should Biden continue to crumble. Other Democratic celebrities, such as Oprah Winfrey, have urged CEOs like ABC's Bob Iger to jump in.

Even Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack, a Republican donor-turned-anti-gun-activist, has teased a third-party bid.

Groups that have already endorsed candidates, such as the Working Families Party, which backed Warren in September, say that voters have spoken and any interference by party elites could risk alienating the very people Democrats need to unseat Trump.

"A progressive candidate like Elizabeth Warren is our best chance to beat Donald Trump, full stop. It's the progressive lane candidates who are bringing in massive crowds, record small-dollar donations, and volunteer people power," said Joe Dinkin, the Working Families Party national campaigns director. "Those who care about defeating Trump should welcome that energy, not try to suppress it."