If so, you thought wrong!

This week, Sen. Kamala D. Harris was called upon to account for allegations of sexual assault at her husband’s law firm, a place where she does not and has never worked. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren, newly crowned Democratic front-runner, was diverted from discussing her myriad plans (this week, she revealed two: on climate justice and LGBTQ equality) to defend her claim of being pushed out of her first teaching job for being visibly pregnant. Though the timeline math and testimony from her contemporaries all point to her story being true, it’s still difficult for many to believe that pregnancy discrimination may be present even if one’s boss did not write “Reason for Firing: She’s Too Pregnant” on any forms.

AD

AD

We’ve come a long way, baby.

Speaking of change, or potential change, at least: Impeachment is heating up! With evidence accumulating and public sentiment shifting rapidly (a new Fox News poll shows that 51 percent of voters would like to see Trump impeached and removed from office, including more than 1 in 10 Republicans), there’s a chance, however outside, that the incumbent might no longer be a shoo-in for the 2020 Republican nomination.

But what is the Post Pundit 2020 Power Ranking if not a vehicle for obsessing over outside chances? So with that in mind, this week we’ve got for you a bonus ranking: the Top 10 Republicans situated to win the nomination should it not go to Trump. Is Vice President Pence really next in line? Does Bill Weld have a chance? Will a new conservative hero emerge from the shadows of Trump Tower (or, more likely, the Rocky Mountains — we see you, Mitt Romney!)?

AD

AD

Let us know your thoughts, and we’ll weigh in with ours. Just click the highlighted text.

— Christine Emba

The Democratic Ranking

Position Position Challenger Change Over Last Ranking 1. 1. Elizabeth Warren — 2. 2. Joe Biden — 3. 3. Pete Buttigieg — 4. 4. Bernie Sanders — 5. 5. Kamala D. Harris DOWN 1 6. 6. Cory Booker — 7. 7. Amy Klobuchar — 8. 8. Beto O’Rourke — 9. 9. Andrew Yang — 10. 10. Julián Castro —

Also receiving votes: Tom Steyer, Tim Ryan, Michael Bennet, Hillary Clinton, John Delaney, Nancy Pelosi

No votes, but Mr. Lane wants to comment: Tulsi Gabbard

The Republican Ranking

Position Position Potential Challenger 1. 1. Mike Pence 2. 2. Mitt Romney 3. 3. Nikki Haley 4. 4. Tom Cotton 5. 5. Josh Hawley 6. 6. Jeff Flake 7. 7. Ben Sasse 8. (TIE) 8. (TIE) John Kasich 8. (TIE) 8. (TIE) Mike Pompeo 10. 10. Joe Walsh

Also receiving votes: Bill Weld, Ted Cruz, Michael Bloomberg, Paul Ryan, Doug Ducey, Jeb! Bush, Marco Rubio, Justin Amash, Don Jr., Rick Scott, Liz Cheney, Bob Corker … and Ted Nugent

From the Annotations

The perfect-storm scenario: If both Trump and Pence get impeached and removed from office, she becomes president and runs in 2020 as an incumbent. Karen Tumulty, on Nancy Pelosi

Mr. Conscience of a Conservative wants Republicans to “save their souls.” Perhaps he could convince voters the best place to buy a ticket to heaven is at the ballot box. And as far as his own celestial fate goes, he might earn some points by running instead of telling other people to do it. Molly Roberts, on Jeff Flake

Don’t forget to click on the chart’s yellow highlighted text to see the rest of the Ranking Committee’s annotations. Agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments.

AD

We’ll see you for the next ranking. Until then, dream on what we might rank next: The Greens? Past presidents? The characters from “Succession”? Who knows!

Watch the latest in Opinions videos: