In the brave new world of 2019, the political arena appears to be on the continued trajectory of supplanting Hollywood movie stars with elected officials and candidate ingenues, of dominating media headlines with audacity, and further dividing family members over holiday meals.

Massachusetts, once again, has a front-row seat to the presidential primary undercard, now that Sen. Elizabeth Warren has, unsurprisingly, announced her official 2020 exploratory committee. This despite polling that indicates less than a third of Massachusetts voters want her to run for the White House. But you can expect an early exit and no chance of a title fight between Warren and Trump.

National Democrats seem bent on selecting a far-left progressive counterpuncher to take on the president, despite evidence that the country is looking for centrists to address our nation’s challenges.

Warren’s unforced error over her dubious Native American heritage claims, her lack of major Senate accomplishments and her tired rhetoric of a rigged system that rewards millionaires (herself included) seem to have affected her national Democratic ranking — she’s in single digits, while former Vice President Joe Biden has the support of almost one-third of primary voters. I see Kamala Harris as the likely nominee. I predict a Trump re-election based on the improved economy, with lower unemployment and higher wages.

I anticipate a rebound effect from the midterms, where Republicans will have a chance to retake the House with only a dozen seats. If the Massachusetts Democratic Party continues its purge of moderate incumbents in congressional races, you could possibly even see a Bay State delegate as part of that flip.

The only sure thing in 2019 when it comes to politics is that anything can, and will, happen. Just ask Scott Brown, Donald Trump and Ayanna Pressley. But just as likely, this will be the year when Democrats reject erstwhile progressive darling Liz Warren.

State Rep. Geoff Diehl (R-Whitman) challenged Elizabeth Warren in the 2018 Senate race.