Josh Mandelbaum (40), a Democrat from Des Moines, IA, comes from a long line of Iowans and attends Temple B’nai Jeshurun, the congregation his great-great-grandfather helped found in 1873. He works for the nonprofit Environmental Law Policy Center on clean energy and clean water issues. He has volunteered for political campaigns for more than 20 years and currently serves on the greater Des Moines Jewish Federation Board.
We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect.
Do the impeachment proceedings hurt or improve Trump’s chances for re-election?
For the most partisan, it is unlikely to change anything. But I think there is a portion of the population that is not as committed from a partisan or ideological perspective, and they will see a president who used his office for personal political gain rather than to advance the interests of the country. If you care about good governance or quite frankly just governance, that will hurt the president’s re-election chances.
Which Democratic candidate(s) do you think will give Trump the greatest challenge or best chance for re-election?
I don’t know. I think it’s challenging to try to predict electability—bordering on a fool’s errand. Many people thought that Trump was “unelectable” and yet here we are.
Are truthfulness and honesty key qualities for you in deciding which presidential candidate to support?
Yes. I don’t expect perfection in public officials, but I do expect honesty and integrity.
Do you believe the candidate(s) you support are honest?
Yes. I think anyone in the Democratic field will present a contrast in honesty and integrity when compared with President Trump.