Just speculation at this point but.....

[A Theist]

I dunno, Wyrd. As far as democratic hopefuls  for 2020 that have been tossed about none of them seem to have a message aside from resisting Trump and the GOP....and as far as the dem party platform, what the hell do they stand for these days? Even Schumer recognized all of that and stated several months ago that the Dems need a message other than resistance. The way the economy and jobs have been picking up the Dems are facing an uphill battle with their resistance message. They need to.make clear what their platform is, keeping jobs and the economy high on the list. They need a moderate candidate who has a message concerning jobs, the economy, trade, foreign policy,...the resistance shit is only going to sink the Democrats.

From a historical perspective the Dem candidate, whoever it might be, will lose in 2020 if Trump runs and if he isn't completely insane at that time.  The Dem candidate will win in 2024.  If Trump doesn't run in 2020 then the Dem candidate has a chance of winning but it could be slim.  

Right now the Dems probably will do lousy in 2018 because they aren't doing anything to win.  They need to toss the old buzzards off of the carcass.

I see it as an uphill battle for the Dems too for both the midterms and in 2020. Even if historically the party in power loses seats in the midterms, the political climate has become unpredictable. Jobs, the market, the economy are on the upswing and Democrats and their candidates are going to have to come up with a message other than resistance. They're going to have to win back their former largest and once loyal voting base, the blue collar workers in the Rust Belt and Coal States if they are to have any kind of chance at all at winning seats in either House. The dems lost Wisconsin in the presidential race. Unbelievable.