JANE HALL: How do you think this is all going to play out, and what impact is it going to
have on the 2020 election?
CHUCK TODD: My new favorite political pundit is Doc Brown from "Back To The Future."
There's a part where I think it's end of the first back to the future he picks them up,
and they've got to go into the future.
And they're like, "Oh there's not enough road."
And he's like "Roads, where we're going there are no roads."
That's the way I feel about where we're headed.
JANE HALL: Really?
CHUCK TODD: Anybody who tells you what's going to happen?
Give me a break.
If I could make one bet right now, the only bet I'd be comfortable making is that somebody
not named, Sanders, Warren or Biden will be the top 3 finishers in Iowa - that candidate
could be the person X that everybody is wondering "Who would be the alternative to Biden if
Biden collapsed?"
Here's what I'd say, If somebody finishes third not named Warren, Biden or Sanders then
I think that person becomes a big deal.
JANE HALL: And you don't want to fill in the blank.
CHUCK TODD: Well no, on paper there's two candidates best positioned to be that person
right now.
Pete Buttigieg, financially, and I think he plays well in Iowa, he's one of the few - people
forget - Iowa Democrats are more religious than average Democrats.
Democrats as a whole are a little more secular than the country as a whole.
But in Iowa many Democrats are still weekly church goers.
So is Pete.
He is comfortable talking about God, in ways that you see the other candidates are not.
So I would just - I think Pete has a chance to do better in Iowa.
He's built for Iowa.
I don't know how Pete gets past South Carolina but that's another story.
But to get Iowa - I think Booker has a chance to be that candidate out of Iowa too, he's
got a very good campaign.
And I think the person that is going to - that could be the wild card here if Bernie starts
to recede is Andrew Yang.
JANE HALL: Andrew Yang, wow.You heard it here first folks?
CHUCK TODD: I'm not saying Andrew Yang is going to be the nominee or anything.
But Yang - there's a part of the Bernie base and the Yang base that interacts.
The people that haven't left Bernie for Warren, haven't left Bernie for a reason.
I'll let you guys decide what that reason is.
They're more likely to go to Biden or Yang than Warren.
So what I would say is, I think Yang is somebody that I would not be writing off - he may not
be able to win a single primary - but if you told me he finished third on caucus night,
I wouldn't be floored.