The following is an excerpt from Blaze Media’s daily Capitol Hill Brief email newsletter:

Democratic leaders and donors are getting worried about the party’s presidential prospects in 2020 and are now wondering if there’s anyone in the party’s bench who can step in at this point as an electoral pinch hitter, according to a report at the New York Times.

With just three months to go before voting starts in Iowa, the story cites Democrats’ concerns about things like Joe Biden’s ability to fund his primary campaign, Elizabeth Warren’s chances against President Donald Trump in the general election, and whether or not Pete Buttigieg can boost his appeal beyond white voters.

“With Trump looming, there is genuine concern that the horse many have bet on may be pulling up lame and the horse who has sprinted out front may not be able to win,” David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, said of the two front-runners Biden and Warren.

“Since the last debate, just anecdotally, I’ve had five or six people ask me: ‘Is there anybody else?’” said longtime Democrat operative and two-time party convention CEO Leah Daughtry.

The first question here is whether or not there’s actually someone on Democrats’ bench willing to step into a still-crowded field at the 11th hour. The follow-up question is whether that mystery candidate — or any currently running — will be capable of winning the party’s race-to-the-far-left primary election while keeping a platform and message that can appeal to voters who don’t live in deep-blue liberal strongholds. Given the current state of things, the anxiety described sounds pretty justified.