Six candidates on the Democratic side have entered the 2020 presidential race

 

Updated Feb 1, 2019 at 12:31pm EDT.

 

The 2020 election is still over a year away, but things are already heating up.  Six Democratic candidates have already announced they are running. 

 

The first to do so was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).  Warren announced she was running on New Years Eve by telling the pubic that she was forming an official exploratory committee.  Though this is not an official “yes” on whether or not she is running, it certainly is a big step towards it.  Warren has been Senator since 2013.  It’s unclear if here controversial claims that she is Native American will have any impact.  Warren has already been to two important states: New Hampshire and Iowa.    

The second to enter the race is Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HW).  Gabbard first served in the Hawaii House of Representatives.  She then went on to serve in the Hawaii National Guard and served a tour in Iraq and then Kuwait.  Gabbard is the youngest woman elected in the Hawaii House at just age 21.

The third to enter is Julian Castro, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary in the Obama administration.  He has previously served as the San Antonio, TX mayor.   Castro is the youngest mayor to be elected in San Antonio, taking office at just age 26.  

Last but certainly not least, is NY Senator Kristin Gillibrand.  She announced on January 15 that she was forming an “exploratory committee” just like Warren did.  She announced that she was running on “The Last Show with Stephen Colbert.”  There was a lot of buzz swirling that she would run, but just this past fall she told supporters that if she won re-election to her Senate seat she would not run.  

On January 27, CA Senator Kamala Harris formally announced she would be running for President in a rally hosted in her hometown in Oakland, CA.  Nearly 20,000 people came out for the rally, according to Business Insider.  Harris previously served as Attorney General for CA from 2011 to 2017 and prior to that as District Attorney for San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.  She was elected to the Senate in 2017.  Harris serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee and was one of the senators who called on the FBI to do another investigation into then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh.   

On February 1, NJ Senator Cory Booker announced he would be throwing his hat into the ring for 2020 via a video posted on Twitter.  He is the first African-American to serve as NJ Senator.  Booker previously served as mayor of Newark, NJ from 2006 to 2013.  He was then elected Senator in 2013 in a special election.  Booker’s voting record in the Senate has been considered as “third most liberal,” according to the NY Times.  Booker gained national attention during then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings.  The reason for this is because he read emails from Kavanaugh marked “committee confidential.”  This is considered against Senate rules. Chairman Chuck Grassley later denied that Booker would face any disciplinary action because the emails were cleared the night before.  After he did this, many Republicans accused Booker of engaging in “theatrics” and “histrionics.”  

 

My Take: As of right now, it still looks like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard have the best chance in receiving the Democratic nomination.  One key thing to remember is that if you want to run for president, you must have name recognition.  Castro and Gillibrand I believe do not have as much name recognition as the other Harris and Booker.  Though Gillibrand gets a lot of media coverage in NY area because she serves as a Senator, does she get attention across the country?   Sen. Warren certainly has gotten a lot of coverage in recent months because of her DNA test she took to find out her Native American heritage.  Harris and Booker gained attention in the media for their notable questioning of then-Judge Brett Kavanaguh.  The Democratic field is expected to get very crowded for 2020.

MY PREDICTION: Former Vice President Joe Biden and former candidate Hillary Clinton are expected to make their decision any day now.  Clinton has not ruled out a third run.  

Thoughts?  Email me at mattricker500@gmail.com