Personal financial disclosures have become a litmus test for Democratic 2020 hopefuls, as candidates link their tax disclosures with the long-standing fight to obtain President Trump’s tax returns.
Our thought bubble, per Axios' Alexi McCammond: It will likely be politically toxic for any 2020 Democrat not to release their tax returns, since this is an example of how anything they demand of Trump they must do themselves. This is Democrats’ way of separating themselves from Trump, trying to get back to norms and pushing for transparency.
- Yes, but: This trend could easily set up a situation in which all Democrats release their returns and Trump still won’t release his — and voters may not care.
The candidates who have released their taxes this cycle:
- March 27: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand became the first 2020 candidate to release her 2018 tax returns, calling for other candidates to do the same.
- March 29: Gov. Jay Inslee released 12 years of his tax returns, including 2018, during an appearance on "Fox & Friends," treating his release as a direct challenge to Trump.
- April 1: Sen. Amy Klobuchar released her family's tax returns dating back to to 2006 because "transparency and accountability are fundamental to good governance."
- April 10: Sen. Elizabeth Warren released her 2018 returns, and then released the 10 previous years in August 2018.
- April 14: Sen. Kamala Harris released 15 year of tax returns dating back to her time as district attorney and attorney general in California.
- April 15: Sen. Bernie Sanders fulfilled his promise of releasing his tax returns on Tax Day, publishing 10 years of filings on his website.
- Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke also released 10 years of his tax returns, except for 2018, which his campaign said he will make public after they are filed.
- April 24: Sen. Cory Booker released 10 years of tax returns, dating back to when he was mayor of Newark.
- April 29: Rep. Tim Ryan released 10 years of tax returns.
- April 30: South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg released 10 years of tax returns.
- Aug. 29: Billionaire Tom Steyer released 2,683 pages of tax returns, with records spanning from 2009-2017, and 2018 expected to be released later this year.
Go deeper: 2020 presidential election: Track which candidates are running
Editor's note: Kirsten Gillibrand and Jay Inslee have since dropped out of the 2020 presidential race.
