The 2020 presidential race is right around the corner, with analysts predicting as many as 40 Democrat candidates may launch bids against Donald Trump for the White House.
Dozens of legislators, billionaire activists and former officials have played coy in recent weeks over whether or not they plan to run for president in 2020. Still, there are at countless candidates who have reportedly been considering hitting the campaign trail against the Republican incumbent, meeting with top donors and visiting key states just before the new year.
As the president eggs on his high-profile political opponents to announce campaigns, saying he “dreams” about facing most of the potential 2020 challengers, here are 21 top Democrats who may take on Mr Trump in the upcoming general elections.
John Delaney
The Maryland congressman, who represents the state’s sixth district, is reportedly the first major Democrat to launch a bid for 2020.
“I think I’m the right person for the job, but not enough people knew who I was or still know who I am,” Mr Delaney recently told the New York Times in Iowa. “The way to solve that problem, it seems to me, is to get in early and just work harder than everyone else.”
Oprah Winfrey
Perhaps the least likely in this list to launch a presidential bid, the media mogul and billionaire entrepreneur has become a Democratic darling, testing her political prowess with major speeches and high-profile endorsements, including one for 2016 gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, Stacey Abrams.
However, Winfrey has batted away the speculation a number of times, saying in interviews earlier this year that she was “definitely not running”.
Tom Steyer
The Democratic Billionaire philanthropist has led impeachment efforts against Mr Trump, spending a reported $110m towards the Democratic Party in the 2018 midterms.
This week, the activist said he was “willing to do anything,” and would make a decision about a 2020 bid in the coming months.
Hillary Clinton
The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate is launching a national tour with her husband, Bill Clinton, and has authored a book about her historic 2016 loss. She is also reportedly mulling over another presidential bid, despite fierce backlash from some corners of the left.
John Kerry
The former secretary of state has said he’s not ruling out a presidential run, while acknowledging he hasn’t yet placed any groundwork in key states while speaking at Harvard’s John F Kennedy forum last month.
“Am I going to think about it? Yeah, I’m going to think about it,” he added.
Kirsten Gillibrand
The New York Senator walked back denials she was considering a 2020 bid after handedly securing another term during the 2018 midterms, saying shortly after her victory that she “will give it a long, hard thought of consideration.”
“I believe it is a moral question for me ... And as I’ve traveled across my state, across this country for all these candidates, I’ve seen the hatred and division that President Trump has put out into our country and it has called me to fight as hard as I possibly can to restore the moral compass of this country,” she said. “And so I believe right now that every one of us should figure out how we can do whatever we can with our time, with our talents to restore that moral decency, that moral compass, that truth of who we are as Americans, so I will promise you I will give it a long, hard thought of consideration. I will do that.“
Chris Murphy
The Connecticut senator has said he isn’t planning on running in 2020, but reports indicate the legislator has been keeping tabs on major donors.
In recent interviews, Mr Murphy has delivered praise for Mr Sanders, decried the Trump administration and admit he still has to sort out some messaging issues before launching a presidential bid. “I’m not walking the walk,” he recently acknowledged.
Robert Casey Jr
After securing a third-term, the Pennsylvania Senator has reportedly been “toying” with the idea of a presidential run.
The popular senator said he has “an obligation to consider” a presidential bid — and teased late last-month: “We’ll see what happens.”
Michael Bloomberg
Mr Trump has said he would love to take on the former New York mayor and billionaire entrepreneur Michael Bloomberg, who has recently re-registered as a Democrat and poured millions into the 2018 midterms for Democratic candidates.
If he chooses to launch a presidential bid — which he is reportedly considering — funding his campaign would be an easy feat. However, it remains unclear whether Democrats will accept him with open arms, as many critics have already begun dissecting his controversies as mayor of New York City.
Eric Holder
The former attorney general has said he will decide on a presidential run “early next year,” adding in an interview with Stephen Colbert that he’s “interesting” in becoming the next president of the United States.
As the head of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the former attorney general has travelled the country campaigning for Democrats in battleground states ahead of the 2018 midterms.
Mitch Landrieu
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has stirred hopes of a presidential bid in recent weeks, meeting with Barack Obama to discuss the future of the Democratic Party.
Terry McAuliffe
The former Virginia governor has reportedly considered a presidential bid while working to elect Democratic governors during the 2018 midterms.
While travelling through Iowa in September, the politician said he isn’t ruling out a presidential bid.
Sherrod Brown
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has reportedly set his sights on 2020 after securing a third-term, saying he is deeply concerned with the president’s rhetoric and divisiveness.
He is credited with an ability to convey his messaging and turn out votes among the working class, and as the husband of a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has repeatedly addressed his disagreement with the president regarding the press.
Julián Castro
If anyone has been hinting they are planning a bid, it’s this former Texas mayor and former secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He recently said on MSNBC, “I am very likely to run for president.”
In another interview with Rolling Stone, Mr Castro said “I’ll make a final decision after November, but I’m inclined to do it.”
Elizabeth Warren
The Massachusetts Senator has gained national recognition as a major supporter of regulating Wall Street, and has taken on some of her biggest potential controversies that could arise during a 2020 campaign in recent months, including questions surrounding her Native American heritage.
Ms Warren, who released a video and ancestry report suggesting she has distant native ancestry, has become a fierce critic of Mr Trump’s anti-regulatory administration.
Kamala Harris
A California Senator and renowned prosecutor, Kamala Harris was introduced to the national stage for many Americans during the Jeff Sessions’ testimony about his contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election, and is credited in part with the former attorney general’s recusal of all matters Russia-related.
The first Indian-American senator, she has reportedly been meeting with major donors while considering a presidential bid, and would become the first black female president if elected, making her potential candidacy one to likely garner extra media attention.
Ms Harris has said she will make a final decision after the holidays.
Cory Booker
The New Jersey senator has roused speculation of a 2020 bid with major speeches in recent months, with his latest focusing on criminal justice reform.
“I’m the only US senator that lives in the inner city. I don’t know if any other senator had shootings on their block this year,” he said at one point.
The senator has travelled to states like Iowa and would reportedly seek to develop an “earnest” campaign for the White House if he chooses to run in 2020.
Eric Swalwell
The California congressman is seen as a widely-popular favourite among Democrats to run for the White House. Despite his young age – 37-years-old - he has garnered national recognition and support while campaigning for Democrats across the country during the 2018 midterms.
The congressman is reportedly planning to launch a bid in the coming months.
Bernie Sanders
A favourite among progressive voters during the 2016 election, the Vermont Senator was bested by Ms Clinton despite some polls at the time indicating he may have been the best bet for the Democratic Party to defeat Mr Trump in the general election.
Now, the 77-year-old has said he will “probably” run again in 2020 — but only “if it turns out that I am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump.”
Beto O’Rourke
The Texas congressman was introduced to the national stage as a 2016 Texas senatorial candidate against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. Despite his loss, his viral speeches captured the attention of voters across the country, and he has since met with former President Barack Obama while considering a 2020 bid.
Mr O’Rourke has also said he will make a decision in the coming months.
Joe Biden
The former two-term vice president consistently receives a majority of support among Democratic voters to run in 2020 against any other potential candidates in recent polling. he would likely be a top contender among independent voters and centrist-Republicans who have been disgruntled with the current administration.
He has already begun addressing the issue of his age - At 76-years-old, Mr Biden is four years older than Mr Trump - suggesting he’s “the most qualified person” to run against Mr Trump in 2020.
“I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to be president. The issues that we face as a country today are the issues that I’ve worked on my whole life — the plight of the middle class and foreign policy,” he said this week in Montana. “I may be a gaffe machine, but my God, what a wonderful thing compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth. No one doubts what I say. The problem is I sometimes say all that I mean.”
