We are living in the era of the perpetual campaign. It is only January 2019, and already the 2020 presidential campaign is well underway. “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.”
So Dylan Scott breaks it down for you at Vox.com. The biggest questions so far about the 2020 Democratic primary, answered:
Any Democrat with dreams of occupying the Oval Office can see Donald Trump is a vulnerable president who hasn’t broadened his appeal beyond his base. A lot of them are going to run for their party’s nomination next year. Some already are.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Kamala Harris have already entered the fray, and a few dozen others are seriously considering runs. The Democratic field promises to include a record number of women and nonwhite candidates, a mix of high-wattage stars and lesser-known contenders who believe they can navigate a fractured field to victory.
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We have a long way to go, in other words. It’s silly to pretend anybody knows how this campaign is going to end, and the 2016 election should have humbled all political prognosticators. Still, the 2020 campaign has already started. Here is what you need to know to get oriented:
Who is definitely running for president in 2020?
On the Democratic side, several Democrats have already made it official. (An “exploratory committee,” for legal purposes, means they are already a candidate.) They are, in rough order of public profile:
