UPDATED: May 2, 2019
“Michael is running for President to build opportunity for every American and restore integrity to our government.”
And with those words, Colorado Sen Michael Bennet brings the total count of Democratic contenders for the 2020 nomination to 22: Democrats now have enough candidates to field an entire football team, both offense and defense. (Ask yourself who you see as the QB, and you’ve probably picked the eventual nominee.)
Here’s the headline from the local press back in Denver: “U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, cancer-free, is running for president.”
Bennet was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, about the same time many of his rivals were gearing up their campaign machinery. Today he says he’s cancer-free and ready to run.
One person who’s likely to be particularly annoyed by the news is his fellow Colorado Democrat, former Gov. John Hickenlooper, who’s also a candidate in the race. (No. Really. Check the list below. He’s on it.)
There are now five states that have multiple candidates in the Democratic POTUS primary: California, Colorado, New York, Texas and Massachusetts.
Many media outlets continue to report that Bennet is number 21 on the candidate list because they’re not counting former Alaska U.S. Senator Mike Gravel, but he’s likely to meet the requirements to make the debate stage and claims he’s in it to win it.
And the fun may not be over yet! The Iowa caucuses are nine months away and more candidates may enter the race. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is still a “maybe.” Billionaires Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg have both dropped out, then said they may change their minds depending on how the campaign develops. John Kerry’s yet to give a definitive “no,” and Hillary Clinton’s still on the list because, well…Hillary Clinton.
An updated list of the declared/potential 2020 candidates is below:
ANNOUNCED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES:
Senator Michael Bennet (CO)
Former Vice President Joe Biden
Senator Cory Booker (NJ)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, IN)
Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro
Rep. John Delaney (MD)
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI)
Senator Kristen Gillibrand (NY)
Former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel
Senator Kamala Harris (CA)
Gov. John Hickenlooper (CO)
Gov. Jay Inslee (WA)
Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Mayor Wayne Messam (Miramar, FL)
Rep. Seth Moulton (MA)
Rep. Beto O’Rourke (TX)
Rep. Tim Ryan (OH)
Senator Bernie Sanders (VT)
Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA)
Author Marianne Williamson
Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA)
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
REMAINING POTENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES:
Former state legislator Stacey Abrams (GA)
Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg (NYC)
Gov. Steve Bullock (MT)
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (??)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (NYC)
Former Secretary of State John Kerry
Billionaire Tom Steyer
POSSIBLY RUNNING, BUT NOT AS A DEMOCRAT:
NOT RUNNING:
Attorney Michael Avenatti
Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg (NYC)
Senator Sherrod Brown (OH)
Senator Bob Casey (PA)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (NY)
Mayor Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles)
Former Attorney General Eric Holder
Former Mayor Mitch Landrieu (New Orleans)
Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (VA)
Senator Jeff Merkley (OR)
Senator Chris Murphy (CT)
State Senator Richard Ojeda (WV)
Former Gov. Martin O’Malley (MD)
Former Gov. Deval Patrick (MA)
Billionaire Tom Steyer
Did we miss someone? Please send the name to [email protected]. Thanks!
