UPDATED: April 8, 2019
If you were waiting for yet another congressman you’ve never heard of to enter the presidential race, you’re on a roll! Last week it was Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, known as “a younger Joe Biden” to longtime NH Democrat State Sen. Lou D’Allesandro. This week it’s Trump-attacking California Congressman Eric Swalwell, perhaps best known for what his hometown paper calls “the most aggressive gun control policy of the presidential field, a plan to force owners of assault weapons to sell their firearms back to the government.”
Swalwell is only 38, which would make him the youngest person elected president if he wins in 2020. It also means that he was born the same year Mike Gravel’s career as a U.S. Senator from Alaska ended. Who is Mike Gravel? The other guy who just jumped into the 2020 POTUS race.
Gravel was first elected to public office in 1963. He ran for president (for about 10 minutes) in 2008. Now he’s running, not to win, but to make it to the debate stage to help push the debate to the left– something a field featuring Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren could certainly use.
We’re currently at 19 announced candidates, with Joe Biden all but certain to enter the race. Assuming these candidates all make the Miami debate (and given the rules, there’s a good chance nearly all of them will) Democrats may have two nights of debate with 10 people on stage each night.
It will be a real challenge for the DNC.
An updated list of the declared/potential 2020 candidates is below:
POTENTIAL DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES:
Senator Michael Bennet (CO)
Former Vice President Joe Biden
Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg (NYC)
Senator Cory Booker (NJ)*
Gov. Steve Bullock (MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, IN)*
Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro*
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (??)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (NY)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (NYC)
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)*
Former Secretary of State John Kerry
Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN)*
Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (VA)
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)*
Billionaire Tom Steyer
Entrepreneur Andrew Wang*
Author Marianne Williamson*
Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA)*
*indicates a candidate who has formally declared his/her candidacy or created an exploratory committee.
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)
Mayor Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles)
Former Attorney General Eric Holder
Former Mayor Mitch Landrieu (New Orleans)
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!
