The short list of potential Democratic presidential candidates in 2020 is not all that short. It ranges from the marquee to the marginal. From former VP Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to former Massachusetts Gov. Duval Patrick, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. And more than a few in between who aren’t formers.
Speculation has notably been mounting about Biden, who’s reasserting himself as a party leader and now merits belittling tweets from President Donald Trump, and Elizabeth Warren, who’s been on the road raising money and the channeled fury of progressive women.
But as the mid-terms loom—so also does the confirmation hearing of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. And among the senators on the Judiciary Committee are two Democrats who will be part of 2020 scenarios: Sen. Cory Booker, 49, of New Jersey and Sen. Kamala Harris, 53, of California. They will both have a high-profile, de facto platform to challenge Trump via Kavanaugh.