The “Who is running in 2020?” tea leaves thread, Part 2

[NewYorkExpress]

Biden - “Guys, the wealthy are as patriotic as the poor. I know Bernie doesn’t like me saying that, but they are,”

Uncle Joe making another irrelevant weird statement while campaigning for the Dem Senate candidate in Alabama. Is he trying to position himself as the champion of the wealthy or is trying to get funding from donors, what is the purpose of saying this for the Alabama Senate race?

Joe is probably serious considering running.

And Bernie's right and Biden's wrong. This tendency for off-the cuff malapropisms is why Biden won't win the nomination.

[NewYorkExpress]

Ann Coulter, while speaking at an event in Florida, predicts that the Democratic nominee will be Kamala Harris.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/ann-coulter-if-kamala-harris-runs-in-2020-she-will-be-the-democratic-nominee/article/2637383

For once Ann Coulter may actually know what she's talking about...she only really has to beat Warren, Klobuchar, Gillibrand and one Cuomo/Booker/Brown to be the nominee (even if Sanders runs, it's unlikely America will nominate an open socialist this time either...he'd still lose to Trump, and he'd definitely lose to Pence, who I have a sinking feeling will be the nominee).

[NewYorkExpress]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/15/mexicos-vicente-fox-trolls-trump-announces-mock-2020-run-for-white-house.html

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I know it's trolling...but the constitution only says he can't be sworn in, not that he can't run...great way to mess with Trump.

[NewYorkExpress]

Mark Cuban was on Harvey Levin's Fox show tonight and said he would rather run as a Republican if he was forced to choose between the two parties.

Yeah, here is more info:

https://www.mediaite.com/uncategorized/mark-cuban-on-possibly-entering-2020-presidential-race-ill-probably-run-as-a-republican/

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If Cuban primaries Trump he will get nowhere. The door is more likely open for someone like Amash or (Rand) Paul...or maybe Cruz if things get really bad, not Cuban.

[NewYorkExpress]

Gary Johnson asked if he's planning to run for president again in 2020:

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/357168-gary-johnson-ruling-out-2020-bid-it-does-boil-down-to-two-political-parties

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FEEL THE MCAFEE

Isn't McAfee a wanted criminal?

Feel the Weld!!!

[NewYorkExpress]

Former Obama Aide: Warren running in 2020

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/358861-former-obama-aide-warrens-comments-on-dem-primary-claims-shaped-by-2020?rnd=1509910975

Does this mean Sanders isn't running, or does Warren think she can beat Sanders in a primary? Personally I think the latter, but the former is quite possible too.

[NewYorkExpress]

Meg Whitman is stepping down as CEO of HP in 2018, prompting speculation that she might run for president(!):

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/21/kevin-oleary-thinks-meg-whitman-will-run-for-president-in-2020.html

She's a Republican, so she'd either primary Trump or run as an Independent.

[NewYorkExpress]

Probably satirical, but Bill Kristol seems to believe Nikki Haley could primary Trump in 2020: https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/939980859633012737

Even if he's serious, his word is worth about as much as Trump's... So very little.

Haley would get crucified in a General over working for Trump.

A successful GOP primary challenger who also wins the General Election (if such a person exists) will likely be someone who currently is not in office and has not worked for Trump, like Kasich, Romney,Jeb Bush or possibly Kelly Ayotte, if the GOP wants to nominate a woman.

[NewYorkExpress]

Bloomberg is asked about 2020:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/michael-bloomberg-has-no-plans-to-run-for-president-laughs-off-joining-an-oprah-winfrey-campaign/article/2645687

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Every cycle Michael Bloomberg's name comes up, and every cycle he never runs. When will we realize it isn't happening?

[NewYorkExpress]

Sunday morning talk show watch:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NEWS_SHOWS?SITE=AP

None of the likely 2020 Dems will be on the Sunday news shows this weekend.  However, on the GOP side, Jeff Flake will be on This Week, while Rand Paul will be on Meet the Press.

I don't think Flake is going to run...but if Rand can consolidate liberty conservatives like Amash, I think he'll jump in (whether he scares off someone like Kasich is another story altogether).

[NewYorkExpress]

Sounds like Sanders is trying to pull a Clinton and freeze out everyone else...which won't work because Warren/Harris/Booker/Cuomo at a minimum will get in.

[NewYorkExpress]

Kasich is headed to New Hampshire for an event at New England College on April 3:

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/25/john-kasich-possible-2020-presidential-contender-heading-new-hampshire/1066714001/

At this point i think we should assume Kasich is running unless he tells us otherwise or Trump/Putin has him killed.

[NewYorkExpress]

Sheldon Whitehouse is asked if he'd run for president in 2020 and says no.  Also says he has no favorite among the prospective 2020 candidates:

https://upriseri.com/news/elections/elections-2018/2018-01-28-sheldon-whitehouse/

Sheldon Whitehouse? Are we as Democrats that desperate?

[NewYorkExpress]

Definitely non-biased source ResistCovefe with an article about a possible future in politics for Ivanka Trump.

http://resistcovfefe.net/ivanka-trump-considering-bid-presidency/

If Ivanka really primaries her own father, I'll have seen everything in my political life.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/06/politics/kfile-sasse-ambassador-statement/index.html

Is Ben Sasse plotting a primary challenge to President Trump? His office just tore into Trump's nominee for Ambassador to Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominca, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, calling the nominee, Leandro Rizzuto Jr, a "cynic and nut".

[NewYorkExpress]

CPAC starts in two days but, as with last year, it's mostly been gutted of Trump-skeptical voices, and so it's not a testing ground for likely presidential candidates in the next election cycle, as it has been in years past.  No Kasich, Amash, Sasse, etc., so we're not getting anyone with much chance of running against Trump for the 2020 GOP nomination, unless you actually think Ted Cruz is in that category.  Oddly enough though, Gary Johnson will be there, though participating in a panel discussion rather than a solo speaking slot:

http://cpac.conservative.org/agenda/
http://cpac.conservative.org/speakers/

Oh, and it's not just for Americans.  Among the scheduled speakers are Nigel Farage and Marion Marechal-Le Pen. 

If Cruz wins re-election and is still angry about Trump saying his father was involved in JFK's death, he could well launch a primary challenge.

[NewYorkExpress]

I know this is a 2020 thread, but after tonight's CNN Town Hall about Gun Control, I'm quite sure Marco Rubio's political career is toast.

That is all.

He lost a debate to a teenager.

He couldn't just say the word "no."

I wish he had Florida's other seat. I wish that so much. I can't wait until this guy has a long retirement.

Given his seat is up in 2022, and a Democrat probably will win in 2020...I think Rubio wins re-election. But his national ambitions are toast.

[NewYorkExpress]

University of Montana political science Prof. Rob Saldin talks about the possibility of Bullock running in 2020:

http://mtpr.org/post/campaign-beat-guns-schools-bullock-lays-groundwork-presidential-campaign

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Bullock could also be signaling that he intends to run against Daines in 2020 instead.

[NewYorkExpress]

Breaking News: Joe Biden still not running for president:

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2018/mar/06/realtimepolitics/joe-biden-hasnt-confirmed-he-running-president-202/

Big if true

Biden's going to do exactly what he did in 2016, which is leave everyone in suspense until the last possible minute (possibly days before the filing deadline for the New Hampshire Primary).

[NewYorkExpress]

Hickenlooper is apparently visiting Iowa on April 3rd:

https://governor.iowa.gov/2018/01/gov-reynolds-announces-2018-future-ready-iowa-summit-registration-to-open-this-week

….and “holding meetings with veteran political players” about a presidential run:

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_31728789/behind-scenes-colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-inches-toward

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On first reading, I missed one of the weirdest angles in this story....that Michael Bennet and Ken Salazar might also be considering presidential runs(!):

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The Democratic Primary is going to have at least 30 serious candidates isn't it?

[NewYorkExpress]

While I doubt he'll take the plunge, David Jolly wrote on Twitter that Pennsylvania shows he that he shouldn't run for office again this year and that he wants to be "a part of that primary" that he wants against Trump in 2020.

https://twitter.com/DavidJollyFL/status/973744450727006208

He could just be like, FL chair for Kasich or something.

Kasich might end up chickening out though, or else he might opt to run 3rd party and skip the GOP primaries.  I continue to think that some folks are underrating the probability that all of those most commonly floated names like Kasich, Flake, Sasse, Cuban, etc., decide not to run in the GOP primaries, but that some seemingly random former Republican governor or member of Congress fills the void by jumping into the race and challenging Trump for the nomination.  Maybe that'll be Jolly, I don't know.

Maybe it'll be Jeb!

[NewYorkExpress]

Romney being challenged to sign a pledge that he won't run for prez in 2020:

http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2018/03/19/mgk-meyers-challenges-romney-other-senate-candidates-to-pledge-not-to-challenge-trump-for-presidency-in-2020/#.WrB0vraZOqA

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Romney would be suicidal to run...as a Republican. He certainly could take a chance as an Independent, and he might even carry Utah, Idaho and possibly even Arizona (if the Democrat doesn't run a particularly good campaign there). Nevada is also doable...but again it requires the Democrat to completely blow the race.

[NewYorkExpress]

Michelle Obama in Boston:

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Michelle-Obama-Simmons-College-Leadership-Conference-478852143.html

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[NewYorkExpress]

Kander hires Des Moines Register scribe amid 2020 buzz

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With Greitens imploding this doesn’t make sense, MO-GOV is right there for him.

Yeah he's still quite young. He can afford to wait until he is elected to a higher office.

Maybe he's going to carpetbag to Iowa and run against Joni Ernst? She's up for re-election in 2020...

[NewYorkExpress]

Kander hires Des Moines Register scribe amid 2020 buzz

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With Greitens imploding this doesn’t make sense, MO-GOV is right there for him.

Yeah he's still quite young. He can afford to wait until he is elected to a higher office.

Maybe he's going to carpetbag to Iowa and run against Joni Ernst? She's up for re-election in 2020...

Why would he?

Scott Brown tried...