The “Who is running in 2020?” tea leaves thread, Part 4

[Mr. Morden]

Bloomberg says the Wednesday launch date isn't set in stone:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-19/biden-is-said-to-prepare-possible-2020-announcement-next-week

One of the people cautioned that the plans could change, given the former Delaware senator’s fits and starts around previous presidential campaigns. Biden, 76, is tentatively aiming to get into the race next week with the release of a video announcing his candidacy.

[PaperKooper]

Kasich: "All of my options remain on the table"

https://twitter.com/CNNnewsroom/status/1118522232303546369

[Skye]

https://twitter.com/LACaldwellDC/status/1119269398781530117

[Some of My Best Friends Are Gay]

Bloomberg says the Wednesday launch date isn't set in stone:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-19/biden-is-said-to-prepare-possible-2020-announcement-next-week

One of the people cautioned that the plans could change, given the former Delaware senator’s fits and starts around previous presidential campaigns. Biden, 76, is tentatively aiming to get into the race next week with the release of a video announcing his candidacy.

Watch him not announce until freaking June or something.

But regardless of when he announces, it's basically set in stone that he's going to run - especially since he's been a pretty consistent frontrunner in the polls.

[Mr. Morden]

Biden 2020 already accepting donations:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/us/politics/joe-biden-2020-fundraising.html

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has begun accepting financial donations for a 2020 presidential campaign, an unambiguous sign that he intends to begin his challenge to President Trump within days.

Several Democratic donors and party fund-raisers received emails in recent days encouraging them to write sizable checks to support Mr. Biden’s planned candidacy, and to mail them to a Democratic consulting firm in Northern Virginia.

Two fund-raising solicitations, circulated by Democratic donors in California and Pennsylvania, said Mr. Biden’s campaign committee would be called “Biden for President.”

The pre-emptive push for large donations stands in sharp contrast to the effort many Democratic candidates have made to court small donors as a sign of their appeal to the party’s grass-roots base. In the emails reviewed by The New York Times, Mr. Biden’s allies acknowledged he was not yet able to accept online contributions because he has not become a candidate. He is expected to announce his campaign next week.
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Both Mr. McInerney and Mr. Cohen assured donors in their emails that their checks would be returned if Mr. Biden did not ultimately join the presidential race.

Mr. Cozen, however, said he had no doubt of Mr. Biden’s plans.

“He’s going to run,” Mr. Cozen said.

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/LACaldwellDC/status/1119269398781530117

There is a certain Georgia poster who, surprisingly, hasn't reacted to this yet.

[Mr. Morden]

On Monday, Abrams said that she’ll decide on a Senate run “in the next few weeks”:

https://www.theroot.com/stacey-abrams-says-there-was-incompetence-in-media-cove-1834048304

As for her political future, Abrams said she’ll make up her mind on a possible U.S. Senate run in the next few weeks and that the decision on whether to run for president or not has a longer time table.

“I do not believe that there is the type of urgency that some seem to believe there is,” she said when asked about a presidential run.

[Mr. Morden]

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/19/biden-hires-senior-advisors-from-obama-admin-for-2020-campaign.html

Former Vice President Joe Biden and his team have hired over a dozen senior advisors from President Barack Obama’s administration for his upcoming 2020 campaign for president, CNBC has learned.

Many of these people didn’t work within Biden’s office throughout Obama’s tenure as president, but they have extensive campaign experience ranging from political consulting to communications, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Since their time in the Obama White House, some of these aides have gone on to work on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and later helped Democrats retake the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2018 congressional midterm elections, these people said.

Numerous former Obama White House advisors who have been brought on to work with Biden’s team, have yet to hear where the campaign will be headquartered. But they expect it will be either in Delaware or Pennsylvania. Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and as a Senator, represented the First State for over three decades.

[scutosaurus]

https://twitter.com/LACaldwellDC/status/1119269398781530117

There is a certain Georgia poster who, surprisingly, hasn't reacted to this yet.

I think my reaction is exactly what all of y'all would expect. I'm very happy to hear that his surgery was successful and I'm gearing up to support his bid when he announces it!

[Mr. Morden]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/439869-kasich-trumps-behavior-described-in-mueller-report-shows-that-america

[Kasich] has also been in touch with former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R), who has formally announced a campaign to challenge Trump for the GOP nomination next year. Weld said this week that he has encouraged Kasich to throw his hat into the ring as well.

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/439869-kasich-trumps-behavior-described-in-mueller-report-shows-that-america

[Kasich] has also been in touch with former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R), who has formally announced a campaign to challenge Trump for the GOP nomination next year. Weld said this week that he has encouraged Kasich to throw his hat into the ring as well.

Wouldn't that just divide the anti-Trump GOP vote more?

[izixs]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/439869-kasich-trumps-behavior-described-in-mueller-report-shows-that-america

[Kasich] has also been in touch with former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R), who has formally announced a campaign to challenge Trump for the GOP nomination next year. Weld said this week that he has encouraged Kasich to throw his hat into the ring as well.

Wouldn't that just divide the anti-Trump GOP vote more?

Maybe. But lets anti-Trump donors support more candidates, potentially increasing the negative campaigning against Trump in the process.

[Mr. Morden]

Schultz is already running Facebook ads for his potential candidacy, using catchy soundbites like “The majority of Americans are Americans”:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/online-ad-howard-schultz-says-majority-americans-are-american-n996831

As the story notes, a couple of weeks ago, Schultz said he was “cautiously optimistic” about running.

In other news, Richard Vague hasn’t given any recent updates on whether he’s still thinking about running for president, but he did just write this op/ed in The Hill urging 2020 Dems to embrace his vision for health reform:

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/439575-medicare-at-55-is-a-better-bet-than-medicare-for-all

[Mr. Morden]

Another story saying that people in Biden's orbit say he will enter the race this week, "as early as Wednesday":

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/biden-expected-to-launch-presidential-campaign-this-week/article_934440f6-64fb-11e9-81a0-8f50deff67b5.html

His plans were confirmed by three people with knowledge of them. They were not authorized to discuss the plans publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The announcement is expected as early as Wednesday and would cap months of deliberation over his political future.

[Mr. Morden]

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/04/22/joe-biden-pittsburgh-rally-2020-candidacy/

Former Vice President Joe Biden will reportedly hold a rally in Pittsburgh shortly after announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports two sources familiar with Biden’s preliminary plans say Biden will announce his candidacy in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday.


Biden then reportedly plans to fly to Pittsburgh for a rally that afternoon.

https://twitter.com/jeffzeleny/status/1120352602410160128

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/439869-kasich-trumps-behavior-described-in-mueller-report-shows-that-america

[Kasich] has also been in touch with former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R), who has formally announced a campaign to challenge Trump for the GOP nomination next year. Weld said this week that he has encouraged Kasich to throw his hat into the ring as well.

Wouldn't that just divide the anti-Trump GOP vote more?

Maybe. But lets anti-Trump donors support more candidates, potentially increasing the negative campaigning against Trump in the process.

Good point. Neither of them would be likely to win a state anyway, so perhaps a propaganda war against Trump is the way to go. Also it possibly keeps Kasich from running as an Independent. So you know what, as long as Trump can be at least somewhat wounded, and divide the GOP vote even slightly for the general election, then I'm all for a primary challenge.

[Mr. Morden]

Biden:

https://twitter.com/IsaacDovere/status/1120462681457287169

de Blasio:

https://www.nbcnews.com/card/2020-roundup-de-blasio-continues-tease-presidential-bid-n997141

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio once again floated the prospect of jumping into the Democratic presidential race, telling MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Monday that he'll "make a decision soon."

The Democrat sounded like a candidate as he laid out his argument that he would "speak about sharp, clear, bold, progressive change and prove you can do it" if he runs.

[Mr. Morden]

Latest from Biden-world: Announcement “could come on Thursday”, though the timing “remained in flux”:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/22/joe-biden-2020-entrance-plan-1287101

The long-awaited campaign is finally in the works: Biden’s team has planned for a video announcement this week. Several sources close to the campaign said previous media reports about timing and location of rallies were not accurate, though the campaign would not comment to clarify. Three people who talked to Biden or his team told POLITICO the announcement could come on Thursday, though the timing remained in flux as of late Monday.

Biden’s formal announcement is to be followed by related launch events, including a fundraiser in Philadelphia. An announcement on early-state presidential staffing would soon follow, and the campaign would then roll into a series of early-state visits.

“They’re going to launch strategically all over the country,” an operative with knowledge of Biden’s strategy said. “They’ll have people in place in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and roll out endorsements from elected officials all over the country, so when they come out they can have this show of force.”

In recent weeks, Biden’s team or Biden himself have reached out to donors around the country asking for commitments for a launch this week.

Bullock asked about 2020 and dodges:

https://tsl.news/steve-bullock-montana-governor-president/

Q: I have to ask, because you said before that at the end of the Montana legislative session, you’ll make a decision for yourself about whether to run for president. Is there anything you might be willing to talk about in terms of your thought process or decision-making?

Bullock: No, just as an example, yesterday we got Medicaid re-authorization through our state senate. … So my real, immediate focus is certainly the Montana Legislature.

I am concerned about the state of our country, though, and continue to travel and tell the story of what we’ve been able to accomplish in Montana and what I think ought to be part of that overall conversation. And both Democrats and the country look at 2020. But, for now, that’s about as far as it goes.

Q: As you mentioned, you’ve been to some of these early primary states and talked to people. What has been the reception that you’ve gotten there? Do you feel like people have been very receptive to the message you’ve been spreading?

Bullock:: Yeah, I think not only some of the early states, I’ve also gone to places that not everybody has [like] Arkansas, Wisconsin. I think folks really want government to work again. And I think that they want to believe that it can make a meaningful difference in your life in a positive way. So I enjoy the travels that I’ve had, really just talking to people and showing up.

[Tender Branson]

Looks like Bullock ain’t running after all ...

[Mr. Morden]

Maybe the reason for the Biden launch possibly being delayed from Wednesday to Thursday or so is because Charlottesville had to be scuttled as a launch location?

https://wina.com/news/064460-biden-now-viewed-as-unlikely-to-launch-a-2020-bid-in-charlottesvillle/

Two newspapers that circulate outside Virginia are casting serious doubt that Former Vice President Joe Biden will launch his 2020 bid for the White House in Charlottesville.  Both the Philadelpia Inquirer and the Washington Examiner ran stories late Monday night that make a Biden launch here unlikely.

The Examiner says liberal activists in Charlottesville don’t want Biden to do it here, declaring some residents don’t want the 2017 death of Heather Heyer to be a campaign launch backdrop.  It suggests the move might come across as disrespectful.  Both the Philadelphia and the D.C. papers expect Biden launch events in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the two biggest cities in Pennsylvania.

[Mr. Morden]

https://www.philly.com/news/joe-biden-charlottesville-presidential-campaign-20190422.html

Two sources close to Biden’s campaign told The Inquirer on Friday that they expected him to begin his campaign in Charlottesville on Wednesday, followed by potential events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Two more sources later confirmed that those plans appeared likely, though they all stressed that the plans were preliminary and might change. The Atlantic first reported that those cities were being considered for a campaign launch.

On Monday, however, one of The Inquirer’s original sources said the considerations involving those sites had been scuttled, and another person close to Biden said definitively that the former vice president would not be traveling to Charlottesville.

Also Monday, a spokesperson for Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration said no permits had been pulled for an event Wednesday on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Eakins Oval, or the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

As of Monday afternoon, Biden supporters were still moving forward with plans for a fund-raiser in Philadelphia on Thursday hosted by Comcast executive David L. Cohen. But with the specifics of the former vice president’s roll-out still unclear, even the fund-raising hosts did not yet have final assurances that their event would happen.

[Mr. Morden]

Abrams:

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/stacey-abrams-on-her-new-book-new-fame-and-rumors-about-a-presidential-ticket/

“Here’s the thing,” Abrams said, seeming to search for a new way to answer the candidacy question that just won’t quit. “I think indecision is fine. I am in contemplation and evaluation. To make a good decision, you actually need to think about it, the contours and the consequences.

“There are some moments when urgency demands an immediate decision,” she said. “This is not one of those moments.”
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“I have a lot that I can do to ensure that the voices that were silenced are heard in 2020 and beyond.”

She is working on a book about that, in addition to the romance novels she writes under the name Selena Montgomery. She had a legal and business career — Abrams started a company that makes ready-to-use baby bottles filled with formula; and another that buys invoices so that small companies can get paid faster — before being elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2007. She served for 10 years before making a run for governor.

[Mr. Morden]

Thursday is reportedly now Biden day:

https://twitter.com/ArletteSaenz/status/1120726581364838401

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/biden-set-announce-presidential-run-thursday-video-n997596

Former Vice President Joe Biden will announce his presidential bid on Thursday morning with an online video, two sources close to Biden with direct knowledge of the planning confirmed to NBC News.

Biden will then appear in Pittsburgh on Monday for an event at a local union hall, NBC News has learned. Biden will then embark on a tour of the four early voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — in the following weeks.

[Mr. Morden]

Hogan, while in NH, says he’s seriously considering a run, and might do so even if he doesn’t think he’s likely to win.  Also says he’ll be visiting 16 states in the next few months:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/gov-larry-hogan-of-maryland-in-new-hampshire-for-politics-and-eggs/2019/04/22/16c57d34-652c-11e9-82ba-fcfeff232e8f_story.html

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday he is seriously considering a primary challenge to President Trump, adding that the only reason Trump is not facing obstruction charges is that aides thwarted the president.
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Hogan’s willingness to draw the president’s ire comes as he continues to weigh an insurgent primary challenge backed by the Never Trump wing of the GOP. The governor said he’s been approached “by a lot of people and a growing number of people” since his January inauguration about getting into the race, and he plans to visit 16 states in the next few months as he continues to ponder a run.

He was coy about what he would do there, but mentioned that he planned to visit Utah in June at the invitation of former House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
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He said he would [run] even if he could not see a way to win, provided he thought the Republican Party would benefit from a contested primary.

He added, though, that he was not “going to launch a suicide mission” and saw no urgency in getting into the race before the fall.

[AltWorlder]

What if Hogan, Weld, Kasich split the #NeverTrump vote?!?