Polls: Kamala Harris in contention to run for 2020 presidency
WASHINGTON: Democrats of Iowa, a state that flags off every presidential race with the first caucus, have named Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris among the top five from the party whom they would like to see in the race for the White House in 2020.
Harris finished in the top five, coming in after former vice-president Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, House Representative Beto O’ Rourke and Senator Elizabeth Warren in the poll by local news publication Des Moines Register with CNN. The others were Senators Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar, and businessman Michael Bloomberg.
Iowa kicks off the presidential election cycle with primaries for both Republicans and Democrats. The contest takes the format of a caucus, in which registered party voters meet in groups to select a nominee, unlike the primaries in which voting takes place by secret ballot much like in general elections.
Candidates spend an inordinate amount of time and energy there for a good start, though a victory doesn’t guarantee the party nomination - Trump lost there to Ted Cruz in 2016.
None of the Democrats in the Des Moines Register poll has announced their run yet, but they all have given indications - such as touring Iowa and other states that hold the first few of the caucuses and primaries.
Harris, whose mother is from India and father from Jamaica, has said she is considering a run but would announce her decision after the holidays, meaning the first week of the new year.
But polls and speculation have been cranking out prospects and favourites with increasing frequency since the midterm elections in November, in which the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives.
Biden and Sanders have topped all polls so far, but the following positions have seen a lot of movement.
O’ Rourke has taken the third spot in recent polls on the strength of his unsuccessful run to unseat Republican Senator Ted Cruz in Texas, a deep-red state.
The Democrat raised a phenomenal amount of money and almost beat Cruz, catching the attention of Democrats all around the country.