Warren makes early move in race for Democratic nomination
The 2020 Democratic campaign to defeat President Donald Trump launched in earnest yesterday when Senator Elizabeth Warren made her ambitions clear: She is running for president.
The Massachusetts Democrat’s long-expected announcement that she had filed legal papers to open a campaign did not reshape the race so much as mark an official start to a presidential nominating contest expected to feature one of the largest and most diverse fields of candidates in the history of either major party.
There will be older women, younger women, women of colour. There will be men of different shapes and ethnicities. The field will likely include billionaires, millionaires and candidates who still have college debt.
All will compete for attention not only with one another but with the ongoing hourly drama from the White House, from which Trump already chews through news cycles at an astounding pace. The Democrats also will be in races for money, for staff, for viral moments that garner widespread publicity and ultimately for votes in a radically altered political and media environment.
“This is a multi-level chess game with more candidates than anyone has seen,” said Joe Trippi, a Democratic strategist. “I’m not sure anyone knows what the rules are, much less how to get through the marathon that started today.”
This collection of candidates will be emerging as the Democratic Party is trying to determine how to define itself in the era of Trump. Questions abound: Should the party fight for the white working-class voters who flocked to Trump? Or should they look to younger, non-white voters whose numbers are growing faster than their voting habits? Should they tangle with Trump? Should they rise above him? Is a fresh face needed, or an experienced hand?
“This is an important time for Democrats to discuss what we’re all about. Where do we stand as a party?” said Andrea Steele, the founder of Emerge America, an organisation that encourages women to run for office.
Additional candidates are expected to make their intentions known in the next few weeks, turning the opening days of 2019 into a drumbeat of potential challengers to Trump.
Warren’s opening salvo, broadcast via an emailed announcement video, defined her as an economic populist ready to stand up to Trump. Her slogan: “Join the Fight.”
“She is a very strong advocate — an edgy advocate — and is that what people are going to be looking for in the era of Trump? Do you fight edgy with edgy?” asked David Axelrod, the
chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns.
Warren’s announcement was expected, but the continuing tension over the lineup centres on three men whose decisions whether to run could influence other challengers — former Vice-President Joe Biden, independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic Congressman from El Paso, Texas, who left his seat to unsuccessfully challenge Republican incumbent Ted Cruz for a Senate seat.