4 Democrats on the verge of announcing a 2020 presidential bid

With Democrats teasing possible 2020 presidential bids left and right, it's hard to tell who's next in line to officially announce.

One likely candidate whose announcement could come very soon is Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who The New York Times reports has just hired a communications director for a possible 2020 run, in addition to some other important hires reported by Politico. Considering, as the Times points out, she has 15 days to file with the Federal Election Commission once she has spent $5,000 or more on campaign expenses, her announcement could come during that window — not to mention the fact that Politico reports she's planning a trip to Iowa.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)'s announcement also appears to be around the corner. KCBS reports that Harris has decided to run and that she'll declare her candidacy sometime around Martin Luther King Day. This latter aspect of the report is in dispute, but sources that spoke with the Times and Politico didn't exactly deny that she's running, just saying that the timing of any announcement hasn't yet been decided.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

We also might soon hear from Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who CNN says has been looking for a campaign manager and has "narrowed" his search, also "zeroing in on senior staff" in New Hampshire and Iowa.

Finally, while he has already signaled a likely 2020 run with an exploratory committee, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro has said he will announce his final decision on Jan. 12.

But what about some of the other frontrunners, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden? Axios reports that both seem likely hold off on their announcements a bit longer, though Biden has privately said he will make his decision this month, the Times reports. With as many as 30 people potentially running on the Democratic side this cycle, enjoy the slim lineup while it lasts.