The 2020 presidential campaign season is on.
Even though we can’t yet predict the outcome of 2018 mid-term elections, chatter is nonetheless afoot over whom Democrats might run to challenge President Donald Trump.
Well, the first Democrat has officially thrown his hat into the proverbial ring.
It isn’t Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), or Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY).
It’s John Delaney (D-Md.), a third-term Democratic congressman and former banker.
In an open letter on his campaign site, Rep. Delaney explains he is running for president to attempt to cure the “excessive partisanship” rampant in Washington.
In an Associated Press interview, Delaney said:
“Partisanship is really destroying our country. We’re not able to get anything done, and if you look at how the future is going to unfold with the changes that are happening in our economy and how those changes are driving global change, there’s so many obvious things … we’re not doing … because of partisanship. We’re not doing it because no one is really focused on the facts.”
The fact Delaney is a wealthy former banker, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, worth about $90 million, may not sit well with Bernie Sanders acolytes who already feel the Democratic party still fails to address average Americans’ needs.
As a congressman, he supported a measure to raise money for American infrastructure investment that permits U.S. corporations to avoid taxes when they repatriate profits overseas so long as they purchase bonds to be used toward infrastructure.
Soon Delaney will take the obligatory pilgrimage to Iowa and start assembling campaign staff. But he is going to wait to formerly begin his campaign until after next year’s mid-term elections.
He said:
“In between now and then, we’re going to build the infrastructure needed to have a successful campaign, once it kicks off, which includes getting people on the ground in the different states, building grassroots support, getting out and meeting people and building the type of apparatus you need to do something like this.”
Before his 2012 election in which he unseated Republican Roscoe Bartlett, Delaney never held political office. His win surprised the establishment after he defeated a popular state senator in the primary.
One of the reasons Delaney has declared his candidacy so early is his lack of name recognition and the time he realizes he will need to develop it.
He said:
“I kind of view myself as sort of a long-distance swimmer, and I view this as a long race, and so, part of the challenge, obviously, in running for president, is to build the kind of name ID you need, so that you’re relevant when the race really starts. It’s a lot easier to build name recognition over a year and a half than it is across two months.”
Delaney has decided not to run for congressional re-election, and initially considered running in the Maryland gubernatorial race.
His vacancy will leave a coveted seat–one of 32–for Republicans.
Matt Gorman, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said:
“Congressman Delaney’s retirement only strengthens our resolve to aggressively target this seat in 2018.”
Maybe by next week there will be another announcement on a stage against Trump that will undoubtedly fill up quickly.
Featured image from YouTube video.
