Democrats' 2020 presidential fight gets an early dress rehearsal
The Netroots Nation conference highlighted liberal energy and angst about 2020, months before the 2018 cycle ends.
By DAVID SIDERS 08/05/2018 06:52 AM EDT
NEW ORLEANS — An unwieldy field of top Democrats clamored for critical ground in the run-up to the 2020 presidential primary over the weekend, courting progressive activists as they tilt toward a full-on campaign.
In a three-day audition of presidential campaign themes at the annual Netroots Nation conference, Sen. Kamala Harris, (D-Calif.) pledged to not be “shut up” by critics of “identity politics,” while Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) lamented “things that are savagely wrong in this country.”
At a forum across town, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called the criminal justice system “racist … front to back.”
For a Democratic Party desperate to keep its focus on the looming midterms, the gathering laid bare how quickly attentions can turn to 2020 — and how volatile the pre-primary contest remains.
No first-tier Democrat has announced that he or she will run. But when Cedric Richmond, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, asked Warren if anything had changed since her decision not to seek the presidency in 2016, Warren replied, “Two words: Donald Trump.”
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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/05/democrats-2020-presidential-fight-netroots-762479
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