Here are 16 candidates could run for Democrats in the 2020 presidential election

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Bernie Sanders

President Donald Trump may only be a few months into his tenure, but Democratic leaders are already preparing for the 2020 election. 

The next 1,000-plus days promise an uncertain future for a party that saw Americans choose a bombastic Republican candidate with little political experience.

But some senators and city leaders are already coming out as clear contenders in the next election.

Here are some of the Democratic candidates who could run — or have a strong base of supporters who want them to run — for president in 2020.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders

Though Sanders lost to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primaries, the Vermont senator gained a devoted following among younger, progressive circles. Sanders’ support of free post-secondary education, increased taxation for those making over $250,000 and universal healthcare makes him the anti-Trump that many in the Democratic Party have pined for.

Between his progressive views and millions of votes gathered in the 2016 primaries, Sanders has a real chance of becoming the next Democratic nominee — if he wants to run again in 2020, when he will be 78. He is already touring the country with political speeches.

Former Vice President Joe Biden

Biden, who served as vice president under President Barack Obama and successfully negotiated several budget deals, became the subject of heated electoral speculation even before the results of the November election.

Biden shot down the idea of running in 2020 at a recent New Hampshire rally, but his frequent political appearances and insistence on rebuilding the Democratic Party after the November loss has kept the speculation alive.

“Do I regret not being president? Yes,” Biden said in March of deciding not to run in 2016 after his son, Beau, died of cancer. Biden said he felt he had a “better than ever chance” of being elected if he had run.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, Warren has emerged as one of the most respected members of the party for her progressive, anti-Wall Street stances and outspoken criticisms of Trump. 

Many liberals attempted to convince Warren to run in the 2016 election with the popular “Draft Warren” movement, though she eventually declined.

Her profile was raised again this year when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell silenced Warren in February after she criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions by reading a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King about Sessions.  

At a recent fundraising event, Warren supporters shouted “2020!” as she walked into the room.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker

Longtime New Jersey politician Cory Booker has spent the last decade rising in various governmental roles, moving from Newark city councilor to mayor to US senator over the last 20 years.

His status as a rising political star and frequent national appearances would seem to suggest that Booker is intrigued by the prospect of a presidential bid. However, he has said recently that he is “not open” to running for president.

Booker has strong support in Wall Street and Silicon Valley and among centrists. At 48 years old, he is significantly younger than Sanders, Biden, and Warren. Still, he will have to overcome attacks from the left that paint him as “an avatar of the wealthy elite, a camera hog, and a political cipher.”

His bold testimony against Sessions’ nomination to attorney general and his frequent appearances in support of social-justice issues could help in that effort. 

 

 

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Like most candidates on this list, Gillibrand has insisted that she is not vying after the Democratic nomination in 2020. That, however, did not stop supporters of the outspoken Trump critic from speculating about the possibility of a Gillibrand campaign.

Gillibrand’s moderate-leaning views earned her initial distrust among some parts of the Democratic Party, but she has become increasingly vocal about LGBT rights and gender equality. As a result, large swathes of supporters have called for her to run.

When Gillibrand spoke at a January rally against Trump’s travel ban, many supporters chanted, “Kirsten 2020!”

Minnesota Sen. Al Franken

Franken, the former SNL writer and performer-turned-senator, has been vocal in criticizing Trump’s policies and has shifted from being seen as a jokester to a serious political force.

A senator since 2008, Franken has been a strong advocate for Democratic priorities, helping push for healthcare and financial reforms. In the first months of the Trump presidency, he has proven a powerful challenger to Republican figures during Senate hearings.  

With a combo that includes humor, progressive politics and almost a decade in politics, Franken could gain traction as a candidate for 2020 if he chooses to run.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

After Cuomo appeared at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington for the first time in six years, whispered rumors of a presidential candidacy from the New York politico have gotten louder.

“We need to win back the middle-class while pushing progressive values,” Cuomo said at the private governor’s meeting after the election.

Cuomo has been criticized for his fiscal conservatism and his frequent politicking, but his centrist approach help him win over Republicans disillusioned with Trump.

 

Businessman Mark Cuban

Even though Cuban has called himself a libertarian “at heart,” the host of “Shark Tank” and owner of the Dallas Mavericks has been a vocal Trump critic and came out in support of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.

Still he holds some views that would be potential wild cards if he were to run as a Democrat. But he has been becoming increasingly active in the political sphere, as Business Insider’s Allan Smith has reported.

With one reality star already in office, Cuban could offer a Democratic alternative in the 2020 election.

California Sen. Kamala Harris

Harris, the former California attorney general, made history in November as the country’s first Indian-American and second female African-American senator. 

Despite only being in elected office for a few months, activists have already begun calling for the California senator to run for president in 2020. Harris is personable, progressive (routinely fighting for criminal-justice reform and marriage equality), and was endorsed by former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden in the Senate race. 

At a November panel on powerful women in politics, three high-profile panelists named Harris as a candidate that they’d like to see run.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced at the beginning of 2017 plans to visit Americans from all states, as well as creating non-voting shares of his company that could allow him to sell his capital without abandoning power.

The moves led many to speculate about possible presidential aspirations. 

While some have been excited to see if the rumors pan out, others are loudly speaking out against even the possibility of seeing another political outsider, and business luminary, run for office.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar

With more than a decade spent representing Minnesota in the Senate, Klobuchar has been mentioned frequently on lists of potential candidates for the Democratic bid in 2020.

Klobuchar’s combination of humor (she once joked that first lady Melania Trump has upended her as the most famous Slovenian in American politics) and high approval ratings as a senator could make her a viable contender in 2020. 

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu

Landrieu has been put forth by both The New York Times and CNN as a possible candidate in the 2020 election.

The Democratic mayor has gained significant support in a conservative state — during his two terms, he made efforts to reach out to New Orleans’ immigrant community and fought for the removal of the city’s Confederate monuments.

Landrieu does not yet have the national following to be a viable 2020 candidate, but the repeated nods that Landrieu keeps receiving make him a mayor worth keeping an eye on.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe

Leading the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has both the platform and the connections (he was a longtime ally to the Clinton family) to make a bid for the Democratic nomination in 2020.

Unlike many of the other candidates on this list, McAuliffe did not rule out the possibility of a 2020 presidency — in fact, ABC News reported that he said that Democrats have the power to “take back the White House.”

“I’ve never seen such energy of people coming out to say I’m going to run,” McAuliffe said, adding that Trump could help unite Democratic pushback in the future.

Former first lady Michelle Obama

After Clinton’s loss in November, despondent Democrats and fans of the former first lady have attempted to “draft” her into running in 2020. Hashtags such as #DraftMichelle and #Michelle2020 have trended on Twitter and Facebook, and petitions sprung up asking her to run for office.

While Michelle Obama left with the office with a legacy of standing up for health and education, she has frequently said that she has no interest in going through the election hullabaloo all over again. 

 

Kanye West

Kanye West has said many times that he will run for president in 2020 — at more than one of his concerts, the VMAs in 2015, and later that year.

While no one knows whether to take West at his word, his candidacy would mark another political outsider, and celebrity, in the mix.

BONUS: Hillary Clinton

While it is rare for American presidential candidates to run again after a defeat, Clinton is no stranger to defying expectations.

Decades of political experience and continued support in the country’s major cities (she did gather more popular votes than Trump in November) mean that Clinton could still try again for the presidency in 2020. Just six months from her stunning defeat, she has again begun to build up her political profile.

It’s unlikely, but never say never.  

Read more stories on Business Insider, Malaysian edition of the world’s fastest-growing business and technology news website.

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