Forty-two months from the 2020 election, Democrats are set to get their first side-by-side view of their choices to oppose President Donald Trump. A who’s-who of prospects for the Democratic 2020 presidential nomination — none declared, of course, but none ruling national ambitions out, either — will appear at a daylong event hosted by the Center for American Progress. The liberal think tank’s first-ever “Ideas Conference” is poised to allow those vying to lead the party to test-drive their economic messages and arguments a year and a half before any of them would actually have to head to Iowa and New Hampshire to campaign.
Who’s speaking: Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is set to deliver the lunchtime keynote, while New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker will deliver the closing speech. Also on tap — and seen as potential 2020 candidates — are New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley. From the executive ranks, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will open the event, while Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper are also set for speaking roles. Other leading Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, liberal megadonor Tom Steyer, Gold Star father Khizr Khan and influential activists, are slated to appear. |