Democratic presidential hopefuls already jockeying for 2020

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and California Sen. Kamala Harris are among a slew of possible 2020 presidential contenders. 

WASHINGTON – Fresh off a bruising midterm battle, political observers are already looking ahead: At the 2020 presidential election.

A handful of Democrats are already jockeying to be on the 2020 ballot, with some hoping to capitalize on the momentum they generated from this year’s hard-fought midterm elections.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has not been shy about expressing her interest in running against President Trump.

“After November 6th, I will take a hard look at running for president,” Warren said recently.

Beyond Warren, plenty of senators are expected to consider a bid for the White House: New Jersey’s Cory Booker, New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand, Virginia’s Tim Kaine, Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar, California’s Kamala Harris, and Vermont’s Bernie Sanders.

“Well, it's going to be fun to watch the Democratic presidential aspirants, of which we have a number, in the Senate,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters. “And Chuck (Schumer) might have some attendance problems from time to time, but it – it'll be interesting to watch.”

One possible candidate getting a lot of buzz is Harris, who drew praise and condemnation during the Supreme Court confirmation fight over Brett Kavanaugh because of her tough questioning, which some called grand standing.

"Kamala Harris is the one who is sort of considered generating a lot of interest because she's new… she's sort of the fresh face," Tom Bevan, co-founder and publisher of RealClearPolitics told Fox in an interview.

Harris has been out in the first in the nation caucus state of Iowa.

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"There may be powerful forces out there sowing hate and division among us, trying. But we're gonna take back the power," Harris told a rally in Polk County, Iowa last month.

Booker tried to create some buzz with his “I am Spartacus” moment during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. He’s been widely talked about as a possible presidential candidate.

He has also been testing his message in Iowa, telling an audience, “You are never defined in life by what happens to you. You're defined by how you respond.”

But it’s not just senators who are testing the waters of a 2020 presidential run – there are also governors who are considering it. They include Andrew Cuomo of New York, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Jay Inslee of Washington, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, and former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.

Even some local mayors are believed to be considering a run, including Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"Mitch Landrieu, the mayor of New Orleans and he is one of those candidates, very charismatic when you see him in person, really great retail politician,” Bevan told Fox.

Some believe former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, who narrowly lost Tuesday to Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas but became a national political sensation and shattered fundraising records, should explore a presidential run. On Wednesday, #Beto2020 quickly became a trending term on Twitter.

There are also familiar faces from the Obama years, including Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder, and Housing and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro.

Biden spent a lot of time during the midterms trying to help Democrat Senators like Claire McCaskill and Heidi Heitkamp across the finish line.

"We choose hope over fear. We choose unity over division. We choose our allies over enemies. We choose truth over lies,” Biden told a rally in Missouri, perhaps testing some themes for a possible upcoming campaign.

Many hopefuls and Democrats will be faced with a critical choice – according to Bevan.

"Do they want to go with someone who's older, or is that too much looking to the past?” Bevan said. “Do they want to try and go with someone who’s younger, a fresher face, someone looking to the future?"