The “Who is running in 2020?” tea leaves thread, Part 3

[Mr. Morden]

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/07/montana-gov-bullock-adviser-2020-1211289

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has hired veteran Democratic operative Jenn Ridder to work for his PAC, in the latest sign that the Western Democrat is nearing a presidential run.

Ridder will join Bullock's Big Sky Values PAC as a senior adviser, but she would be an obvious choice to manage Bullock's campaign should he decide to run for president. Ridder ran Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' successful campaign in 2018 and previously worked at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and was former Colorado Sen. Mark Udall's deputy campaign manager in 2014.
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Ridder's hiring is the latest in a series of behind-the-scenes moves laying the groundwork for Bullock's potential run. Big Sky Values PAC has already tapped Megan Simpson, a Democratic operative who most recently ran the coordinated campaign for the 2018 Montana Democratic Party, as its organizing director in Iowa.

[Pollster]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

[Zaybay]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

Huh, interesting. There is no major race in FL this go-around, so this is either 3 things.
1. "Im not running for President, and this was highly pointless"
2. "I have nothing to do, so Im going to run for president"
3. "Im going to run for the House"

[Not Me, Us]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

Huh, interesting. There is no major race in FL this go-around, so this is either 3 things.
1. "Im not running for President, and this was highly pointless"
2. "I have nothing to do, so Im going to run for president"
3. "Im going to run for the House"

Why would he announce he's running for house outside of the district he's running in?

[Skye]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

Huh, interesting. There is no major race in FL this go-around, so this is either 3 things.
1. "Im not running for President, and this was highly pointless"
2. "I have nothing to do, so Im going to run for president"
3. "Im going to run for the House"

Why would he announce he's running for house outside of the district he's running in?

Pretty much this.

[Zaybay]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

Huh, interesting. There is no major race in FL this go-around, so this is either 3 things.
1. "Im not running for President, and this was highly pointless"
2. "I have nothing to do, so Im going to run for president"
3. "Im going to run for the House"

Why would he announce he's running for house outside of the district he's running in?

I have no clue. I really dont get the point of this unless he runs for president, to which I say "What the  hell are you doing?"

[OneJ]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

Huh, interesting. There is no major race in FL this go-around, so this is either 3 things.
1. "Im not running for President, and this was highly pointless"
2. "I have nothing to do, so Im going to run for president"
3. "Im going to run for the House"

I know this is kind of far-fetched, but maybe he’s gonna announce that he’ll try to challenge DeSantis again in 2022.

[brucejoel99]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

The flashy video looks like he's gearing up for a presidential run, but the message behind it seems to indicate that he's just gonna announce that he's setting up a PAC.

Also, he lost our most winnable governor's race in decades & even ran behind Nelson & the freaking Ag commissioner candidate, so please just go away.

[Mr. Morden]

Bennet's in New Hampshire today:

https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-primary-source-buttigieg-bennet-bernie-headed-to-nh-this-week-weekend/26742865

[President Johnson]

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/07/montana-gov-bullock-adviser-2020-1211289

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has hired veteran Democratic operative Jenn Ridder to work for his PAC, in the latest sign that the Western Democrat is nearing a presidential run.

Ridder will join Bullock's Big Sky Values PAC as a senior adviser, but she would be an obvious choice to manage Bullock's campaign should he decide to run for president. Ridder ran Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' successful campaign in 2018 and previously worked at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and was former Colorado Sen. Mark Udall's deputy campaign manager in 2014.
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Ridder's hiring is the latest in a series of behind-the-scenes moves laying the groundwork for Bullock's potential run. Big Sky Values PAC has already tapped Megan Simpson, a Democratic operative who most recently ran the coordinated campaign for the 2018 Montana Democratic Party, as its organizing director in Iowa.

This is great news. I hope his candidacy gains traction.

[Mr. Morden]

"Biden continues to lean toward a run for president but has not made a final decision":

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/joe-biden-and-his-team-talk-about-infrastructure-as-he-weighs-2020-bid.html

Former Vice President Joe Biden has been actively meeting with his closest advisors about his preferred economic policies, including crafting an infrastructure reform package that could be part of his 2020 campaign if he decides to run for president, CNBC has learned.
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Biden and his team privately have also gone through other various positions that the former vice president has supported in the past, including cutting taxes for the middle class and bettering income inequality, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. These people say such ideas have not been crafted into an official 2020 platform, but they are under consideration to be part of his agenda if he were to run for president.
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As for an announcement timeline, Biden continues to lean toward a run for president but has not made a final decision. He has publicly confirmed to be in the "final stages" on deciding his next steps. CNBC reported last month that Biden has been actively talking with top party donors about potentially entering the growing 2020 primary. He's also been speaking with social media experts for guidance on how best to appeal to young voters through a variety of online platforms.

[Tender Branson]

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/07/montana-gov-bullock-adviser-2020-1211289

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has hired veteran Democratic operative Jenn Ridder to work for his PAC, in the latest sign that the Western Democrat is nearing a presidential run.

Ridder will join Bullock's Big Sky Values PAC as a senior adviser, but she would be an obvious choice to manage Bullock's campaign should he decide to run for president. Ridder ran Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' successful campaign in 2018 and previously worked at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and was former Colorado Sen. Mark Udall's deputy campaign manager in 2014.
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Ridder's hiring is the latest in a series of behind-the-scenes moves laying the groundwork for Bullock's potential run. Big Sky Values PAC has already tapped Megan Simpson, a Democratic operative who most recently ran the coordinated campaign for the 2018 Montana Democratic Party, as its organizing director in Iowa.

This is great news. I hope his candidacy gains traction.

Yeah, me too.

[here2view]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

The flashy video looks like he's gearing up for a presidential run, but the message behind it seems to indicate that he's just gonna announce that he's setting up a PAC.

Also, he lost our most winnable governor's race in decades & even ran behind Nelson & the freaking Ag commissioner candidate, so please just go away.

This. He would gain no traction whatsoever in a primary.

[RogueBeaver]

https://twitter.com/katieglueck/status/1104119033018937346

[Progressive Pessimist]

Andrew Gillum has sent out an email to supporters touting a "major announcement in South Florida" on March 20.

Gillum is not from South Florida.

The flashy video looks like he's gearing up for a presidential run, but the message behind it seems to indicate that he's just gonna announce that he's setting up a PAC.

Also, he lost our most winnable governor's race in decades & even ran behind Nelson & the freaking Ag commissioner candidate, so please just go away.

This. He would gain no traction whatsoever in a primary.

If he thinks he's a Beto or Abrams-like martyr figure after his loss, he has another thing coming. He needs to be satisfied with just being a CNN commentator now.

[History505]

https://6abc.com/politics/bidens-daughter-steps-down-from-delaware-center-for-justice/5177715/ 
Biden's daughter is stepping down from the Delaware Center for Justice, fueling more speculation about an eventual Biden run.

[Mr. Morden]

Biden's in St. Croix this weekend, discussing the "remaining roadblocks" to a campaign with his wife, and a decision could potentially be made within days (though not publicly announced until April, if he decides to run):

https://www.apnews.com/f7caa914f2a24f059ddf5660993a4dc1

The fundraising question comes as Biden allies across the country feel an increasing sense of urgency for the Democratic heavyweight to declare his intentions. He has repeatedly hinted that he’s close to making a decision, but those close to him now believe that an announcement, which some expected in January, might be delayed until April.
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Biden has made clear to his family, friends and advisers that he wants to run, but he has held off giving his team the final go-ahead to launch a campaign. Among the factors giving him pause is concern about the impact a presidential run would have on his family, particularly given his son Hunter’s complicated personal history.
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Those close to Biden expect him to signal his decision — at least internally — in the coming days to be followed by an intense period of hiring ahead of an April announcement should he decide to run.

[Rookie Yinzer]

https://twitter.com/katieglueck/status/1104119033018937346

Ooohhh that’d be a good endorsement for Beto in South Carolina.

[Mr. Morden]

https://twitter.com/amanbatheja/status/1104443441671536641

[Mr. Morden]

O'Rourke's in Austin for the premiere of the HBO documentary about him:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Beto-O-Rourke-appears-at-debut-of-HBO-13675975.php?src=hp_totn

Possible 2020 presidential contender Beto O’Rourke just popped into a seat at the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin for the premiere of “Running with Beto,” an HBO documentary that chronicles his rise from virtual unknown to national political sensation.
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The Beto team continues to put out tantalizing emails to supporters. One new email from his deputy campaign manager says “and now I’m ready for us to bring our movement to the rest of the country.”

But still no announcement, though O’Rourke confirmed 10 days ago that he has decided whether he will run for president.

Why no announcement still?

“I want to make sure I do it the right way,” O’Rourke says. “I’ve got to be on the timeline that works for my family and for the country.”

[Mr. Morden]

https://twitter.com/amanbatheja/status/1104443441671536641

The email in question would seem to leave little doubt that O'Rourke is running:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/beto-orourke-signals-a-2020-run

“If you’re on the edge of your seat about Beto’s decision around a potential 2020 run for president, you’re not alone,” read the email sent to those who received updates from the Texas Democrat's failed Senate run. “But since you’re someone who supported Beto’s run for Senate, I wanted to invite you to be first to hear Beto’s big announcement.”

The email did not say whether the former El Paso congressman would be running, just that he has made a decision.

“There’s been an outpouring of speculation, excitement, and support from people across the country — everyone eagerly waiting for the news. Many of us are crossing our fingers and hoping that Beto has decided to run,” the email to supporters continued.

So to recap: O'Rourke says he's decided what he's going to do now, and his Senate campaign has sent an email to supporters teasing an announcement "about a potential 2020 run for president".  Not about a run for something (prez/Senate/governor/etc., with details TBD), but specifically singling out a run for president.  The email even says that "Many of us are crossing our fingers and hoping that Beto has decided to run”.

What would be the point of this if O'Rourke wasn't running for president?  I mean, maybe whoever's in charge of this email list for his Senate campaign has gone rogue, and is sending out emails without O'Rourke's consent, but I assume the chances of that are remote.    So if this is de facto from O'Rourke himself, then he's obviously running.  Or else he just really likes pranking his supporters.

[Mr. Morden]

Bennet, in New Hampshire, says that he’s weeks, not month, away from making a 2020 decision:

https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/mulling-run-sen-michael-bennet-of-colorado-stops-by-jaffrey/article_8730f813-2573-5d5a-91ec-338406a055dd.html

While in South Carolina, de Blasio says he plans to make a 2020 decision “sooner rather than later”:

https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/nyc-mayor-bill-de-blasio-says-he-ll-make-decision/article_2520f70a-429f-11e9-8998-a7e7fac317d2.html

[Mr. Morden]

Kasich on 2020:

https://www.10tv.com/article/kasich-potential-2020-run-i-dont-know-what-im-going-do

"I don't know what I'm going to do. At some point, there's an internal clock for all of us and there are deadlines, but they're not here yet. I'll tell you this though. I'm not in a Hail Mary. I run when I think I can win. So, we assess things just about every week, sometimes every day, and we'll see. I'm not closing anything down, I just don't know."

[Progressive Pessimist]

Kasich on 2020:

https://www.10tv.com/article/kasich-potential-2020-run-i-dont-know-what-im-going-do

"I don't know what I'm going to do. At some point, there's an internal clock for all of us and there are deadlines, but they're not here yet. I'll tell you this though. I'm not in a Hail Mary. I run when I think I can win. So, we assess things just about every week, sometimes every day, and we'll see. I'm not closing anything down, I just don't know."

Boooooo, do something already.

I know, right!? Give Weld some credit, he at least put his money where his mouth is.

[Mr. Morden]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/11/us/politics/beto-orourke-2020.html

As the Democratic presidential field takes final shape, Mr. O’Rourke seems inclined to be in this, according to interviews with people who have spoken to him and other top Democrats. He says he has made a decision about whether to run and could announce it as early as this week, unsettling prospective rival campaigns that consider Mr. O’Rourke a credible threat.