Since it looks like that Kanye West 2020 presidential bid is on hold for now, voters unhappy about the ascension of President-elect Donald Trump are looking elsewhere for a viable challenger to ensure the real estate mogul is gone in four years. And it’s looking like Trump may once again face off against a strong woman if he runs for re-election.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who gave a master class on trolling Trump during the 2016 election, is reportedly strengthening her national security credentials by getting a seat on the influential Armed Services Committee, in what many observers say is a common move for senators planning a presidential campaign.
The Hill reports that the committee assignment will allow Warren to reach a constituency beyond her bread and butter issue of challenging Wall Street and other corporate influences. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell told the paper it’s a “very important move that could be a first step in a presidential campaign.”
That’s backed up by some insider speculation from The Washington Post, which told readers in a recent newsletter that Warren and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker “very clearly want to seek the presidency for themselves in 2020.”
And Warren would start off with strong support, the first 2020 poll found that 34 percent of Democrats would be “excited” by her campaign, though 27 percent said they hope she stays in the Senate instead. Vice President Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders generated the most enthusiasm in the poll but it’s unclear if either will mount another White House run.
Even with her substantial progressive fan base, Warren faces some real challenges if she does choose to mount a 2020 run. When discussing the possibility of Sanders, Biden and Warren as the party’s frontrunners, outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid quipped, “It appears we’re going to have an old folks home.”
That sentiment, whether applied to age or simply time on the national stage, might be reflected by voters as well. In the same poll measuring enthusiasm for Warren and other 2020 hopefuls, Democratic and independent voters said their overwhelming preference, by 66 percent, was to see “someone entirely new.”
