Democrats are looking ahead to a large list of potential Democratic presidential candidates to take on President Donald Trump in 2020, The Hill reports.
Trump's low approval ratings, his few policy victories, and the Russian controversy are pulling in more contenders, Democrats say.
"So long as Trump is hanging around (with low approval ratings) in the 40s, potential challengers will be attracted like moths to a flame," David Wade, a Democratic strategist, told The Hill.
The lack of a major headliner as a candidate, such as Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in previous elections, also could pull in more people willing to take a run at candidacy, the website noted.
"Candidates knew that opportunities didn't come around often to run in a wide-open field without an anointed front-runner or incumbent Democratic vice-president," Wade added, comparing the 2020 election with 2004, when he was former Sen. John Kerry's top aide during his presidential run.
Potential Democratic contenders number in the dozens, The Hill reports, but no one has officially announced their candidacy and some appear to be testing the waters for a potential run.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said recently that a 2020 run was "not off the table."
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also could be eyeing candidacy.
Biden will set out this fall on a 19-city book tour. One of his former advisers said that would be "a barometer" for a potential run at the presidency, The Hill reported.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., has been meeting with party donors in the Hamptons and is taking an assertive role in Senate intelligence hearings, according to The Hill.
Other Democratic senators who could be looking ahead to 2020 are Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the website reported.
State governors who may be interested are Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Jay Inslee of Washington, and Steve Bullock of Montana, according to The Hill.
"We're seeing huge excitement out there for Democrats as we fight for policies that support American families and expand economic opportunity, while Republicans are working to strip away healthcare from millions and are led by one of the most unpopular presidents in history," said Sabrina Singh, the Democratic National Committee deputy communications director, according to The Hill.
A Public Policy Polling Institute survey released on Wednesday weighed a number of hypothetical presidential election matchups for 2020.
The poll's results showed Trump losing in a number of matchups:
- Biden: 54 percent to 39 percent.
- Sanders: 52 percent to 39 percent.
- Warren: 49 percent to 42 percent.
- Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., 45 percent to 40 percent.
- Harris, 41 percent to 40 percent.
The poll also showed Trump tied at 40 percent in a hypothetical matchup against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.