We're less than 400 days out from the Iowa Caucuses, and even a casual observer can see a ton of action on the Democratic presidential primary front.
The Democrats who have already taken their names out of the running after speculation that they'd join the pack: Michael Avenatti, Deval Patrick, and Tom Steyer.
The latest:
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has hired a communications director and deputy director. (She'll make her first Iowa trip this month.) [NYT, Politico]
- Sen. Sherrod Brown will also be making his first Iowa trip in the next few weeks. [Politico]
- And Michael Bloomberg told a Texas crowd that, if he runs, he'll self-fund his campaign. [AP]
The big picture: Expect an arms race of big ideas over the coming year.
- There's a groundswell of Democratic support for candidates who will push socialized health care, major action on climate change and break with centrism on immigration and social issues.
- This will extend to campaign finance, racial justice, drug legalization, voting rights, and how to dismantle the Trump administration's legacy (as Trump did to Obama.
Be smart: Every single indicator is going off that this will not be a friendly election to milquetoast or moderation.
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