2. Kirsten Gillibrand
Unlike some other candidates on this list, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has actually said that she’s considering a 2020 run. No, it’s not an official announcement — practically no one who has a chance of making it will actually state their intentions right now. That’s not necessarily bad, as many would want to think long and hard about that election and what it means to go up against an incumbent Trump.
Gillibrand has said that it’s not just a career-related move, but one that she would potentially undertake in order to “restore the moral compass of this country.”
Gillibrand has been serving as the junior U.S. senator from New York since 2009, when Hillary Clinton left the position to serve as Barack Obama’s Secretary of State. Gillibrand was appointed, then won a special election the next year to keep the role. She’s since won reelection in 2012 and, most recently, in 2018. Both times, she’s won with well over half of the vote.
That sort of popularity can be a big deal. So, too, are her outspoken opinions and legislative actions against sexual assault and in favor of gun control. But Gillibrand’s connections could also potentially hurt her. She’s been connected to both Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.
Those sorts of allies can provide vital connections in the political world, but currently may seem more and more like election poison. Maybe that’s at least partially why, in 2017, Gillibrand said that Bill Clinton should have resigned when his infamous affair with then-intern Monica Lewinsky was revealed.