WASHINGTON _ The 2020 race is on.
Without a clear front-runner, Democrats are bracing for the possibility of their largest presidential field in recent memory. As many as 30 contenders, ranging from former candidates to current officeholders to political outsiders, are weighing a bid for the White House. However, many Democrats believe that ultimately only about half that many candidates will officially jump in into the race against President Donald Trump.
The prospective candidates have already spent much of the last two years checking off the traditional pre-presidential race boxes: publishing books, delivering speeches, traveling to early-voting states and wooing influential activists, donors and politicians. Rep. John Delaney of Maryland even skipped the usual exploratory phase and launched his long-shot campaign outright in the summer of 2017.
