Biden Campaign Expects Long Primary Featuring 3-4 Democratic Candidates

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Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:31 am

In a call with reporters, the Biden campaign laid out their expectation of a long primary campaign that will consist of 3-4 Democratic candidates.

Here are some of the key points:

Biden campaign tells reporters: "We expect this to be a fight, we expect this to be a while." Advisers say the race will likely come down to "three or four" candidates who are in this for a long run.

— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) September 3, 2019

Biden team also acknowledges: "One thing we need to do a better job of, we are not as strong among younger voters." They say Biden will need to remind younger voters of his record on guns, especially his lead on the assault weapons ban.

— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) September 3, 2019

A look at what each of the campaigns has built on the ground makes it clear who the top three candidates are. Biden, Warren, and Sanders are all going to be in this race for the long haul. The interesting contest is for the fourth candidate. Pete Buttigieg has cooled off quite a bit in recent months, but he still has a strong fundraising base which he is pouring into field organization. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has been up and down momentum wise, but she has a decent field organization in the early states. Buttigieg and Harris look to be on collision course for the fourth spot in the Democratic field.

It is also possible that Biden, Warren, and Sanders end up being so strong that they squeeze the other candidates out of the race.

Given the mix of candidates, the 2020 Democratic ticket is likely to come from the top 5 finishers in the primary, but this isn’t2016, and the race for the nomination should be both wide open and exciting for Democrats all over the country.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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