Which Democrats could challenge Donald Trump in 2020 presidential election?

Julian Castro, Elizabeth Warren, Michelle Obama and Cory Booker
Julian Castro, Elizabeth Warren, Michelle Obama and Cory Booker

Hillary Clinton had barely hung up the phone after conceding to Donald Trump when disappointed Democrats began mulling who could succeed where she had failed in four years' time.

The Republican's shock win, after months of polls had suggested the Democratic nominee was favourite, devastated the Democrats and left the party considering how best to move forward.

“Senate Democrats will spend the coming days and weeks reflecting on these results, hearing from the American people, and charting a path forward,” said Senator Charles Schumer.

The defeat will spur much soul-searching within a party that was already divided after the fierce battle in the primaries between Mrs Clinton and the more left-wing Bernie Sanders.  

Here are some of the names being touted as potential Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential election.

Elizabeth Warren

The Massachusetts firebrand is near the top of most lists for future candidates. The senator, a heroine on the populist left who would appeal to supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders, was quick to rally the party after Mrs Clinton's defeat, warning Mr Trump that he would face a battle within the White House. 

"We are going to be smart, we are going to be organised, we're going to use our time and talents in a strategic and careful way, but we are going to fight back. We are not going to turn this country over to what Donald Trump has sold," Ms Warren, 67, said in an interview with television network MSNBC. 

Elizabeth Warren - Credit: AP
Elizabeth Warren Credit: AP

When asked who she would choose as a running mate for 2020, the mother-of-two laughed and deflected. “That is a long way off,” she said. “We don’t have energy to waste on that.”

Arthur Schwartz, a Manhattan Democratic district leader who backed Mr Sanders during the primary season, said “she would be fantastic". “We’re going to hear a lot from her over the next four years,” he added.

Ms Warren also sparked a feminist movement with her objections to the confirmation of Senator Jeff Sessions as US Attorney General. The phrase, "nevertheless, she persisted', uttered by the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, went viral and spread to women's persistence in breaking barriers.

Kamala Harris

Californian senator Ms Harris, just the second black woman ever elected to the Senate, is also among the favourites to lead the Democrats into the next election.  

The daughter of Indian and Jamaican parents won her seat in 2016. However, talk of a possible run, along with comparisons to Barack Obama, have circulated since the 52-year-old became the first woman elected to serve as California’s attorney general in 2010.

Senator Harris speaks at rally in support of DACA at the U of C Irvine Student Center in Irvine, California - Credit: Reuters
Senator Harris speaks at rally in support of DACA at the U of C Irvine Student Center in Irvine, California Credit: Reuters

Her reputation and standing has grown considerably since Donald Trump was elected in November 2016, becoming one of the the president's most outspoken critics. She addressed the Women's March in January, aggressively grilled Attorney General Jeff Sessions in an open Senate hearing, and lambasted the president for his response to the Charlottesville white supremacists' rally. 

"I say if Kamala Harris runs, she is the Democratic nominee," Conservative commentator and author Ann Coulter said

John Delaney

John Delaney, a three-term Democrat congressman from Maryland, was the first to officially throw his hat into the ring.

The 54-year-old son of an electrician, whose business career has made him one of the wealthiest members of Congress, announced in September that he was not seeking a fourth term in Congress - instead  he would devote time and money to his White House campaign.

"I think am the right person for the job, but not enough people know that," he told the Telegraph at a gathering of around 40 Democratic activists held in a suburban home in southern New Hampshire.

Congressman John Delaney was the first to announce a White House run for 2020 - Credit: Getty
Congressman John Delaney was the first to announce a White House run for 2020 Credit: Getty

"So the way I solve that problem is by getting in early and spending more time."

Mr Delaney pitch is unashamedly moderate and believes the party must attract bipartisan support if it is to win back the White House.

Andrew Cuomo

If Senator Warren would be favoured by the Sanders camp, Andrew Cuomo, the New York Governor, would be among the preferred candidates for the party establishment. Even as Mrs Clinton was watching the disappointing results come in on Tuesday night, Democratic officials and donors gathered at her event at the Javits Center were talking up Goernor Cuomo.  

“The governor of New York is always a potential candidate,” said a Democratic Party insider who was at the event, according to the New York Post.

Andrew Cuomo - Credit: AFP
Andrew Cuomo Credit: AFP

Asked on Wednesday about a possible role in the 2020 presidential race, Mr Cuomo, 58, said: “I see a role for myself as governor of New York.”

Like Mrs Clinton, however, the father-of-three also comes with political baggage, with two former aides, Joseph Percoco and Todd Howe, having been involved in corruption scandals. 

Whether he envisions a White House run could come apparent when he makes a decision on whether to seek re-election for a third term in 2018. 

Tim Kaine

As Hillary Clinton's running mate in the last election, the Virginia senator would also be seen as an establishment figure. The 58-year-old has extensive experience in public office, having  served as governor of Virginia for four years prior to becoming senator. He is fluent in Spanish, which will appeal to the party's aim to recruit more Hispanic voters.

He is also a familiar figure in Washington, having sat on the influential armed services and foreign relations committees, the budget committee and was also the state's lieutenant governor and mayor of Richmond. 

Profile | Tim Kaine
Profile | Tim Kaine

Recent history shows a run for vice-presidency can precede a bid for the top job. Joe Lieberman, Al Gore’s running mate in 2000, later ran for president in 2004,  and John Edwards, John Kerry’s running mate in 2004, later ran for president in 2008. 

When his name was first touted to be Mrs Clinton's running mate, the father-of-three said: "I'm boring. But boring is the fastest growing demographic in the country."

Cory Booker

The New Jersey Senator, who was reportedly on Mrs Clinton’s shortlist for her running mate and endorsed her early on in her campaign, has emerged as one of the most prominent African-American elected leaders in the country. 

The 47-year-old is a gifted campaigner with a large following, particularly on social media, and would engage well with black voters and young people. 

"He is a popular senator here in the state. He's made friends in the Senate there. He's raised his profile," Patrick Murray, head of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, told Politico.

Cory Booker - Credit: AP
Cory Booker Credit: AP

Senator Booker made a strong impression at the Democratic National Convention, giving an impassioned, soaring address around the theme of "America, we will rise".

While Senator Warren was quick to keep up the attack on Mr Trump after election, Mr Booker's tone echoed that of President Barack Obama.

"I feel like I have no choice but to be hopeful and determined. My heart wants to give him space to prove that he will unite America."

Julian Castro

The grandson of a Mexican immigrant, the Texas Democrat was raised by a single mother in a poor neighbourhood of San Antonio, where he later became mayor. 

The 42-year-old burst onto the national stage in 2012 when the then mayor of San Antonio delivered the keynote speech at the Democratic convention - the first Latino to be awarded the privilege by either party. The strong performance earned many plaudits and drew instant comparisons with Barack Obama, the first African American to speak in the same coveted slot in 2004.

The young and charismatic politician, whose twin brother Joaquín serves in the US House of Representatives, went on to become the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development two years later and is considered one of the party’s brightest rising stars. 

He was talked about a possible running mate for Mrs Clinton. Now the father of two is being linked with the top job.

When asked if the Democrats should review the party's direction after the election, he said: “Of course, any time especially in an election like this where you’re expected to win and you don’t, it makes sense to go back and understand what happened.” 

Kirsten Gillibrand

The respected New York Senator, who was also talked of as a possible VP candidate, took Mrs Clinton's seat in a special election in 2010 and admitted when she was chosen that many would not have heard of her. "I realise that for many New Yorkers, this is the first time you have heard my name and you don't know much about me," she said at the time, before vowing to "represent the many diverse views and voices of the entire state as your senator." She was elected for a full term in 2012.

During her time in Congress, the 49-year-old mother-of-two was influential in scrapping Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, a policy which effectively prevented gay people from serving, and brought more transparency to Washington by publishing online information such as her public schedule and personal financial disclosures. 

Kirsten Gillibrand, with Bill Clinton - Credit: AP
Kirsten Gillibrand, with Bill Clinton Credit: AP

Addressing the issue of women in politics, she once said: "My own experience in Congress is when women are on committees and at hearings, the nature of the discussion is different, and the outcomes are better - we reach better solutions, better decisions are made."

Ms Gillibrand is considered a centrist Democrat who could win over some Republicans, while her opposition to gun control measures has drawn prompt criticism from some of New York's more liberal officials.

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders, the Democratic socialist senator from Vermont, fought hard to beat Mrs Clinton in the primaries, drawing crowds of more than 10,000 people to his rallies and running on a populist platform that promised to rein in Wall Street and redistribute America's wealth.

Such was the split in the party that some of his supporters couldn't bring themselves to vote for Mrs Clinton in the election. 

The 75-year-old sounded as if he was resuming his campaign when he told the party this week that it should be "embarrassed" by its failure to reach out to white working-class voters and criticised Mrs Clinton for accepting millions of dollars in speaking fees from large corporations and US banks.

Hillary Clinton vs Bernie Sanders
Hillary Clinton vs Bernie Sanders

"You cannot be a party which, on one hand, says we're in favour of working people, we're in favour of the needs of young people, but we don't quite have the courage to take on Wall Street and the billionaire class," Mr Sanders said. "People do not believe that. You've got to decide which side you're on."

He also refused to rule out running for the presidency in 2020. "Four years is a long time from now,"  he said.  "We'll take one thing at a time, but I'm not ruling out anything."

Michelle Obama

Amid all the chatter of who could replace Mr Trump in 2020, the First Lady has created the greatest clamour. Yet she is also probably the least likely to run.

The 52-year-old mother-of-two charmed the US, and the world, for eight years to become one of the most popular presidential spouses America has seen. She then became known as one of the most effective political communicators around with her barnstorming speech at this year's Democratic National Convention  and her emotional attack on Mr Trump in the summer.

Yet Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president and a friend of the Obamas, was adamant in ruling out a White House run from the First Lady. "Absolutely not," she told Vogue.

David Axelrod, a strategist close to the Obamas, said in a radio interview that he “would bet everything I own” against her running for office.

Hillary Clinton

Could she run for a third time? The former secretary of state, who failed to beat Barack Obama in 2008 and then Donald Trump in 2016, has already ruled out the possibility of another White House bid.

But after taking some time to lick her wound in the woods near her home in Chappaqua, the former First Lady has come out fighting this year.

Donald Trump shakes hands with Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate - Credit: Reuters
Donald Trump shakes hands with Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate Credit: Reuters

Any losing candidate needs an explanation for their defeat - and Mrs Clinton literally wrote the book on it. Bringing out What Happened just months after the election, she has laid the blame on former FBI Director James Comey and Russian interference. 

In an appearance on CBS This Morning last month, Chelsea Clinton was asked if her mother might run again. She replied, "Oh I have no idea ... I don't think so". 

Mr Trump certainly thinks she should challenge him again. "I hope Hillary runs," he said during a press conference. "Hillary, please run again! Go ahead."