Potential Democratic candidates eager to unseat President Donald Trump in the 2020 election already have begun their unofficial presidential primary, The Hill reports.
It may be 6 months too early, it may be unsanctioned - just one Democrat has officially announced to run - but the machinations of fundraising, a would-be candidate's message platform and seeding a campaign are well underway.
"We live in a world where presidential campaigns are four-year cycles, and many potential candidates don’t have the luxury to delay conversations with potential donors and … operatives until after the midterms," Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko told The Hill.
"I think lots of folks are anxious to test the waters and put out feelers about what a race might look like and if they’ll get the support they’ll need," one Democratic donor told The Hill.
And the "invisible primary" does not mean camping out in Iowa and New Hampshire; it's a national play now, leaning on a digital media operation to expand the reach and the brand of a candidate.
Sen. Bernie Sanders launched - and is doing well with - a digital venture loosely called "Bernie TV."
Sen. Cory Booker just announced a "red state farmers tour."
Sanders and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris have been on the stump in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin - for other Democratic candidates, The Hill reports, notable because all three traditional blue states were lost by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Former Vice President Joe Biden seemed to be crafting a message at a speech he gave at the Brookings Institution on Tuesday.
"I love Bernie, but I’m not Bernie Sanders," Biden said. "I don’t think 500 billionaires are the reason we’re in trouble. … But this gap is yawning, and it’s having the effect of pulling us apart. You see the politics of it."
However, until candidates declare, it's just "lots of wink winks," one fundraiser told The Hill.
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