A West Virginia Democrat who lost his race for Congress last week announced Monday he’s going to try to skip Capitol Hill and bid straight for the White House.
Richard Ojeda’s announcement is the first in what is already shaping up to be a massive crush of candidates eager to take on President Trump.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat who just won re-election, told an Ohio newspaper he’s taking a look at the race. And a top Hillary Clinton aide and pollster predicted the two-time candidate will be back for round three in 2020.
An oddsmaker, meanwhile, released updated predictions and put someone else entirely — Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who just lost his bid to unseat Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — as the favorite.
The chance to face off against Mr. Trump is proving to be a powerful stimulant for the Democratic field.
“The president of the United States, Republicans and Democrats, have focused more on infighting, political wars, than they have focused on being there for the working-class citizens,” Mr. Ojeda said in a broadcast on Facebook Live, speaking from the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington.
A West Virginia state senator, Mr. Ojeda is coming off a double-digit loss against Republican Carol Miller in the race for an open congressional seat.
He joins Rep. John Delaney of Maryland as the top tier of the announced candidates.
They will quickly be joined by others looking to join the so-called “invisible primary,” when candidates try to lock down key donors and build machines in the early voting primary and caucus states.
Mr. Brown told the Columbus Dispatch in an interview published Monday that he has heard “sort of a crescendo” from supporters who would like to see him run for president.
“So we’re thinking about it as a result,” Mr. Brown said.
He just won a relatively easy race for re-election in Ohio, emerging victorious in a year when Republicans won the other statewide elections.
Also winning re-election — and seen as eyeing 2020 bids — were Sens. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and, despite her denials, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and Sens. Corey Booker of New Jersey and Kamala D. Harris of California also are pondering bids.
A Morning Consult poll released Monday showed Mr. Biden leading the field with the support of 26 percent of registered voters, and Mr. Sanders running second at 19 percent. They were followed by Mr. O’Rourke, 8 percent, Ms. Warren at 5 percent and Ms. Harris at 4 percent.
Mrs. Clinton, who was not included in the survey, still made noise when longtime adviser Mark Penn said the former senator, first lady and secretary of state is a lock to run again in 2020.
“Get ready for Hillary Clinton 4.0,” Mr. Penn said in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Penn, who co-authored the article with former New York City Council President Andrew Stein, a Democrat, predicted that Mrs. Clinton would run as an unabashed liberal and will easily win the nomination.
“True to her name, Mrs. Clinton will fight this out until the last dog dies,” they said in the op-ed. “She won’t let a little thing like two stunning defeats stand in the way of her claim to the White House.”
Many Democrats, though, see the 2020 election a chance to turn the page and showcase a new generation of leaders, including possibly Mr. O’Rourke, who inspired activists across the country and whose star continues to shine despite a 3-point loss to Mr. Cruz in ruby red Texas.
Indeed, the online gambling website BetDSI released odds Monday that showed Mr. O’Rourke is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination, followed by Ms. Harris and Ms. Warren.
“With the amount of publicity the Texas race received, as well as the media’s affection with O’Rourke, there’s been a steady stream of bets on Beto in 2020,” said Brent Corobotuic, head linesman at BetDSI.
Mrs. Clinton, meanwhile, was far down the list, even below Mr. Brown and Trump nemesis lawyer Michael Avenatti.
• Gabriella Munoz and Valerie Richardson contributed to this report.
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