NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The Democratic presidential sweepstakes might seem like a tale of Joe Biden and the Seven Senators, but there are plenty of governors and mayors looking for a chance to steal the spotlight from the former vice president and other headliners.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee pitched his progressive record during a visit Saturday to the early caucus state of Nevada and recounted how he challenged the president when Trump suggested arming teachers in the wake of school shootings last year.
“I looked him in the eye and said, ‘You know what, you’ve got to do less tweeting and more listening to teachers,’” Inslee said.
“He cannot stop us,” Inslee said, adding “He has not stopped me either.”
Inslee will soon travel to the first primary state of New Hampshire as he mulls a White House bid.
Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor and longtime Democratic power player, is showing up on cable news and writing newspaper opinion columns.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock are busy with day jobs but recently finished an ambitious round of midterm campaigning. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper left office this month, and he spent part of the fall on the road.
Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he’d fund his own race if he runs. Even Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is making noise.
And San Antonio, former Obama housing chief Julian Castro kicked off his campaign Saturday in his hometown.
Each person is making moves that could result in a presidential campaign. But in the early days of a Democratic primary, the question is whether someone without a Washington resume can win a contest that’s so far dominated by Biden, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and several nationally known senators, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Other senators who might join the race include Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
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