Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is reportedly considering jumping into the 2020 presidential race.
Despite announcing earlier this year that he would not be running, even after dipping his toe in the water with some speeches in key states, former President Obama’s “wingman” may be getting prepared to jump into the already crowded 2020 Democratic primary race.
Holder may be reconsidering his previous decision to focus his energy on redistricting efforts, as Washington Post columnist and MSNBC analyst Eugene Robinson reported on Thursday that the only cabinet member in U.S. history at that time to be held in contempt of Congress, has been “consulting strategists” about a possible Democratic run.
It gets even more interesting. I hear from a good source that Eric Holder has been consulting strategists about possibly jumping into the Dem presidential race. NYT reports Michael Bloomberg is seriously considering a late entry as well.
— Eugene Robinson (@Eugene_Robinson) November 7, 2019
MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” picked up on the tweet and also reported on “ripples of speculation” about Holder and other potential late entrants to the race such as former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg who was getting paperwork ready to file for a run.
“Interestingly, lots of ripples of speculation about other Democratic candidates who might still get in if Mike Bloomberg’s apparent move here can be seen as a sign that actually it’s not too late for more Democrats to get into the race to try to win this nomination,” host Rachel Maddow said Thursday.
“I will just mention that our Pulitzer Prize-winning colleague Eugene Robinson reported online tonight that … former Attorney general Eric Holder has been talking to strategists about whether he ought to get in the race as well.”
Holder, who held office from 2009 to 2015, is currently chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and as speculation was flying about his potential 2020 run, the Democrat was tweeting about “the impact of gerrymandering.”
The awful impact of gerrymandering is real and makes power obtained by its use illegitimate. When gerrymandered districts were struck down in Virginia, the use of the illegitimate power it created was ended – citizen supported policies will follow. https://t.co/eJh42B7VUB
— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) November 8, 2019
Holder, who once challenged Republicans to a “knife fight” and declared that he and other Democrats were ready to”rumble” ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, holds the dubious honor of being the only sitting U.S. Attorney General to be held in both civil and criminal contempt of Congress in 2012. Holder had refused to release documents to the House Oversight Committee that pertained to the failed Justice Department sting operation known as Fast and Furious. The program allowed approximately 2,000 weapons from the U.S. to pass into the hands of suspected Mexican gun smugglers.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives lost track of most of the firearms in the gunrunning program which allowed criminals to buy weapons so they could be tracked. Two of those guns were found at the scene of US Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s death in 2010.
The reports on Holder’s possible 2020 run came as The New York Times and other outlets reported on Bloomberg’s alleged filing of paperwork for a primary entrance. Current 2020 Democratic candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren welcomed the billionaire to the race with a link to her campaign’s tax calculator.
Welcome to the race, @MikeBloomberg! If you’re looking for policy plans that will make a huge difference for working people and which are very popular, start here: https://t.co/6UMSAf90NT
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) November 7, 2019
Some wondered how a Holder campaign would compete with Bloomberg’s financial resources.
Mike Bloomberg has $50 billion. what’s Eric Holder’s theory of how he’d build a campaign at the last minute? https://t.co/Mb9bkawBVG
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) November 8, 2019
And it seems the field may continue to grow even though nine candidates, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Beto O’Rourke, have already dropped out of the race. During an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin this week, failed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton joked about “running” while again lamenting the “deeply flawed” 2016 election.
You heard it here first:
Not taking up professional running anytime soon.pic.twitter.com/dH2I4ZvMcZ
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 7, 2019
Meanwhile, news of Holder’s potential entry into the 2020 race got plenty of reaction on Twitter.
Because 25 Democratic candidates isn’t enough. https://t.co/GQdrZfH5KN
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) November 7, 2019
The Democrats don’t have enough money to spread among all these candidates. Trump has a war chest. These late entrants need to do an ego-check and sit down.
— All the President’s Men (@myminutia) November 7, 2019
So, the big picture is the #Democrat establishment realizes their chosen candidates have crashed & burned & they’re throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if anything sticks. We can forget .@JoeBiden, @amyklobuchar, @KamalaHarris, @PeteButtigieg and @CoryBooker now. They’re done.
— FogBelter (@FogBelter) November 7, 2019
Holder is a particularly galling one. The guy who chose not to go after any of the criminal architects of the financial crisis, the corrupt ghouls that profited off the manufactured misery of others. But yes Eric Holder, run for president.
— Mike (@mikedeiro) November 8, 2019
This madcap dunce is three French fries short of a happy meal – and his timing is impeccable. Nine immolated Americans in Sonora, cartels running amok and unchallenged in Mexico – and genius Holder emblematically reminds us of Operation Fast and Furious?https://t.co/l4kjwW1Y3F
— Donald Russo (@donaldrusso994) November 8, 2019
This would not go over well for him, I think. The Dems are officially desperate. https://t.co/ZhsjQEeoUu
— Jesusistruth (@Jesusistruth3) November 8, 2019
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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