California Senator Kamala Harris has officially thrown her hat into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary sweepstakes.
Harris’ entrance into the race comes to no surprise to anyone, as the former Attorney General of the Golden Gate State has already been making the rounds in the early primary states of Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The field of presidential primary candidates is expected to reach at least 20, as the Democrats smell blood in the waters around 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Even though it appears as if she could garner significant support from the progressive base of the Democratic Party for her support of “Medicare for all,” Harris will have her work cut out for her, and will need solidify the black vote in the south, as well as a significant portion of the Hispanic Democratic vote.
Can she do it?
That remains to be seen, but it appears as if Harris may have started garnering the support of black leaders and members of the black congressional caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"She has a very natural way of relating to voters. She's a very likable person, down to earth, and she fits in well with those Southern voters who I saw her interacting with," said Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson (D)
Harris, along with other first-term black Democratic members of congress, were honored at the most recent Congressional Black Caucus social event in earlier this month.
Several attendees to the CBC event said that they would not hesitate to vote Harris, if she decided to officially run for president in 2020.
As the Democratic field of presidential hopefuls begin to fill, Harris & Co. will have to find ways to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack.
Harris, like the rest of the field, will have to make case why progressives should support her candidacy over other like-minded individuals.
It’s still early. Very early.
