September 19, 2017

Progressives to keep an eye on: Jeff Merkley

Politico- Almost no one knows who he is, but Jeff Merkley thinks there’s a spot for him on the left flank of the 2020 Democratic primary—whether or not Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren run.

He’s already beaten Warren to Iowa, and spent more time in Des Moines this month than Sanders has since last year’s caucuses.

A senator from Oregon for nearly nine years, Merkley is probably best known for being the only colleague of Bernie Sanders to endorse the Vermont senator last year. Most people could walk by him on the street, or even on the Senate subway, and not know who he is—a Politico/Morning Consult poll this week showed that 73 percent of Americans had never heard his name.

He has no campaign staff, and has raised no money. But he’s hoping that the credibility he has with progressive activists and the wild new world of lefty politics will change all that. So he’s starting early, even if the odds don’t look great right now.

No comments: