2020 Democratic Candidates Visiting Early Primary States

We’re early enough in the 2020 Democratic Primary when no candidates have confirmed their intention to run. However, a lot can be gleaned from their actions and where they spend their precious time. No kickoff to a Presidential campaign is complete without laying the groundwork in the early caucus and primary states. Iowa is always a must-go for candidates in either party followed by New Hampshire, and even South Carolina. Ultimately, the contacts and groundwork laid in these few early states is what can determine how far a candidate makes it into the primary. So if you are watching the 2020 Democratic field for some hints, check their travel schedule.

Fortunately, The Hill has been tracking many top Democrats and found their travel schedules include a lot of out-of-the-way trips to places like Iowa and New Hampshire:

Democrats with an eye on challenging President Trump in 2020 are already making travel plans that could position themselves for a potential bid.

Progressive favorite Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sparked the latest round of intrigue last week when he announced he’d be heading back to Iowa, which hosts the first vote of the presidential primary race, to campaign for a former staffer’s congressional bid.

Here’s a rundown of which potential 2020 contenders have already made the pilgrimage to key early primary states Iowa or New Hampshire, sorted by those who have traveled to these states the most.

I’ve taken the names and numbers from the story and put them into a chart format so you can see which candidates are clearly getting serious about a Presidential run:

2020 Dem ContenderIowaNew Hampshire
Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander107
Maryland Rep. John Delaney75
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley53
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders32
Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan22
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar2
Former Vice President Joe Biden1
Former Secretary of State John Kerry1
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg1
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio1
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley1
Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton1
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti1

Note that there are several other Democratic contenders who are not listed, but have visited Iowa or intend to visit other early primary states. These are just the candidates recently tracked by The Hill.

If you know of another candidate with a documented visit (like a news story) to an early primary state, leave a comment and I’ll update the table accordingly.


Nate Ashworth

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for over a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016 that continues today.

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