Rep. John Delaney (D., Md.) announced Friday that he will seek the 2020 Democratic nomination for president of the United States, writing in a Washington Post op-ed that his party needs "a different approach."
Delaney, a third-term congressman and former health-care financier worth an estimated $90 million, said he will not run for reelection to his House seat in 2018 in order to fully commit to the White House effort.
"The American people are far greater than the sum of our political parties," he wrote. "It is time for us to rise above our broken politics and renew the spirit that enabled us to achieve the seemingly impossible. This is why I am running for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States."
He wrote that the Trump administration is making the U.S. "less secure and less prosperous" and positioned himself as a "progressive businessman" who could strike the balance between the free market and government intervention:
As a progressive businessman, I've made it a priority to be solutions-oriented and have been consistently recognized as one of the most innovative and bipartisan members of Congress. I've done this by simultaneously celebrating the power of our free-market economy while also insisting that there is a role for government to set goals and rules of the road and take care of those who are left behind.
My focus is on preparing our country for the future. Technological innovation, automation and globalization are the most powerful forces in the world today. These forces have been enormously positive; they will continue to make life better, enhance productivity, solve some of the world's most difficult problems and open societies. Sadly, these forces will also eliminate certain jobs and require workers to learn new skills more quickly. They will create security risks and strain our resources. We need to respond to these large-scale opportunities and challenges by thinking about policy from a fresh perspective. What are the resources we have, how do we compete and create jobs, how can we ensure that everyone has a fair chance, and how do we protect ourselves?
Delaney spent more than $3 million on his first two congressional campaigns, the Washington Post reports. He recently laid to rest speculation that he would launch a bid for governor in 2018 against popular Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.
Delaney is the first Democrat to officially announce his bid for what could be an even more loaded primary than the 2016 Republican one, which featured 17 contenders.
Sens. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.); former Vice President Joe Biden; and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper are just some of the many names that could make a bid in 2020 to unseat President Donald Trump.