Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is mounting a run for the White House, according to a Politico report, making him one of the first Democrats to challenge President Trump in 2020.
An aide to Swalwell declined to confirm the Politico report, but noted that the three-term congressman has raised the prospect of a presidential bid in interviews and television appearances for months.
{mosads}The aide said that with the midterm elections out of the way and the recent birth of his second child, Swalwell planned to “hunker down over the next month and consider what to do.”
The California Democrat could announce his decision sometime in the first part of 2019, the aide told The Hill.
Swalwell himself would not confirm the report.
“I’ve asked my mom to stop talking to Politico. Just kidding. No news to report. Yet,” Swalwell told The Hill.
“Absolutely I’m looking at it, and I’m going to talk with my family over the holiday,” he told Fox News later in the day.
But in recent weeks, Swalwell’s allies have talked up his efforts to raise money for Democrats in Iowa, as well as the fact that he’s traveled to the state a dozen times since the start of 2017.
Swalwell and his aides also boosted Democrats Cindy Axne, Abby Finkenauer and J.D. Scholten in their bids for Iowa House seats this year. Both Axne and Finkenauer won their races, while Scholten fell to Rep. Steve King (R).
He’ll make his latest trip to Iowa this weekend when he’s set to meet with the Asian and Latino Coalition in Des Moines, as well as the Iowa Democratic Party chairs in Dubuque.
Swalwell also endorsed candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire throughout 2018. Both states are among the first to vote in presidential primaries and caucuses, making them key targets for presidential contenders.
But Swalwell’s not the only Democrat crisscrossing key primary states ahead of 2020: Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a rising star in Democratic politics, has made visits to states like Iowa, South Carolina and Florida, while former Vice President Joe Biden, another rumored presidential candidate, has stumped for candidates in key presidential states.
Neither have said yet whether they will mount White House runs.
Updated at 6:23 p.m.