Call me Isaiah.
I am the voice crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare for Eric Holder’s presidential bid.”
The former attorney general may seem like an unlikely choice for 2020, especially considering the crazy times in which we now find ourselves. He’s so unlikely, in fact, that few have given any serious thought to him as a possible contender. All eyes right now are on flashier Democratic personalities, including former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
[More: Eric Holder seriously considering a 2020 challenge against Trump, reporter says]
But my man Holder is out there right now, notably keeping his options open.
“I’m thinking about,” Holder said Monday after CBS’ Stephen Colbert asked if he has presidential ambitions.
Holder added, “What I’ve said is I’d make a determination sometime early next year. My focus really now is 2018, the midterms, and trying to make sure that Democrats take back the Senate, take back the House and do well, importantly, at the state level.”
This isn’t the first time that the former AG, who holds the dubious distinction of being the first attorney general to be held in both civil and criminal contempt, has played coy when asked about whether he plans to run for president.
In February, the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart asked, “Why do you feel at least a flicker in the belly to even think about running for president?”
Holder responded with a stemwinder worthy of any campaign stop: “Well, because I care a great deal about this country. I’ve spent the vast majority of my professional life in public service. I think I’ve got ideas that I hope would resonate with the American people. I think I’ve got the guts to potentially do the things that I think the next president would have to do.”
“This is not a time to be half-stepping; this is a time to deal with a changing America. An America that will be wounded by the experience that we are presently going through. So, it is all of those things,” he added. “It doesn’t mean that ultimately, I’m going to do it. I’m certainly going to be involved in what happens in 2020. But I care about this country. I care about the way in which people in this nation are treated. I care about the notion of fairness, of equality.”
The only thing missing here are the pauses for applause.
Later, in April, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes said outright to Holder, “You are considering it.”
“Yes, I’m thinking about it, but I’ve not made any determinations,” the first African-American attorney general in U.S. history responded.
That Holder keeps winking at these questions without giving a yes-or-no answer suggests that he is beyond mere flirting. He’s in the full-blown courtship stage of a White House bid.
This is my prediction, and I’m sticking to it. I’m on “Holder Watch,” and I won’t be dissuaded of this idea until the 2020 Democratic primaries come and go. I’m telling you, people. It’s going to happen. Eye on the prize.
[Also read: Here’s how Trump’s possible 2020 Democratic challengers stack up]
