Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who has been mulling a run for president, said in an emailed statement Monday evening that he will unveil a “major announcement” Tuesday morning.
For those reading tea leaves, Merkley said the announcement would be “very special,” closed his statement by declaring, “Onward,” and asked for money.
“Since Donald Trump was elected, I’ve been traveling from coast to coast helping organize our resistance and get our country back on track,” Merkley wrote. “I’ve gone to the border many times to call attention to Trump’s prisons for children, filibustered the brazen theft of a Supreme Court seat, and helped organize the fight for a “Green New Deal.”
“I’ve had extraordinary encounters in every corner of the country with amazing people who are giving everything they have to create an America that works for all of us,” he said. “And I’ve been thinking hard about what I can give, how I can make the best contribution to the vital work in front of us.”
Merkley, who told the New York Times in June 2018 that he was “exploring the possibility” of running for president in 2020, said in December he would announce his decision during the first quarter of 2019 and said that his family backs a 2020 presidential bid.
“They had a veto over the project, and they have all now given it a thumbs-up,” he told ABC News.
The announcement will be posted on Facebook and on Merkley’s website, according to an email sent to Merkley’s supporters.
Should Merkley announce he is running for president in 2020, he would join candidates including Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, among others.
