Former President Obama’s friend and former attorney general, Eric Holder, who is leaning toward a 2020 bid for the presidency, has just added another 2020 hopeful to his congressional redistricting team
Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, close to former President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, issued an email to backers titled “my plans,” in which he announced his work with Holder.
“I’m proud to take on a new role as the State Engagement Chair for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee where I will work alongside former Attorney General Eric Holder, House Leader Nancy Pelosi, and President Barack Obama to fight for fair lines that give every American an equal voice in our democracy,” said McAuliffe.
During a recent media roundtable sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, Holder said he was planning to make a decision on a 2020 bid by the end of the year.
McAuliffe has also said he is considering a bid.
While his note was focused on the 2018 midterms, the teaming of the heirs to the last two Democratic presidents brings together a potential ticket that could challenge others eying a bid such as Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Below is McAuliffe’s note:
Friends,
Being Governor of Virginia was the honor of a lifetime, and I couldn’t have done it without supporters like you. Just because I’m out of office now doesn’t mean I’m out of the game. As you know, I don’t ever sit on the sidelines when there’s so much at stake. So I wanted to tell you what I’ll be focused on this year and ask for your help.
I’ve been around alot of elections but I can honestly say there is not a more important midterm election in my lifetime. At the state and federal level, we have an opportunity to stop the radical, divisive Trump agenda in its tracks.
As Governor of Virginia, I was able to show the progress we can make when elected officials are committed to expanding opportunity for Americans of every background, creating good-paying jobs, and building an economy that works for American families and not just the rich.
That progress isn’t possible without fair elections. In too many places across the country, Republicans have made fair elections impossible by enacting partisan or racially motivated gerrymandering to rig the map and silence the voices of those who don’t agree with them. The result is extreme Republican state legislatures pushing hateful and harmful legislation to satisfy their far-right primary voters. I saw it first-hand in Virginia where my veto pen was the the only thing standing in the way of their anti-civil rights, anti-healthcare, anti-environment, and pro-gun agenda.
That’s why I’m proud to take on a new role as the State Engagement Chair for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee where I will work alongside former Attorney General Eric Holder, House Leader Nancy Pelosi, and President Barack Obama to fight for fair lines that give every American an equal voice in our democracy.
While NDRC will be my top priority, the job is bigger than just redistricting. All across the country, governors are on the front lines of implementing progressive policies and blocking extreme Republican policies, like defunding Planned Parenthood, discriminating against LGBT families, rolling back voting rights, and expanding access to military weapons on our streets. Unfortunately, we’re down to just 16 Democratic governors – that has to change.
That’s why I’m going to be spending the rest of this year doing everything I can to help elect Democratic governors in the 36 states that will have elections this November. I won’t be able to do this without your help. I’ll be traveling to these states to campaign with our tremendous candidates and Democratic incumbents, but we’ll also need to make sure they have the resources necessary to fight back against the record amount of spending coming their way from special interest donors like the Koch brothers.
Over the next few months, you’ll be hearing from me about some of these candidates who are fighting for the progressive values we hold dear. I will be supporting them because they know that being open and welcoming and rejecting bigotry and hatred is the key to our success as a country.
I’ll be asking for your help – because I really do believe this is the midterm election of our lifetime.
Terry
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
