Democrats have a lot of problems right now. Finding candidates eager to run for office isn’t one of them.
Since Donald Trump’s election, a groundswell of Democratic candidates has emerged to start campaigns for local, state and federal races, according to party operatives and a review of campaign announcements. It’s a level of engagement some Democratic strategists say reminds them of the wave of candidates that helped the party sweep to big victories in 2017 and 2018 during Trump’s first years in office.
In Virginia, for instance, Democratic candidates are running in more than 90 percent of all state delegate seats in the election later this year. In local races across the country, tens of thousands of Democrats have signaled interest in running. And many key House races are already drawing as many as a half-dozen candidates.