Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said he was “obviously looking at” a 2020 presidential run during a Sunday morning appearance on CNN’s State of the Union.
“I’m not going to announce right now. I’m obviously looking at it,” said McAuliffe to host Dana Bash, who remarked he sounded like a candidate during an earlier part of the segment criticizing President Trump.
“I’ve got time. I’ve got a lot of great relationships. I have 40 years of working for this party. I have plenty of friends in many states, so I don’t have to rush into this.”
As a close ally of Bill and Hillary Clinton, McAuliffe was considered a top contender to become Hillary’s running mate for Vice President, before she ultimately selected Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.
Following Clinton’s defeat in 2016, McAuliffe became the subject of widespread speculation that he might inherit much of Clinton’s donor network, national allies and campaign infrastructure. As a close Clinton confidant, observers noted that McAuliffe was well-positioned to win the support of a network he helped create.
McAuliffe served as co-chairman of Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign and chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign. During that time, he raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the Clintons, and ultimately faced an ethical controversy when he personally guaranteed the couple’s $1.35 million mortgage for the home they bought in Chappaqua, New York, following Bill’s departure from the White House.
In 2004, McAuliffe became one of five board members of the Clinton foundation.
McAuliffe also used the interview to criticize President Trump, calling him an “angry, emotional, unstable man” and remarking that the president’s criticism of Democratic leaders for the deaths of two children at the southern border was “the lowest act I’ve ever seen any president [sic] in the history of our country.”
If McAuliffe announces his candidacy, he would join a crowded field of more than a dozen declared or potential candidates.