Sanders eyes 'bigger' 2020 bid despite some warning signs

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An insurgent underdog no more, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is laying the groundwork to launch a bigger presidential campaign than his first, as advisers predict he would open the 2020 Democratic presidential primary season as a political powerhouse.

A final decision has not been made, but those closest to the 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist suggest that neither age nor interest from a glut of progressive presidential prospects would dissuade him from undertaking a second shot at the presidency.

And as Sanders' brain trust gathered for a retreat in Vermont over the weekend, some spoke openly about a 2020 White House bid as if it was almost a foregone conclusion.

"This time, he starts off as a front-runner, or one of the front-runners," Sanders' 2016 campaign manager Jeff Weaver told The Associated Press, highlighting the senator's proven ability to generate massive fundraising through small-dollar donations and his ready-made network of staff and volunteers.

Weaver added: "It'll be a much bigger campaign if he runs again, in terms of the size of the operation."
"It's not 'Bernie or bust.' That's certainly not the case."
Another high-profile Sanders supporter who was in attendance, Cornel West, described the Vermont senator as "the most consistently progressive one out there," suggesting that some would-be 2020 candidates have adopted Sanders' words, but maintained ties to Wall Street and "militarism."
Whether her husband will lead the debate as a presidential candidate in 2020, she said, remains unclear. O'Meara Sanders noted that one question above all others would guide their decision: "Who can beat Donald Trump?"