Jeff Merkley has represented Oregon in the Senate since January, 2009. He spent the fall of 2018 visiting New Hampshire, visiting Iowa, visiting South Carolina, visiting Nevada.
- There were obstacles to his running for president. He was the first Senator to support Bernie Sanders for President in the 2016 campaign. In the 2020 campaign, he would have had to compete for those voters with Bernie Sanders, himself. With Elilzabeth Warren. With others, too, like Cory Booker or Kamala Harris.
- He would have had to raise a lot of money. His donor base was not that big. Bernie Sanders is very good at raising money. Elizabeth Warren had not yet committed to small donors, but she has people to look to.
- He would have had to create a national organization. Other candidates were capable of snapping up the most effective organizers.
- He faced a dilemma in Oregon. He was up for reelection to the US Senate in 2020. Oregon does not allow a candidate to be on the ballot for two different offices. Oregon legislators showed no interest in changing the law.
Jeff Merkley got it. A run for the presidency was not in the cards. He could and should run for reelection to the US Senate. An effort to run for President would be a lost cause and the end of his political career. He announced he would not run.