By David Wright
CNN
WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders will publish a book titled “Where We Go From Here” a week after the 2018 midterm elections, St. Martin’s Press announced Wednesday — a move likely to stoke speculation about the 2016 presidential candidate’s 2020 ambitions.
According to a news release from the publisher, Sanders will take aim at President Donald Trump in the book and appeal to the liberal base that powered his insurgent bid for the presidency four years ago.
“Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign was a beginning, not an end. In his new book, America’s most popular political figure speaks about what he’s been doing to oppose the Trump agenda and strengthen the progressive movement and how we go forward as a nation,” the release says.
Sanders decision to publish his book in the opening days of the 2020 election cycle — and its prescriptive title — suggest the Vermont independent is possibly inching toward a 2020 White House run.
Aspiring presidential candidates in previous cycles have routinely published books laying out their policy visions and personal stories. Barack Obama’s best-seller “The Audacity of Hope” — which came out in the fall of 2006 — was a foundational piece of his 2008 presidential campaign. Other recent examples of the genre: Mitt Romney’s “No Apology” — published in spring 2010 — and Hillary Clinton’s “Hard Choices,” published in summer 2014.
Sanders has maintained that he is undecided about a 2020 presidential bid. But in the meantime, he’s done everything to keep the option open.
Politico first reported that Sanders and his top political aides gathered in Washington for a discussion in January that included a gut-check on his 2020 decision. Sanders’ son, Levi, also tweeted at the end of the month: “Bernard is seriously contemplating a run in 2020 and I don’t mean a jog.” And earlier this month, Sanders announced he would make a swing through crucial primary and battleground states like Iowa and Michigan as he campaigns for progressives ahead of the 2018 midterms.
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