Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign

Summary

Mike Gravel, a former U.S. senator from Alaska, began his 2020 presidential campaign on March 19, 2019, with the formation of an exploratory committee. On April 2, his campaign filed with the Federal Elections Commission to officially run for the presidency. Gravel's initial intention was not to win the nomination, but rather to inject his platform into the conversation so that his ideas become part of the mainstream, though he announced that he was "running to win" on April 29, potentially after realizing that a candidacy focused on sending a message rather than putting him in the presidency might disqualify him from the primary debates.