“I believe right now every one of us should figure out how we can do whatever we can with our time, with our talents, to restore that moral decency, that moral compass and that truth of who we are as Americans,” Gillibrand said.

Unlike in 2016, when Hillary Clinton’s shadow loomed large over the party, Democrats enter the 2020 campaign without a clear favorite. Former Vice President Joe Biden occupies the most similar role, with broad name recognition and a deep political network.

But Biden associates say he is still conflicted about whether to run, and he has pointedly said other would-be 2020 candidates should not defer to his plans. Biden is expected to make a decision by January.

Booker has been among the most aggressive in courting supporters in early-voting states. After the midterms, he called each member of the Iowa Democratic statewide ticket, for whom the New Jersey senator campaigned ahead of the midterm, the day after the election.