Prospective 2020 candidates make statements with State of the Union guests

For candidates preparing to run in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, a key guest for President Trump’s second State of the Union address has become a must-have accessory.

With Trump occupying the spotlight, those in the growing field of prospective candidates currently serving in Congress are hoping that their chosen State of the Union guests will send him a message, create their own headlines or both.

Here’s rundown of who is on the guest list for those who are considering a presidential run or have already thrown their proverbial hats in the ring.

Sen. Kamala Harris

To hammer home her opposition to Trump’s role in ushering in the country’s longest government shutdown as well as her disdain for Trump’s threat to withhold federal disaster relief for Californians affected by this year’s deadly wildfires, Harris is inviting Trisha Persiri-Dybvik, a California air traffic controller who lost her home in the Thomas Fire before enduring weeks without pay due to the shutdown.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Like Harris, Warren has picked a federal worker who was forced to go without pay during last month’s shutdown. Sajid Shahriar, an employee of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, went 35 days without a paycheck and organized rallies as the shutdown dragged on.

Sen. Cory Booker

Highlighting his own work on criminal justice reform, Booker is bringing Edward Douglas, who was one of the first prisoners released under the First Step Act, a new federal law that eases sentences for convicted drug offenders.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

In protest of Trump’s ban on transgender troops serving in the U.S. military, Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, has invited Lt. Cmdr. Blake Dremann, a member of the U.S. Navy.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Like Trump, Gabbard favors a quick withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, but she fears that the president’s “hasty” decision to pull all soldiers from that country will leave Kurdish forces battling the remnants of the Islamic State “vulnerable to slaughter by Turkey’s President Erdogan.” For that reason, she selected Ilham Ahmed as her guest.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Putting the focus on rising prescription drug prices and what she sees as Trump’s failure to live up to his promise to reduce them, Klobuchar has invited Nicole Holt-Smith, the mother of a diabetic who died because he couldn’t keep up with the skyrocketing price of insulin.

Sen. Sherrod Brown

For the second year in a row, Brown has invited Rita Lewis, whose late husband, Butch, was a Viet Nam veteran who fought to save pension plans in Ohio that were threatened by a slew of cuts.

Rep. Eric Swalwell

Seeking to keep America’s gun violence problem in the public consciousness, Swalwell has invited Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Kasky went on to co-found the group March for Our Lives, which has sought to bring about common sense gun legislation.

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