Kamala Harris's advisers reveal preliminary strategy for 2020 Democratic primary

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-CA, listens to Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party 36 years ago, testifying before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 27, 2018. less Sen. Kamala Harris, D-CA, listens to Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party 36 years ago, testifying before the US Senate Judiciary ... more Photo: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images Photo: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Kamala Harris's advisers reveal preliminary strategy for 2020 Democratic primary 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

California Sen. Kamala Harris has long been rumored to be a presidential contender in 2020, although many have wondered how the freshman senator would fare in a crowded Democratic primary, which could feature multiple household names such as Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

Harris's advisers say they are already in the process of discussing a "rough" strategy to compete with Democratic heavy hitters in the 2020 presidential primary, according to a report by Politico.

An unnamed Harris adviser told the political site that the strategy involves a heavy emphasis on Iowa, the location of the first contest of the primary season. Her advisers are reportedly confident in her ability to appeal to the state's white progressives since she successfully did so during her 2016 Senate race in California.

From there, Harris will focus on contests in the Southeast and on the West Coast.

Although New Hampshire will come immediately after Iowa, Harris' advisers believe she should prioritize Nevada and South Carolina, the two states whose contests will follow New Hampshire.

Politico's source said Harris' advisers like her chances in South Carolina and other southeastern states where African Americans make up a good portion of the Democratic electorate. Harris already has trips to South Carolina scheduled for later this week, where she will appear at two state Democratic Party events.

In addition to South Carolina, Harris will visit Iowa again next week and plans to "campaign aggressively" in Nevada and in her home state of California in 2020.

California will hold its presidential primary in 2020 earlier than it did in 2016 and 2012 after governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that would move the contest up from June to March.

"The Golden State will no longer be relegated to last place in the presidential nominating process," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in September. "Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country's highest office."

California's primary will take place on March 3 as a part of the first "Super Tuesday" of the cycle.

The adviser invoked college football when describing the strategy to Politico, calling it "the SEC primary meets the West Coast offense."

Harris has remained mum on her potential 2020 aspirations to this point.

Meanwhile, oddsmakers are bullish on the California senator's chances of winning the Democratic primary.

According to Oddshark, a betting resource that looks at odds from a number of online betting sites, Harris has consistently been given the best odds of any Democratic candidate over the past two months of betting.

Currently, Harris is given +1000 odds to win the presidency (meaning a $100 bet would earn $1000 if Harris were to win), and is followed by Bernie Sanders at +1200 and Joe Biden at +1400.

Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter

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