Rep. Luis Gutiérrez joins a growing field of Democrats — including more than a half-dozen House members — who are looking at a 2020 run. | Scott Olson/Getty Images Gutiérrez eyes 2020 presidential run

Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), who announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection to Congress, is instead pursuing another move: testing the presidential waters.

Gutiérrez joins a growing field of Democrats — including more than a half-dozen House members — who are looking at a 2020 run.


"I will be reaching out to people across the country. I am going to take the steps to guarantee [Federal Election Commission] regulations and rules about campaign financing, first and foremost, make sure I'm following the law, " Gutiérrez told POLITICO on Wednesday when asked whether he is entertaining a presidential bid.

"This is what I can tell you — anybody really wanted to listen to me — look, I'm not retiring, I'm not retiring. I'm going to sit down with Soraida [Gutiérrez’s wife], and we're going to figure it out. I want to build something, I want to build something national."

His efforts, he said, are in the earliest stages: "I haven't even talked to somebody about how you do this. I don't even have a lawyer."

Gutierrez, a fervent immigrant rights proponent, lamented the lack of outreach to immigrant communities in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania in the 2016 presidential race.

"We didn't do enough in 2016," he said. "I think I can bring a new set of eyes to the situation."

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Gutiérrez said he and his wife plan to tour the country over the next six months.

"We're going to talk, and I'm going to hear. Maybe there's a lot of enthusiasm for it. Maybe in six months I'll come back and say, no," he said.

Gutiérrez, who was first elected to Congress in 1992, is wildly popular in his Chicago-based, Latino-majority congressional district.

One week before leaving Congress, Gutiérrez was among those who supported filing articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.