Capitol Report: Here are the 17 Democrats running for president, as billionaire Bloomberg files paperwork for a bid

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The crowded 2020 Democratic field stands at 17 contenders thanks to Miramar, Fla., Mayor Wayne Messam’s exit from the race this week, but billionaire Michael Bloomberg could bring the field back to 18.

Messam announced he was suspending his long-shot White House bid in a blog post dated Tuesday.

Bloomberg, for his part, filed a statement of candidacy on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission, but aides reportedly said the former New York City mayor still hasn’t made a final decision on whether to enter the Democratic presidential primary.

The party’s 2020 field has contracted only somewhat over the past five months. While 10 politicians have dropped out of the race for the nomination during that stretch, other contenders have jumped in, with former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick entering on Nov. 14 and billionaire activist Tom Steyer announcing his run in July.

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Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead the pack in national polls, though South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg ranks No. 1 in surveys focused on Iowa, which has a critical role thanks to its first-in-the-nation caucuses. Buttigieg had been trailing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in Iowa, but he became the front-runner in the Hawkeye State in mid-November.

The other Democrats seeking to take on President Donald Trump next year include Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and entrepreneur Andrew Yang also remain in the mix.

The next primary debate is scheduled for Dec. 19 in Los Angeles and features the toughest qualifying requirements to date, as the Democratic National Committee aims to winnow the field. The White House hopefuls will have to get at least 200,000 donors and achieve at least 4% support in four national or early-state polls, or score 6% in two early-state polls.

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The first voter verdicts will come Feb. 3 with the Iowa caucuses.

Here is the MarketWatch list of contenders and the status of their candidacies, based on their statements: