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Article snippet: Democratic senators seen as possible contenders for the White House in 2020 are all taking positions in strong support of an assault weapons ban, pressuring their colleagues up for reelection this year. Though the positioning may not effect the prospects of legislation, its support by all of the 2020 would-be candidates puts lawmakers like Sen. MORE (N.D.) in a tough spot months before the November midterm elections. “This is where the real conflict is,” one top Democratic strategist concluded. “There isn’t really space for an anti-gun candidate in the party and yet there are senators who have a tough balancing act for sure.” Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist, added: “The reason for the tension within the party is pretty obvious. Democrats have no choice but to press this issue. With 69 percent in favor of a complete ban, they’re on the right side of public opinion on the issue … For the 2020 Dems, a ban on assault weapons is a no-brainer.” No Democrat running for the White House wants to be outflanked from the left on guns. During the 2016 Democratic primary, for example, MORE (I-Vt.) for not being strong enough on gun control. “No one wants to be the lightweight when it comes to guns and particularly an assault weapons ban,” the strategist said. “They all want to be seen as the ones who really rushed to the forefront and pushed this issue when it really mattered.” All of the prospective 2020 Democratic candidates in the upper chamber — Sens. MORE’s (Cali... Link to the full article to read more