New Hampshire to see wave of 2020 candidates this weekend

Multiple contenders for the 2020 Democratic nomination head to New Hampshire this weekend to make their case to the state's voters, as well as one possible candidate who faced a tough medical diagnosis but promises to run if he receives the all-clear from doctors.

Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey, close friends in the halls of the Capitol and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, are scheduled for events in cities and towns across the state from Dover to Amherst.

Sen. Michael Bennet will also head to New Hampshire this weekend, despite the news of his diagnosis with prostate cancer. Bennet still intends to run for president, he told a Colorado newspaper, if he recovers cancer-free.

"I'm too busy to really sit back and think about it," said Bennet, who has not yet announced a bid. "And that's probably the best thing."

Gillibrand and Buttigieg will touch down first on Friday night.

Buttigieg, commonly referred to as "Mayor Pete," is expected to move from the exploratory phase of his campaign to a full-fledged candidate next weekend. He teased on Twitter that the big announcement will happen in his native South Bend, Indiana. Buttigieg launched his exploratory committee in January.

The candidate is coming off a big fundraising win from the year's first quarter. He announced on Monday that he raised $7 million, solidifying his emergence from relative obscurity.

Gillibrand kicks off her Friday and Saturday events in Dover with a meet and greet Friday evening. Buttigieg starts with a similar event in Manchester before heading to Concord, where Gillibrand will also be on Saturday.

Bennet and Booker head to the state for Saturday and Sunday events. Both Bennet and Booker will hit four different towns and cities. By the end of the weekend, three of the four candidates, or potential candidates, will have stopped through Dover -- and three of the four will have stopped through Concord.