Which Democratic Presidential Candidates Have Released Their Tax Returns?

Mother Jones illustration

Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Yes.
When? Unclear.
Booker has been a fiery critic of President Trump’s reluctance to share tax returns. During the first debate between Trump and Clinton in September 2016, Booker chastised the Republican nominee for “FAILING miserably” as Trump explained with “stammering defensiveness” why he wouldn’t share those documents.
The New Jersey senator, however, has been cagey with his own records. During his first run for Senate in 2013, Booker revealed 15 years’ worth of filings, but only to a small handful of reporters—who weren’t allowed to take photographs or make copies of any documents. A spokesperson for Booker’s presidential campaign told NJ.com last week that the senator will release his returns, but declined to offer a timeline for that release.
Booker’s campaign has not yet responded to an inquiry about when he plans to share his returns.
 
KAMALA HARRIS
Has she released them this cycle? No.
Does she plan to? Yes.
When? “Soon.”
Like many of her fellow Senate Democrats, Harris has criticized Trump’s unwillingness to share his returns. The first and only time the California senator has shared her tax returns was during her 2016 campaign, when she disclosed her 2015 records to the Sacramento Bee (though the Bee doesn’t note precisely which documents or in what manner she offered that information).
Since entering the 2020 fray, Harris—who currently holds second place in first quarter fundraising—has promised to share her tax returns but has declined to offer a specific timeline. In an email statement, the Harris campaign tells Mother Jones, “We will release them soon.”

 
BETO O’ROURKE
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Yes.
When? “Sooner rather than later.”
Beto, who has also boasted impressive fundraising numbers, been pretty quiet on the Trump tax return front. The issue got light mention during his 2018 campaign to unseat Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Unlike several of the sitting senators he’s up against, O’Rourke never disclosed his personal tax returns during that high-profile Senate race.
When reporters in New Hampshire asked O’Rourke about his own returns in late March, he said he’d share them “sooner rather than later,” though he wasn’t sure how many years he’d share. “Certainly [the] last year,” he said, “but we’ll find out what the standard is and release that.”
In a statement, the O’Rourke campaign tells Mother Jones: “Since launching his campaign only 26 days ago, Beto has made clear that he plans to release his tax returns. We’ve begun the process to do this.”
 
BERNIE SANDERS
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Yes.
When? “Very, very soon.”
No 2020 challenger has drawn more intrigue or ire on the tax front than Sanders. The Vermont senator has dedicated his entire political career to railing against political corruption, but Trump’s reluctance to share his returns haven’t figured prominently into Sanders’ arguments. That may be due in part to Sanders’ own hesitance to disclose. During his 2016 primary battle against Hillary Clinton, Sanders released his 2014 tax returns—the only such records he’s shared during his nearly 40 years in elected office.
Sanders’ status as a 2020 frontrunner has drawn heavier scrutiny than his insurgency campaign four years ago. Over the last several weeks, the national media has been hounding Sanders about his timeline. Sanders himself has been vague on the details, but he finally offered a clue late last week. “Do you know what April 15th is?” the senator asked CNN. “It’s Tax Day.”
 

 
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND
Has she released them this cycle? Yes.
How many years’ worth? 12.
Gillibrand was the first candidate to share her 2018 tax returns. In a video accompanying the release, she took a swipe at the sitting president as she touched on themes of accountability and transparency. “I want voters to know I’m beholden to no one, that my values are not for sale, and that I’m working only for you,” Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand has made releasing her tax documents a habit since 2012, when she first shared records dating back to 2007, the first year she held elected federal office.
 
JAY INSLEE
Has he released them this cycle? Yes.
How many years worth? 12.
The Washington governor dropped his returns—including his 2018 ones—at the end of March. Inslee has previously disclosed five years’ worth of returns during his first run for governor in 2012 and the following three years’ worth during his 2016 reelection campaign.
He has also voiced support for a bill pending in his home state that would keep any presidential candidate who does not release tax returns off the state’s ballot.

 
AMY KLOBUCHAR
Has she released them this cycle? Yes.
How many years’ worth? 12.
Like Gillibrand and Inslee, Klobuchar disclosed her tax documents under the banner of openness, saying “transparency and accountability are fundamental to good governance.” The Minnesota senator has yet to release her 2018 records, but when she does so, she’ll have released more years’ worth of returns than any of her competitors. Her posted documents date back to when she was first elected to the US Senate in 2006.
 
ELIZABETH WARREN
Has she released them this cycle? Yes.
How many years’ worth? 11.
Few have been as constant a critic of President Trump’s reluctance to share his taxes as Warren, who has made combatting political corruption one of her signature issues. Even her controversial release of a DNA test intended to prove her Native American ancestry—an assertion President Trump chided her for with the nickname “Pocahontas”—was apparently in service of seeking the president’s taxes:

I took this test and released the results for anyone who cares to see because I’ve got nothing to hide. What are YOU hiding, @realDonaldTrump? Release your tax returns – or the Democratic-led House will do it for you soon enough. Tick-tock, Mr President.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 15, 2018

Warren released a decade’s worth of records in August 2018, making her the first 2020 candidate to share her recent records (Warren was also seeking reelection to the US Senate at that time). On Wednesday morning, she posted her 2018 tax returns, making her the third contender to do so. She’s currently running a petition that calls on her fellow candidates to follow suit. Last fall, Warren introduced a sweeping anti-corruption bill that would require the IRS to release eight years’ of tax returns for presidential and vice presidential candidates.
 

 
PETE BUTTIGIEG
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Yes.
When? “If/when he makes it official.”
The South Bend, Indiana, mayor hasn’t really hammered Trump on the tax return front. During a moment of internet disquiet over Trump’s obstinance, Buttigieg tweeted that he was “slightly interested” in seeing President Trump’s returns—but “enormously interested” in the administration’s plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
A spokesperson for Buttigieg tells Mother Jones in a statement: “If/when he makes it official he will release his returns.” Mayor Pete still only has an exploratory committee, not an official campaign, though that could change soon, with Buttigieg saying he’ll be making a “special announcement” in his hometown on April 14.
 
JULIÁN CASTRO
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Yes.
When? “With more than enough time before voting starts.”
The former San Antonio mayor, who has lately joined other 2020 hopefuls in calling on Trump to release his tax records, told the Texas Tribune on April 1 that he’d release his own taxes “with more than enough time before voting starts for people to take a look,” though he wasn’t sure how many he’d share. “Some people say five years, 10 years,” Castro said.
The Castro campaign did not respond to a follow-up question about the timing of his release or how many years’ worth of returns he’ll share.

 
JOHN DELANEY
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Unclear.
The wealthy financier-turned-congressman declined to share his full tax records when he first ran for Congress in 2012, opting instead to share a summary of his returns from 2004 to 2010 with the Washington Post. During his three terms in Congress, Delaney consistently ranked as one of the richest members in the House of Representatives.
Delaney’s campaign has not yet responded to a question about whether he plans to share his returns.
 
TULSI GABBARD
Has she released them this cycle? No.
Does she plan to? Yes.
When? Unclear.
A spokesperson for Gabbard’s campaign tells Mother Jones that the congresswoman plans to release her tax returns, but has not yet laid out a timeline for doing so.

 
JOHN HICKENLOOPER
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Unclear.
The former Colorado governor, who made a fortune with his brew pub empire, shared 23 years’ worth of tax returns with a small group of reporters when he first ran for governor in 2010. Hickenlooper’s campaign has not responded to an inquiry about whether he plans to release subsequent years of his returns.
 
TIM RYAN
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Unclear.
Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan announced his candidacy for president earlier this month. Like Gabbard and California Rep. Eric Swalwell, Ryan co-sponsored and voted for the House’s For the People Act, which would require presidential candidates to disclose a decade’s worth of personal and business tax returns.
Ryan’s campaign has not yet responded to an inquiry about when the congressman plans to share his returns. 

 
ERIC SWALWELL
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Yes.
When? “I will release mine soon.”
Following Democrats’ sweeping 2018 midterm victories, California Rep. Swalwell made headlines for being the first to promise that his colleagues would use their new majority to request President Trump’s returns. On Monday evening, Swalwell officially entered the 2020 primary.
In a statement to Mother Jones, a campaign spokesperson for Rep. Swalwell said, “Americans should have no doubt about where their leaders’ loyalties lie. All candidates running for President should release their tax returns. I will release mine soon, as well.”
 
ANDREW YANG
Has he released them this cycle? No.
Does he plan to? Yes.
When? “The coming weeks.”
The lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, who recently raised enough money to qualify for the Democratic debate stage, hasn’t mentioned releasing his tax returns. In a statement to Mother Jones, Yang’s campaign said, “Andrew will release the past several years tax returns in the coming weeks.”
This article was originally published on April 10, 2019, and has since been revised to include new information.Image credits: Kristin Callahan/Ace Pictures/ZUMA; Jack Kurtz/ZUMA; Michael Brochstein/ZUMA