2020 will the the first year that I can vote, and I have the intentions of voting in the Democratic primaries as well as the general election. With the slew of candidates, I know that I should stay educated regarding each candidate and what they stand for. I have been trying to avoid relying on hearsay and collect the facts for myself. I actually found myself liking some of the lesser-known candidates.
The race for the 2020 democratic nomination has begun, and so far, ten major politicians have thrown their hats in the ring in hopes of becoming the next president. With so many names, big and small, policy can get lost amongst popularity and Twitter presence. Here is an overview of each current Democratic candidate in their attempt to be the next president of the United States:
Bernie Sanders: As the most recent bid for president, Sanders’ announcement has been eagerly awaited by many Democrats. Similar to his platform in the 2016 election, he is campaigning for universal medicare, a raised minimum wage, affordable college, and environmental protections. He is strong-willed and tackling issues head-on, which is exactly what Democrats have been seeking, and he has started many of the movements that other candidates are using in their campaigns. Democrats disapprove of him for mainly one reason: his age. Voters worry about whether 77-year-old Sanders is too old to be President, but he shows no sign of his age holding him back. Additionally, many feel that Sanders is old news and that Democrats need a new face for their party in the 2020 election, not someone who was caught in the 2016 rat race.
Senator Amy Klobuchar: Having recently come into the public eye with her role in the Kavanaugh hearings, she is running on a platform of lowering cost for prescription drugs and preventing sexual assault. The main critique of Sen. Klobuchar is that she is not the ‘I’m angry and I’m not going to take it anymore’ candidate that the Democrats are looking for right now. With numerous human rights violations in the Trump campaign, Democrats want someone who will fight back and is not afraid to disagree. The biggest hint that we could find this spitfire side of Sen. Klobuchar is her strong will during the Kavanaugh hearings, where she forefronted many of the Democrats’ questions.
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Though she certainly brings the fire that Democrats feel Klobuchar lacks, Senator Warren is perhaps the most controversial of the 2020 Democratic candidates. Warren calls her campaign a ‘grassroots movement’, and is ready and willing to take on hot topic issues like immigration and abortion. She is of the most experienced candidates, and has shown time and time again that she can and will take on Trump. However, her dialogue with Trump has lead to the release of DNA tests that show her genetic makeup does not match her claim to be Native American.
Senator Cory Booker: Cory Booker is one of the most centrist politicians running for office. His campaign relies on his ‘nice guy’ attitude, attempting to bring some kindness to the slew of insults and slander that seem to make up today’s political world. This angle may be his downfall, however, as he will not criticize Trump for his moral shortcomings, even as he runs on a civil-rights-like platform. Moreover, it looks like Booker simply does not have the following to pull votes for the Democratic nomination.
Senator Kamala Harris: Harris is a highly publicized candidate for the Democratic nomination. She plans to fix the political state of the capitol, which she calls a ‘mess,’ give fixed income to working families, and universal medicare. These ideas are appealing to democratic voters, but many feel that these policies are not as strong as they could be. She is accused of rolling back initially extremely progressive ideas to appease Centrists and Republicans. Democrats do not want a candidate who will change their ideas to be less progressive because they faced criticism, and Harris does not seem to fit that bill.
Senator Kirsten Gililbrand: This New York senator plans to take Washington by storm and tackle the system that causes institutionalized racism and sexism. She is refusing to accept corporate funding so that she can take on issues unburdened by the support of major corporations. As a face for the #MeToo movement, she brings a willpower that Democrats are seeking in this election. She recently flipped her view on gun control, originally advocating for hunter’s rights as she represented a rather rural section of New York. Even as she has apologized, and changed this view, flip-flopping any point of view make voters believe the candidate to be less reliable and less sure of their direction.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg: Mayor of Southbend, Indiana, Buttigieg embodies many of the ideals that attract Democrat voters. He supports active change to prevent climate change, and advocates for medicare for all. As a gay veteran, Buttigieg is both a new age progressive and a candidate who appeals to traditional values. However, his name is obscure, and without a large political following, his chances of gaining the nomination are slim to none. Additionally, only being a mayor, Buttigieg is thought to be too inexperienced to be president.
Julián Castro: Castro has truly built his platform on the immigration debate and his plans for immigration form. He is the former Mayor of San Antonio and Housing Secretary for the Obama Administration. Beyond his plans for the immigration system, Castro also plans to lower college costs, raise minimum wage, and generally lower the cost of living. His major accomplishment as Mayor of San Antonio was the expansion of prekindergarten programs, and he uses it to strengthen his campaign promises. Like Buttigieg, he faces those who say he is not experienced enough, as he has not served in an elected federal position, and his lack of experience also makes his name rather obsolete.
Tulsi Gabbard: I am afraid that there are not many positive things to say about Gabbard. Gabbard’s past is littered with human rights violations that raise red flag after red flag. She worked for an anti-LGBT+ organization, and her father pushed anti-LGBT+ policies while he was a politician. She has apologized for her previous actions, and has adopted more progressive stances as her platform, but it is hard to say whether her policies will reflect this change. Even if she has changed, her past may hinder her from receiving the nomination. Additionally, she has been commended by a former grand wizard for the KKK, a white supremacist, and a former member of the Trump administration. Needless to say, she may not be quite what the Democrats are looking for.
John Delaney: Delaney is the first to announce his campaign all the way back in July of 2018. He markets himself as a Centrist who understands the struggles of everyday Americans. He is fighting partisanship and focusing on expansion and technological advancements. Delaney does not seem to address any of the issues that Democrats want talked about in this upcoming election. His battle on partisanship reads like an unwillingness to stand up to Trump and his policies.
Although these are all the candidates who have announced their campaigns, some speculated candidates are Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Beto O’Rourke. All three of these potential candidates could become frontrunners among this lot of politicians, and many Democrats are begging for them to give it a shot.
The most important thing that Democrats can do in order to prevent another term for Trump is to support the nominee. No ‘Bernie or bust’ this year. The last thing we should do is split our votes away from the nominee. No matter who out of this lot wins the nomination, do not write-in another Democrat or abstain from voting. In my opinion, each of these people could keep the country from crashing to the ground, despite their controversies.
In the end, vote if you can vote. You have the privilege of living in a country where your vote matters, even as a drop in an ocean. Remain educated and support our democracy. The presidency is too important to leave it up to fate.
