The Democratic field has been riddled with candidates since the start of the campaign season. While a number of them have since dropped out, the democratic field still contains a lot of big players. Super Tuesday is coming up and it can play a big part in deciding which politician will become the official democratic candidate who will take trump head-on this November.
***The averages have been obtained from CNN and are averaged by Reuters, Washington Post, and CBS News****
3/1/2020 UPDATE:
Pete Buttigieg and Tom Steyer have left the race for the presidential candidacy after failing to do well in the South Carolina primaries. While they are no longer in the main running, it may still be helpful to know their views if another candidate chooses them as the VP running mate.
Bernie Sanders
Leaning: Far-left
Official party: Independent
Current Job: Senator of Vermont
Bernie Sanders, who is running under a socialist program, has been the fan-favorite during the primary season. He is especially the favorite among younger voters with his free college, free healthcare and support of a Green New Deal. He has been the most open and, to some, the most “radical” with his leftist ideas. His biggest critics have looked at his temperament and inability to work with others as well as his views being too extreme for the nation. Whether any of these are true or not, the senator leads the polls with an average of 30%.
Joe Biden
Leaning: Moderate
Official party: Democrat
Current job: Retired
America’s golden boy for the 2016 election has taken a turn for the worse in the more recent election season. Many have found his ideas antiquated and not up to par with the more progressive movement occurring in the nation now. His past votes on bills, his own words and his participation in the Anita Hill trial against Clarence Thomas have been found to be especially jarring to many human rights activists. The former VP stands third in the polls with an average of 16%.
Mike Bloomberg
Leaning: Moderate
Official Party: Democrat
Current job: CEO of Bloomberg Media
Mike Bloomberg entered the race for the presidency only recently. His previous job qualifications include the mayor of New York City. He also boasts the title of the co-founder of the news site Bloomberg and the co-founder of Everytown For Gun Safety. His controversy comes from the policy of stop and frisk that was in place while he was mayor of New York and his comments on why it is not a problem. Running mate Elizabeth Warren has also made a significant push to bring the women stuck in non-disclosure agreements towards Bloomberg on the basis of sexual misconduct. He trails fourth with an average of 14% in the polls.
Elizabeth Warren
Leaning: Far-left
Official Party: Democratic
Current job: Senator to Massachusetts
The second most powerful and popular candidate in the running for the presidency is the Senator from Massachusetts. Similar to Bernie, she favors free college, a green new deal, eliminating private healthcare in favor of Medicare for all, and taxing the ultra-rich. Her enactment of restrictions on walls street has given Warren rightly deserved street cred. She’s been largely underestimated for no reason but has proven she’s a powerhouse in the polls with an average of 13%. She is often either third or second in the polls trading off with Joe Biden and Mike Bloomberg.
Amy Klobuchar *OUT OF THE RACE AS OF 3/1/2020*
Leaning: Moderate
Official Party: Democratic
Current Job: Senator of Minnesota
If I don’t say Amy for America as a Minnesotan am I really a Minnesotan? Amy Klobuchar started her run for the presidency in the 2016 elections but dropped out later in the race. This time around she has been coming back stronger and more vocal, reaching multiple rounds of national debates. She supports a national healthcare system that does not get rid of private healthcare and endorses more support for new mothers. While she hasn’t shown support for the Green New Deal, she plans to focus on international environmental efforts like rejoining the Paris Accords. She currently holds an average of 5.5% in the polls.
Tulsi Gabbard
Leaning: moderate right
Official Party: Democratic
Current job: Congresswoman for the state of Hawaii
The youngest candidate in the running and the only female veteran. Her platforms focus a lot on governmental involvement in foreign affairs, specifically the government involvement in wars and how they should be approached. She has come under fire for wanting to work with Bashir Al-Assad, the president of Syria who is often perceived as a dictator. She is a self-proclaimed “hawk”, meaning she would favor going to or escalating war, despite being against American intervention in foreign countries. These comments and ideas have raised questions about her political alignment as to whether or not she is in the correct party.. Gabbard has appeared on the Fox News network multiple times which has rubbed democrat voters the wrong way. Her poll numbers average 1% among voters.
Pete Buttigieg *OUT OF THE RACE AS OF 3/1/2020*
Leaning: Moderate
Official Party: Democratic
Current job: N/A
The second youngest candidate in the running for the presidency has come a long way. He would make history as the youngest president and the first openly gay president. He runs on bringing the government to the newer generations and bringing clean energy to the United States. The biggest controversy he has had to deal with is a result of his comments on race and how he dealt with police culture and the beating of an unmarked black teen. He also came under fire when he demoted the city’s first black chief of police. He has attempted to be an ally to black voters but has only averaged about 5% in the polls.
Tom Steyer *OUT OF THE RACE AS OF 2/29/2020*
Leaning: Moderate
Official party: Democratic
Current job: Former hedge fund manager
While writing this I honestly forgot he was running. Styer is a businessman who has little political experience, although he does have experience being a donor for political and political organizations. He is a big supporter of the green new deal and wants to enact a global crisis for climate change. He is one of the more lower-scoring candidates with an average of 2%.
There are a lot of options that could leave voters in primary states with a lot of confusion on who is the right candidate. At this point, because there are so many candidates, the person to vote for will be the one you feel most comfortable with or who you believe can beat Trump. Republicans can also vote for their choice on who to vote for, although it is extremely unlikely he will not win the republican portion of the primaries. If there are specific issues you will not budge on, the best option is to search how each candidate stacks on that issue. Regardless of what party you are in, support or don’t support, whoever you vote for will be the right choice.
Happy voting!!