Who’s Left? A Look at the Leading Democratic Candidates
The following article is featured in the March 2020 edition of The Campus.
By Nate Izzo
With two states’ primary elections completed at the time of this writing, voters everywhere are starting to make their final decisions on who to choose as the Democratic nominee. Here you will find a basic rundown of the current leading candidates and some of their positions. New York’s primary elections will be held on the 28th of April, 2020.
(In order of New Hampshire Primary Results)
Bernie Sanders
After making a huge splash in the 2016 primary race, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has found even greater success in 2020. While he did not win the most delegates in Iowa, he did win the most individual votes. In New Hampshire, he won both the most votes and delegates. These numbers make him the frontrunner in the race so far, but there are still 48 states to go. He represents a shift among younger voters who have more left-leaning positions and more engagement than ever before.
With the campaign slogan “Not me. Us,” Sanders promotes a mindset of unity. Sanders tends to go all-in with his policies, taking the spot as the most progressive of the candidates. As a self-described Democratic Socialist, he supports strong public programs such as Medicare for All and free tuition for public colleges. He is the only candidate who seeks to cancel all student debt. He also prioritizes climate policy with support for the Green New Deal.
Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg is the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He has also found success so far, winning the most delegates in Iowa and coming in second in New Hampshire. He is the youngest candidate and would be the youngest president in U.S. history if elected. He is also openly gay and married, making him the first LGBTQ+ candidate to win delegates in an American presidential race. Buttigieg has worked to connect with rural, traditionally conservative, parts of America.
Buttigieg is one of the more moderate options in this primary. While he supports the more general democratic platforms, such as raising the federal minimum wage to $15 and lowering income inequality, he does not move very far left in other areas. He opposes Medicare for All in favor of a public option. He also wants to cancel some — but not all — student debt and lower the cost of college, but not make it free.
Elizabeth Warren
The other more liberal candidate in this race is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Warren was a law professor for over 30 years before serving as Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel during the 2008 financial crisis. So far, she has had a middle-of-the-pack performance, winning third and fourth place in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively. Warren focuses on fighting for middle-class Americans.
Warren is closely aligned with Sanders as one of the more left-leaning candidates. One of Warren’s catchphrases is “I’ve got a plan for that,” and she is not kidding; Warren has released numerous detailed policy proposals over the course of her campaign. Her flagship policy is a tax on the wealthy that would pay for the social programs she also proposes. While she is one of the most progressive candidates by far, her policies are not quite as far left as Sanders’.
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar is a senator from Minnesota, and her career and campaign have been focused on bipartisan cooperation. As a senator, she focuses on issues with bipartisan support, and as a candidate, she does the same, with focus on her base in the Midwest — the Heartland. While she fell behind in Iowa, she surged up to third place in the New Hampshire primary.
Klobuchar is another moderate choice for the democratic candidate. Many of her policy proposals focus on expanding existing programs, which includes expanding Medicare only as a public option and seeking to expand debt relief programs without canceling debt outright. Her tendency to reach across the aisle makes her popular among voters looking for a “realistic” candidate and puts her close to the center of the political spectrum.
Joe Biden
Joe Biden was Obama’s vice president, and a senator from Delaware before that, making him the most experienced candidate in the race. Biden’s popularity surged before the primaries as he led in polls, however, he underperformed in the actual primary votes, only reaching fourth and fifth place in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively. Still, he has significant support from moderate Democrats and Republicans who do not want to vote for Trump.
Biden is arguably the most centrist candidate. While he also supports key Democrat tenets, such as a $15 per hour minimum wage and increased gun control, he differs from many of the other candidates with some of his policies, such as boosting military spending and decriminalizing, but not legalizing, marijuana. It is easy to draw similarities between Biden and Klobuchar in their policies on student debt, college costs, and expanding Medicaid without making it universal.
