This story is covering an ongoing event and will be updated as more candidates continue to enter the race.
By Colin Watamura and Helen Webb
As 2020 approaches and Donald Trump nears the end of his first term, many Democrats are eager to replace him as the president of the United States while Republicans seek to protect their executive power through a second term. Nine Democrats have entered the race thus far and more are likely to join. Read more about each of the current candidates below.
Julian Castro
Julian Castro hails from San Antonio, Texas where he served as mayor from 2009 until 2014 when he joined the Obama Cabinet. Having served as the 16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Castro was the youngest of the Obama Cabinet and was even speculated as a possible running mate for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign. Castro has been critical of President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and works with companies to help them transition to renewable energy. Castro has also advocated for the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, LGBT rights, and free trade. In 2016, the Office of Special Council found that Castro had violated the Hatch act by discussing the Clinton Campaign with the HUD seal behind him. Castro believed that a disclaimer was required by the Hatch Act but assumed responsibility for his actions. Read more about Castro here.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris served as the District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011 and Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017, now serving as a California senator. As District Attorney of San Francisco, Harris created a special Hate Crimes Unit focusing on attacks against LGBT children. Harris seeks to decriminalize marijuana, has stood firm in her pro-choice policy, and has advocated from environmental protection laws. Harris has also been openly critical of the ongoing government shutdown and has publicly advocated for federal workers currently living without pay. Some have been critical of Harris for her controversial record on criminal justice, which some have called more conservative in nature. Harris has also been criticized for her support of the Israeli government. Read more about Harris here.
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren currently serves as a senator in Massachusetts where she has served since 2013. She served as the Special Advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for the Obama Administration from 2010 to 2011. She has called to abolish ICE and believes U.S. troops should be gradually removed from Syria, though like Castro, Warren was critical of Trump’s approach to the withdrawal. Warren notably clashed with the president when he asked her to prove her native American ancestry via a DNA test. Though condemned by the Cherokee Nation, Warren took the DNA test which strongly supported the existence of a native American ancestor from roughly 6 to 10 generations ago. Though Warren does not claim to be a person of color or identify with a tribe, she says Republicans focused on this part of her history. The president came under fire for what some believe to be the use of racial slurs against Warren, including “Pocahontas”. Read more about Warren here.
Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard represents Hawaii’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gabbard served as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee until 2016 when she resigned to endorse Bernie Sanders. Gabbard is the first Samoan-American and first Hindu member of Congress. Gabbard supports an increase in the minimum wage and tuition-free community college for all Americans. Her foreign policy advocates for a strong U.S.-India relationship and condemns the removal of the Syrian president, who many have been critical of for alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians. Gabbard had done previous work with anti-gay advocacy groups but changed her position to support gay rights in 2012 and has since apologized for her work with the aforementioned groups. Read more about Gabbard here.
Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Gillibrand has been a New York senator since 2009 and previously served in the House of Representatives from 2007 until the beginning of her Senate appointment. Gillibrand worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign and for the Department of Housing and Urban development. As a senator, Gillibrand has been vocal against sexual harassment and assault within the military and has been critical even of fellow Democrats including Al Franken and Bill Clinton for sexual misconduct. As an advocate for single-payer health care, she aligns in that aspect closer to Sanders than to Clinton. Gillibrand was recently called out by Trevor Noah for her past ideology being similar to that of Donald Trump, who she claimed to be racist while her own similar ideology was just “unkind.” Gillibrand recently came out saying that people of color should not have to bear the burden of fighting racism alone and that white women also have a responsibility to amplify the voices of people of color. Read more about Gillibrand here.
Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang is a former tech executive who founded an economic development nonprofit. Yang is an entrepreneur with a strong understanding of the economy and what Americans need and what they can benefit from. He has made a huge influence in the media because of his awareness of tech issues like robots and artificial intelligence taking jobs from Americans. Yang’s signature issue that he plans to solve in the candidacy is establishing a universal basic income of $1,000 per month for all Americans paid for by a new tax on the companies benefiting most from automation. He believes we are going into a crisis that will need to work together fast for a resolution. Read more about Yang here.
Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg has been the mayor of South Bend, Indiana for 7 years. Buttigieg graduated from Harvard University and was also a war veteran in Afghanistan. He became known after writing an essay explaining how Democratic candidates can come back stronger after losing the election in 2016. Buttigieg believes he has a good chance in the election because he is appealing more to the youthful profile than the normal qualifications that the other candidates have. He is the youngest candidate so far in the election. He plans to create new policies to help issues like climate and economic opportunities. Buttigieg is an openly gay candidate and despite being the youngest candidate in the race, has transformed his “collapsing” hometown into a thriving unit. His approach has been described as “data-driven” and has gained national attention from high-profile Democrats who recognize potential presidential material. Read more about Buttigieg here.
Richard Ojeda
Richard Ojeda represented District 7 of the West Virginia State Senate from 2016 to 2019 when he resigned to run for president. Born in Rochester, Minnesota, Ojeda enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1989 where he served for 24 years. Ojeda gained national attention as a leading voice in the 2018 teacher protests that shut down schools in all 55 West Virginia counties in demand for better pay and reasonable health care costs. Ojeda’s presence in a heavily pro-Trump state has been characterized as a “one-man blue wave;” Politico’s Michael Kruse described him as a “JFK with tattoos and a bench press.” Though personally against abortion, Ojeda recognizes certain conditions in which he believes exceptions can be made. Ojeda supports government funding for the development of renewable energy as well as the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Ojeda recognizes the downsides of the Affordable Care Act but does not support repealing it. Read more about Ojeda here.
John Delaney
John Delaney is a Maryland politician who represented the state’s 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He describes himself as a “pragmatic idealist” and began campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2017. Delaney has been labeled as moderate, though he does not feel the description is exactly fitting. He sights people’s difficulty in labeling him as the result of sometimes being a “solutions-oriented moderate who wants to get things done,” while other times his ideology falls further down the spectrum of progressive and liberal ideology. Delaney is a pro-choice candidate and supports same-sex marriage. Delaney also received a 92% rating by the NAPO which is indicative of a tough-on-crime approach. The Maryland Democrat also supports restrictions on purchasing firearms and opposes repealing Obamacare. Delaney has been speculated as too moderate by some Democrats, leading them to consider him a long shot for the presidential race. Delaney rejects this notion and is confident in his ability to represent come 2020. Read more about Delaney here.
Several other Democrats are likely to enter the race, including Corey Booker, Beto O’Rourke, and former VP Joe Biden. The Gigantea will continue to update the list as more candidates enter the race.
EDIT: 2/1/19, 8:35 a.m.
Corey Booker
Corey Booker is the most recent Democrat to enter the 2020 presidential race. Booker has been a New Jersey Senator since 2013 and is the first African American Senator of New Jersey. His political career also extends back to 1998 when he served on the Newark City Council for the Central Ward and the mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. Described as a social liberal, Booker’s policy includes common sense gun reform and environmental policy that involves saving the environment while creating jobs and wealth. Booker also believes in helping drug addicts through treatment rather than prison sentences and supports accessible, legal abortion without restrictions. Booker has worked and continues to work in reducing racial tensions among the people he represents. A recent move by Booker against a proposal that aimed to lower the price of prescription drugs has resulted criticism from some Democrats. Walter Bragman of Paste Magazine wrote that the decision was “classic” of Booker, describing him as “stand out front on feel good social issues” and “[aligning] with big money everywhere else.” Read more about Booker here.
EDIT: 2/19/19, 12:57 p.m.
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williams is a spiritual teacher, activist, and author of 13 books, including 4 New York Times best sellers. Williamson ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat in California’s 33rd district as an Independent but will be running within the two-party system in 2020. While her political resume is brief, her work in social activism is conversely extensive. Williamson co-founded The Peace Alliance in 2004 to “cultivate conditions of peace” instead of waiting and dealing with violent eruptions as they occur, as described in an interview. Williamson also launched Project Angel Food, an initiative to bring meals to home-bound people with AIDS and other illnesses. In the winter of 2018, Williamson began her Love America Tour in which she works to close the gap between the general public and the political process, which she hopes will increase the public’s knowledge and awareness of issues that confront them in the present day. Both Democrats and Republicans have cited Williamson’s lack of political experience as grounds on which to seek alternative candidates. Read more about Williamson here.
Bill Weld
Bill (William) Weld has announced an exploratory committee in seeking the Republican nomination for presidency in 2020. Weld will run against Donald Trump as the only other Republican on the ballot. Previously Weld ran as the Vice President of the United States alongside Gary Johnson in 2016, but will run within the two-party system in 2020. As he is running against an incumbent, Weld’s odds are notably smaller: FiveThirtyEight reports that an incumbent has not lost a bid for renomination since 1884, and Trump’s high approval rating among his party gives him a larger pillow of comfort against Weld in 2020. Weld was nominated by Bill Clinton to serve as ambassador to Mexico in 1997, but he was never confirmed by the Senate. Weld served as the governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997, during which he approved the Massachusetts Education Reform Act (1993) which doubled funding for K-12 public education. Weld claims to be pro-choice, claims to be one of the most fiscally conservative governors, advocated gay rights and believes in protecting the environment through competition rather than regulation. Some believe that, while Weld claimed to advocate for reductions in government, his leadership led to an increase in bureaucratic power. Read more about Weld here.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders has re-entered the presidential pool for the Democratic nomination in 2020. Sanders gained a strong momentum in 2016, especially amongst the youth, as a hopeful against Hillary Clinton. Though he lost the nomination, Sanders has remained politically active and critical of the current administration. Sanders launched his campaign officially earlier this month. Sanders has served as a Senator in Vermont since 2007 and is the longest serving Independent in congressional history. Sanders is known for his efforts to raise the federal minimum wage requirements to $15/hour and his push for tuition-free community college for in-state students and tuition-free college at 4 year public colleges for students whose families earn less than $125,000 per year. Sanders boasts a 100% approval rating from both the NAACP and the NHLA as well as a D- from the NRA. Though the Senator has a long, complicated record on gun control, his most recent stance is undoubtedly in favor of tighter gun control restrictions. Though not directed at him personally, Sanders has faced backlash over sexual harassment allegations tied to his 2016 campaign. Read more about Sanders here.
Amy Klobuchar
“I come to this race ready to win, and if you don’t believe me, look at my record,” Klobuchar said during her first stop during her presidential campaign. Her campaign announcement made headlines after she launched her presidential bid to a crowd of Democrats with dense snow piling around them. Klobuchar has served as a senator in Minnesota since 2006 and previously served as the Hennepin County Attorney. She is a key member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party which boasts a “rich history of electing strong, progressive leaders to public office.” Klobuchar has signed multiple pieces of legislation aimed at stopping human trafficking and has an F rating from the NRA for supporting gun control legislation. She opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which she felt was not in the best interest of American workers. Klobuchar has worked in the interest of LGBT rights and said that she would vote on the Green New Deal if it came up in Senate. Buzzfeed News recently reported that four former Klobuchar staffers claimed her behavior “regularly left employees in tears.” Read more about Klobuchar here.
Colin Watamura
Tags: 2020, abortion, amy klobuchar, andrew yang, bernie sanders, corey booker, democratic farmer labor party, democratic nominees, democrats, donald trump, elizabeth warren, health care, independent, joe biden, john delaney, julian castro, kamala harris, kirsten gillibrand, lgbt, love america tour, marianne williamson, massachusetts, nhla, obamacare, pete buttigieg, presidential campaign, republicans, richard ojeda, the peace alliance, tulsi gabbard, vermont, william weld
