2020 Democrats: Who has the best chance?

After taking the House of Representatives in November of 2018, the Democrats are fired up for the 2020 US Presidential Election. With new found energy for potentially taking back the White House, many Democrats have already thrown their hat in the ring. As of now, there are 8 people officially running for the Democratic nomination: Senator Elizabeth Warren, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, Senator Kamala Harris, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, Representative John Delaney, Senator Kristin Gilibrand, small town Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang. On top of that, some big name Democrats are likely to announce their candidacy soon, such as former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Of all these candidates, there are 5 in particular that have the best shot at achieving the Democratic nomination for various reasons. So without further ado, let’s look into these 2020 candidates.

Elizabeth Warren has become a rising star within the Democratic Party ever since she was elected by the citizens of Massachusetts to the US Senate. Warren has made her presence known by slamming Wall Street Banks and supporting various populist-progressive policies. Due to her very progressive platform, members of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Justice Democrats organizations have significant support towards her. While she is usually in line with the left wing Democrats, foreign policy is where she breaks rank. According to her voting record, Warren is much more of a war hawk than other progressives. For instance, she voted yes for Trump’s extremely increased military budget for the 2018 fiscal year and supported intervention in Syria. Overall, Elizabeth Warren is a strong candidate, but she still has a few shortcomings that could hurt her in the primary.

Next up, we have the ultimate underdog in the race- Tulsi Gabbard, a US Representative from Hawaii. Just like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Gabbard is a hardline progressive. She is unapologetically supports Medicare for all (Government run healthcare), a 15 dollar minimum wage, free college tuition, and pulling out of US interventions. While she does support various progressive goals, her main focus is foreign policy. Gabbard has been a consistent critic of US interventions such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and our various drone campaigns in foreign countries. She has criticized these wars as having no goals in sight and costing too much for the American people. Gabbard is a combat veteran, so she herself has seen the horror of war and knows what the American troops overseas are going through. However, she does have a history of supporting gay conversion therapy before she got into office. This could possibly hurt her chances with the LGBT community; a centerpiece of the Democratic party. Other than that, one can easily see that she is very vibrant and passionate about her positions, which will only help her in the primary, as the voters won’t think she is beating around the bush. All in all, Tulsi Gabbard will be able to bring new, bright energy to the Democratic Primary.

On the opposite side of the left wing spectrum, we have Kamala Harris. Harris was the former Attorney General of California and is now a senator from the state. Her position as attorney general reflects her policy choices, as she is very by the books and pro law enforcement. This serves as a detriment to her, as she contradicts standard left wing policies like having body cameras on police officers, which she does not support. However, Harris is popular within the establishment Democrat circles. This serves to her advantage in the primary, as she will likely take most of the super-delegates, just like Hillary Clinton did in 2016. In a certain way, Harris is much like Obama; she is young (for a politician), energetic, and is a smooth talker that can come off as relatable. While she is not as progressive as other candidates, she has the political capital to potentially win the nomination.

One of the more recognizable names that is likely to be in the race is former Vice President Joe Biden. In an era where quite a few moderate Democrats long for the days of Obama to come back, Biden would be a godsend. As for his policy positions, Biden is much like Kamala Harris in that he is a very moderate Democrat. This will likely hurt him in the primary, as the Democratic base is moving further to the left. However, Biden has the most name recognition of anyone in the race, giving him a large starting advantage over the others. To be summed up, Biden’s performance will likely be based on how fond the party is of Obama in this current day and age.

Last but not least, there is Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders made his prime time appearance in the 2016 Democratic primary when he dared to challenge Hillary Clinton. During his bid for president, Sanders brought progressive policies front and center for the Democratic Party. His candidacy made the Democratic establishment hate him, as he was seen as part of the reason Clinton lost in the general. However, Sanders still remains popular in the eyes of the democratic base. Unlike Warren, he wears his progressive policies on his sleeve and is unapologetic in his beliefs. According to a Gallup poll, Sanders remains one of the most popular politicians in the country, which will definitely boost his status in the 2020 Democratic Primary.

Without a doubt, the 2020 Democratic Primary will be extremely contentious, as there are many candidates running. There will be many different opinions on the debate stage which will lead to very interesting exchanges between the candidates. While we can predict who will do well, there’s no telling exactly how the people will vote, so now it’s time to wait and see.