A guide to help make sense of the current presidential race.

Even though the Presidential election isn’t until next year, an intense political storm is already forming.  With more than 20 candidates making a bid for the presidency, it can be confusing to figure out just who is running for president, and what they’re goals are if elected.  This list encompasses all the major players running for president, (both Republican and Democrat), and the goals they promise to keep if they win.  

While the most obvious nominee for the Republicans’ 2020 presidential bid is President Donald Trump, there are several other Republicans who have decided to run against him.  Featured below are all the presidential bids announced by Republican politicians.  

Donald Trump (R-Incumbent President):  

President Donald Trump officially filed for a re-election bid on the day he was inaugurated into office on Jan 20, 2017.  Trump has vowed to “Keep America Great,” a nod to his original campaign slogan, “Make America Great.” His official campaign website says that “[they] must keep fighting the media, Democrats, and the special interests that thrive off the swamp.”  

Mark Sanford (R):

Formerly a representative from South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House, Sanford announced his bid for the presidency on Sept 8, 2019.  According to his official website, “The purpose of this campaign is to spark a needed conversation as Republicans on what it means to be a Republican, and a larger national debate on why spending and debt, our American institutions – and civility and humility should still matter in politics.”

Bill Weld (R):

Bill Weld, the Republican governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997, has stated that he was motivated to run based on his own criticisms of President Donald Trump’s personality and economic policies.  According to a quote Weld made in Feb of 2019, he said he would “not sit quietly on the sidelines any longer while our President praises despotic leaders, insults democratic allies, unravels arms control agreements and rails against the rule of law.”

Joe Walsh (R):

Another former representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, he served for Illinois’ 9th congressional district from 2011 to 2013.  Walsh is running over his dissatisfaction with President Trump’s policies, specifically on Chinese tariffs and his use of his executive power.  

Since there are 19 Democrats running for office, it would be too long of an article to profile all of them.  For the sake of length, the ten Democrats who will be written about in this article will be the ones that qualified for the Third Presidential Democratic Debate, which was hosted on September 12 at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas.  

Joe Biden (D):

The most prominent Democrat running for office is former Vice President Joe Biden, who served under President Barack Obama (D) from 2009 to 2017.  Biden also served in the U.S. Senate representing Delaware from 1973 to 2009. This is Biden’s third time running for the presidency, but Biden said he ran again because he believes that “history will look back on [the] four years of this president and all [the president] embraces as an aberrant moment in time…and [he couldn’t] stand by and watch that happen.” 

Pete Buttigieg (D):

Currently the mayor of the city of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg announced his run for office on Jan 23, 2019.  One of the youngest politicians running for president, Buttigieg has decided to focus on the global economy, climate change, and other social issues.  Buttigieg explained why he was running for president saying, “I am running because…when I get to the current age of the current President in the year 2055 I want to be able to look back on these years and save my generation delivered climate solutions, racial equality and an end to endless war.”

Kamala Harris (D):

One of the current members of the U.S. Senate for California, Kamala Harris also served as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and the district attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.  Harris said from a quote taken from Jan of 2019 that “[She] feel[s] very confident about [her] ability to listen and to work on behalf of the American public…[she is] prepared to do that.”

Bernie Sanders (D):

While currently serving as an Independent member for Vermont in the U.S. Senate, Bernie Sanders has sided with the Democratic Party for his run in the 2020 election.  Sanders also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991-2007, and as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont from 1981 to 1989. As Sanders said, “[his] campaign is about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.”

Elizabeth Warren (D):

Elizabeth Warren has been serving in the U.S. Senate for Massachusetts since 2013.  Warren declared her candidacy on Feb 9, 2019, and has centered her campaign on issues with the economy, such as Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and student loan debt relief.  According to Warren, “Every person in America should be able to work hard, play by the same set of rules, & take care of themselves and the people they love. That’s what I’m fighting for, & that’s why I’m launching an exploratory committee for president.”

Cory Booker (D):

Cory Booker, a Senator for New Jersey in the U.S. Senate, has also served as the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey from 2006 to 2013.  Booker’s policies include proposals on gun violence prevention, housing affordability, and immigration detention. In February of 2019 Booker said, “I believe we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind. Together, we will channel our common pain back into our common purpose. Together, America, we will rise.”