17 Democrats | 2 Republicans | Who will the United States choose to reside in the White House in 2020.
Most come from political arenas, though there are some outliers with backgrounds in business and self-help writing.
19 people have announced that they are running for the Oval Office in 2020.
Here are all the nominees.
TIM RYAN
U.S. congressman from Ohio
Age: 45 | Candidacy announced: April 4, 2019
Tim Ryan is a working-class champion who is a nine-term congressman from the battleground state Ohio who has been able to resonate with the blue-collar voters who sided with Trump in 2016. He has been rallying the claim that Trump ‘turned his back’ on the vote-bank and came short on his pledge to reinvigorate the manufacturing industry.
The moderate democrat promises jobs creation in new technologies, enhanced focus on public education and affordable healthcare. Ryan came to the fore on the national scale when he made the unsuccessful attempt to depose Nancy Pelosi as the House Democratic leader in 2016, advocating that it was time for new leadership.
WAYNE MESSAM
Mayor of the Miami suburb of Miramar
Age: 44 | Candidacy announced: March 28, 2019
Wayne Messam ended the 16-year reign of Lori Cohen Moseley in 2015 to emerge as the first black mayor of the Miami suburb Miramar. Born to Jamaican immigrants, he was on the Florida State University’s 1993 national championship team, before starting a construction business with his wife.
He was re-elected in March as Mayor. Messam’s promises include reducing gun violence, mitigating climate change, reducing student loan debt and the cost of healthcare.
BETO O’ROURKE
Former U.S. congressman from Texas
Age: 46 | Candidacy announced: March 14, 2019
Beto O’Rourke has been a three-term Texas congressman in the past and gained national fame last year for record fundraising and ability to draw crowds before narrowly losing to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate race.
With the Democrats focusing on progressive policies and diversity at the forefront of the nominating game, O’Rourke faces a tough challenge being a wealthy white man who is more moderate on several key issues than many in the race.
JOHN HICKENLOOPER
Former Governor of Colorado
Age: 67 | Candidacy announced: March 4, 2019
Colorado’s former governor has solidified his position as a centrist and experienced politician with business expertise. The only Democratic presidential candidate not in favour of the Green New Deal plan to tackle climate change – he says it gives too much power to the government in investment decisions.
During his two terms in office, Colorado’s economy boomed and the Western state expanded healthcare, passed a gun control law and legalized marijuana.
JAY INSLEE
Governor of Washington state
Age: 68 | Candidacy announced: March 1, 2019
Washington governor Jay Inslee is basing him campaign run of fighting climate change. As governor, he moved to get capital punishment receded. He also rallied hard for the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare, and with it the expansion of Medicaid health coverage for poor.
His stance of ‘Medicare for All’ is still not clear but is behind the progressive democrats backed Green New Deal. Inslee was a 15-year Congressman before being elected governor in 2012.
BERNIE SANDERS
U.S. Senator from Vermont
Age: 77 | Candidacy announced: Feb. 19, 2019
The grand old man of progressive politicians, Bernie Sanders lost the presidential nomination race in 2016 to Hillary Clinton but the Senator from Vermont is hoping for a change in fortunes this time.
But in 2020, Sanders is up against a packed field of progressives advocating issues brought to the fore by him in Democratic mainstream narrative four years ago. Sanders pledges include free tuition at public colleges, a $15 minimum wage and universal healthcare. He is reaching out to black and Hispanic leaders this time after failing to win them over in 2016.
WILLIAM WELD
Former Governor of Massachusetts
Age: 73 | Candidacy announced: Feb. 15, 2019
The former governor with not a big national reputation have to rely on raising loads of money for his campaign to be even in the race. Weld is the internal rival for Trump, trying to deny the President a second Republican nomination, though it’s a long-shot.
In 2016, Weld was the presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party but returned to the Republican Party fold this year. Weld is a prominent critic of Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency on the border security issue, claiming it showed his readiness to divide the country. Weld is now raising voice against Trump’s economic policies with the U.S. budget deficits reaching nearly $1 trillion a year.
AMY KLOBUCHAR
U.S. Senator from Minnesota
Age: 58 | Candidacy announced: Feb. 10, 2019
The Minnesota senator in her third-term was the first Democratic moderate who entered the field to challenge Trump. Klobuchar gained national prominence in 2018 when she took on Brett Kavanaugh during hearings for his Supreme Court nomination. Klobuchar is a former prosecutor and corporate attorney whose campaign promises include alternative to traditional Medicare funding and a tough stance against rising prescription drug prices.
Klobuchar came under criticism for her leadership skills when news houses reported that her Senate office staff were asked to do personal tasks, which deterred high-level campaign strategists joining her.
ELIZABETH WARREN
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
Age: 69 | Candidacy announced: Feb. 9, 2019
Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren is a leader of the liberal democrats, a fierce Wall Street critic who played a big role in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She is running her presidential campaign based on her populist economic message, pledging to fight what she calls a rigged economic system favouring the wealthy.
Her other proposals include eliminating the Electoral College. She has sworn to stand against Amazon, Google and Facebook, and cut the cord on political fundraising events to fund her bid.
TULSI GABBARD
U.S. Congresswoman from Hawaii
Age: 37 | Candidacy announced: Feb. 2, 2019
Tulsi Gabbard is a Samoan-American from Hawaii and an Iraq war veteran. She is the first Hindu to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was forced to make an apology for her past views on same-sex marriage, drafting relevant legislation for her father’s anti-gay advocacy group.
Gabbard has criticized U.S. intervention in Syria and slammed Trump for still backing Saudi Arabia after the state was involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Tulsi was one of Bernie Sanders’s supporters during 2016 presidential run.
CORY BOOKER
U.S. Senator from New Jersey
Age: 49 | Candidacy announced: Feb. 1, 2019
Cory Booker came to national attention after making it extremely tough for Brett Kavanaugh to defend himself during his Supreme Court nomination. His campaign focus is U.S. race relations and racial disparities.
Booker has well-publicized the impact of discrimination on his family. He endorses progressive positions on Medicare coverage for everyone, supports the Green New Deal and other key issues.
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
New Age Inspirational Author
Age: 66 |Candidacy announced: Jan. 28, 2019
Marianne Williamson is a NY Times best-selling author and motivational speaker. The Texas-native opines that her spirituality-focused campaign can heal America. She came to the fame as a “spiritual guide” for Hollywood and a self-help expert after appearing in a 1992 interview on Oprah Winfrey’s show.
Williamson is proposed for $100 billion in reparations for slavery over 10 years, gun control, education reform and equal rights for LGBT communities. She made an unsuccessful attempt for a House seat in California as an independent candidate in 2014.
KAMALA HARRIS
U.S. Senator from California
Age: 54 | Candidacy announced: Jan. 27, 2019
Kamala Harris is all set to make history as the first black woman to win presidential nomination. The First-term California senator Harris is the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India. She backs a middle-class tax credit, Medicare for All healthcare funding reform, the Green New Deal and the legalization of marijuana.
With the Democratic Party experiencing a shift on criminal justice issues in recent years, Harris’ track record as San Francisco’s district attorney and California’s attorney general has come under scrutiny.
PETE BUTTIGIEG
Mayor of South Bend, Indiana
Age: 37 | Candidacy announced: Jan. 23, 2019
A dark horse till now, 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana is fast rising from his underdog status to build reputation with young voters. Pete is a Harvard graduate and Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford.
He served in Afghanistan with the U.S. Navy Reserve and speaks seven languages. He positions his candidacy as representing a new generation of leadership needed to fight Trump. Buttigieg would be the first openly gay presidential nominee of a major American political party.
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND
U.S. Senator from New York
Age: 52 |Candidacy announced: Jan. 15, 2019
A moderate from when she was congresswoman from upstate New York, Gillibrand has rebranded herself as a staunch progressive. She calls for strict gun laws and supporting the Green New Deal. The New York senator has led efforts to address sexual assault in the military and on college campuses.
She also pushed for Congress to improve its own handling of sexual misconduct allegations. Gillibrand has made fiery denunciations of Trump during the campaign trail. Gillibrand has upped her ante her rivals by releasing her tax returns from 2007 through 2018, offering the most comprehensive look to date at the finances of a 2020 candidate.
JULIAN CASTRO
Former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas
Age: 44 | Candidacy announced: Jan. 12, 2019
Castro is another candidate who might make history becoming the first Hispanic to win a major U.S. party’s presidential nomination. The former secretary of housing and urban development under President Barack Obama, Castro used his family’s personal experiences to criticize Trump’s border policies. Castro proposals include a universal pre-kindergarten program, and Medicare for All.
He cites his experience to push for affordable housing. Castro has served as mayor and a city councilman in his hometown of San Antonio where he announced his bid for 2020. He has a twin brother, Joaquin Castro, who is a Democratic congressman from Texas.
ANDREW YANG
Entrepreneur
Age: 44 | Candidacy announced: Nov. 6, 2017
Yang is an entrepreneur and former tech executive whose campaign is based on an ambitious universal income plan. Yang’s vision is to ensure all American citizens between the ages of 18 and 64 get a $1,000 check every month.
Yang’s proposals include Medicare for All and a new form of capitalism that is “human-centered.” He is the son of immigrants from Taiwan and lives in New York.
JOHN DELANEY
Former U.S. Congressman from Maryland
Age: 55 | Candidacy announced: July 1, 2017
Former congressman from Maryland, Delaney has said that he will focus on advancing only bipartisan bills during the first 100 days of his presidency, if elected.
He supports a universal healthcare system, is pushing for raising the federal minimum wage and advocates passing gun safety legislation.
DONALD TRUMP
Current U.S. president (incumbent)
Age: 72 | Candidacy announced: Jan. 20, 2017
Trump is asking voters to reward him with a second four-year term in office based on the argument of a robust economy and low unemployment rate. The incumbent President’s first term focused on issues such as immigration, border security, international trade and tax rates.
Chris Jackson, a pollster for Ipsos, which conducts polls with Reuters, stated that Trump looks to be in a strong position for re-election at this point with his approval rating hovering between 40 and 45 percent. Trump’s still holds a solid influence among Republican voters.
