Disclaimer: this blog is political. opinions expressed are my own.

 

We are in the midst of an election year, and there are currently 8 candidates deemed major by recognized news sources (and Wikipedia). Of this 8, I believe there to be 6 candidates who have a real shot of capturing the Democratic Nomination in July, and they most recently participated in the Nevada Democratic Debate on February 19th.

Below, some of my thoughts and opinions on these six candidates, listed in order of podium appearance.

 

Mike Bloomberg

Former Mayor of New York

What I think of him:

Overall, I think Bloomberg’s uniqueness as a political figure is a key asset for him in the campaign for the nomination, along with the fact that he has sixty billion dollars to spend on advertising, which I have experienced quite a bit. I have seen Bloomberg’s advertisements before countless YouTube videos, on television, and even in the radio in the car. His ads are effective, and I see the appeal that he has for many voters. However, upon seeing his debate performance and having light shed upon his past non-disclosure agreement, his case to be President weakened.

His chances:

Bloomberg is not going anywhere. He has the money to keep going in the race, and he is currently polling in third nationally. There is a path to the nomination for him.

 

Elizabeth Warren

Senator for Massachusetts

My thoughts:

I worry about Warren’s electability and do not see a clear case for her. I do like some of her ideas but I also fear that some of her agenda would be used by Trump to scare his base. She is the other clear liberal in the race, along with Bernie Sanders, but has not been as successful as Sanders in capturing support lately. The best move for her may be to drop out and endorse Bernie if she wants a liberal agenda.

Her chances:

While Warren once enjoyed higher poll numbers, she is now in fourth place nationally at about 13%. Unless things change drastically among the preferences of liberal voters, it is hard to see her overcoming the other candidates and becoming the nominee.

 

Bernie Sanders

Senator for Vermont

My thoughts:

I like the guy. He is a clear unflinching democratic socialist, and although some of his policies may be controversial, he has been effective in marketing them and winning over voters. He has a lot of energy, has stayed consistent, and presents himself as a better choice than Trump. I have also seen Bernie Sanders speak in person when I was a sophomore at an event at NCHS, so I am likely biased from that.

His chances:

Bernie is the current frontrunner, leading the national polls and being the only candidate to have decisively won the primary. His path to the nomination is there, but could change.

 

Joe Biden

Former Vice President

My thoughts:

I like the fact that he was Obama’s Vice President and do think he would be effective in battling Trump for the Presidency, but he has underperformed and his electability argument is weakening. Still, I would say I support Biden the most out of the other candidates right now.

His chances:

Biden’s once strong status as the frontrunner is gone. If he wins South Carolina, he may have a chance to claw back to the top against Sanders, but his chances aren’t looking as good as before.

 

Pete Buttigieg

Former Mayor of South Bend

My thoughts:

Pete seems a little arrogant and I don’t really like how much money he gets from really rich people. Still, he’s clearly charismatic and talented and absolutely has made a name for himself. I do think it’s really good that a gay candidate is able to do so well in the primary this far.

His chances:

Pete is actually leading in delegate count right now, narrowly edging out Sanders by a single delegate. For Buttigieg to actually have a shot at the nomination, he needs to do better with nonwhite voters and increase his national polling, which is around 10%.

 

Amy Klobuchar

Senator for Minnesota

My thoughts:

I underestimated Klobuchar. She did suprisingly well in the NH primary and has more delegates and popular votes so far than Joe Biden. I don’t really know all that much about her but she has made it this far in a race that has not payed attention to her as it has other candidates. Kudos for that.

Her chances:

The moderate lane is taken by Biden and Bloomberg as well as Klobuchar, who would really need to erode their support to have any real shot at the nomination. It doesn’t look likely for Klobuchar at this point, but she has (and perhaps will) stay in the race to defy our expectations.

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Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/politics/2020-presidential-candidates.html