6 Democratic Presidential Candidates For 2020 And What You Need To Know About Them | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

6 Democratic Presidential Candidates For 2020 And What You Need To Know About Them

There may be a lot more to come!

285
6 Democratic Presidential Candidates For 2020 And What You Need To Know About Them

While there have been dozens of people who have filed to run for president, some as early as the day Donald Trump was elected, here are the most prominent candidates who have officially announced their candidacy.

1. Julian Castro (D)

c1.staticflickr.com


Julian Castro served as mayor to San Antonio, Texas and as Secretary of Housing and Development under President Barack Obama. He was the youngest cabinet member during his time as Secretary of Housing and Development. Castro was also the first Hispanic to ever deliver the keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Julian Castro published his memoir titled "An Unlikely Journey: Waking up from my American Dream" on October 16th, 2018, and rumors began circulating of his possible run for president. He had already been considered as a potential vice president in 2016 under Hillary Clinton making his 2020 run more likely.

Following the release of his book, he began alluding to his potential run, saying on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he would be announcing his candidacy soon. He officially announced that he would be running for president in 2020 in a statement released on January 12, 2019.

2. John Delaney (D)

upload.wikimedia.org

John Delaney started out as a businessman but transitioned into politics in 2012 when he ran for Congress after a redistricting in Maryland led to a possible lean in the favor of Democrats in district 6. He won in 2012 and also won his reelection campaigns in 2014 and 2016.

Often described as a moderate Democrat, Delaney sees himself as progressive in some areas and moderate in others. He did, however, receive a perfect score of 100 from the Human Rights Campaign due to his continued support and push for equality focused legislation. He became the first candidate to officially announce their run for President of the United States in July of 2017, mere months after Donald Trump was elected.

3. Tulsi Gabbard (D)

upload.wikimedia.org

Tulsi Gabbard has been involved in public service since 2002 when she was elected the representative of the 42nd district of the Hawaii House of Representatives. She ran for re-election but ended up resigning to instead volunteer with the Army National Guard for service in Iraq. She returned home and ran for the Honolulu City Council in 2009, eventually running and winning a seat in the House of Representatives in 2012. She was re-elected in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

On February 28, 2016, Gabbard stepped down as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and became the first female U.S. Representative to endorse Bernie Sanders. She supports tuition-free colleges as well as Universal Health Care.

She has faced criticism for an "unplanned" meeting with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in 2017, as well as her previous opposition to same-sex marriage. She has since apologized and come out in support of same-sex marriage. She confirmed on January 11 that she would be running in the 2020 Presidential election.

4. Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

upload.wikimedia.org

Kirsten Gillibrand began her law career in 1991 and would work on Hillary Clintons 2000 U.S. Senate campaign. In 2006 she ran for the House of Representatives and won reelection in 2008. Kirsten was appointed senator upon Hillary Clinton becoming Secretary of State for the Obama administration and won the right to finish the term in a 2010 election. She sought and won 6-year-term reelections in both 2012 and 2018.

Gillibrands positions have become steadily more liberal since joining the U.S. Senate. She is a strong supporter of abortion rights, same-sex marriage and co-sponsored Bernie Sanders Medicare-for-all bill. Although she has not officially announced her bid for the 2020 Presidential election, Kirsten Gillibrand has announced that she has formed an exploratory committee.

5. Kamala Harris (D)

upload.wikimedia.org

Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California and has served as the junior U.S. Senator for California since 2017. She began as an attorney and served as District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2010 and as Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017.

Her political positions are considered progressive as she has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood Action Fund, supports removing Marijuana's status as a schedule 1 drug, opposes the death penalty and co-sponsored the Medicare-for-all bill proposed by Bernie Sanders. She also developed the Environmental Justice Unit while she was San Francisco's District Attorney and advocates for the enforcement of environmental laws.

On Monday, January 21, 2019, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, she announced that she would be running for President in the 2020 election. Should she win she would be not only the first woman but also first woman of color, to serve the country as President.

6. Richard Ojeda (D)

prnewswire2-a.akamaihd.net

Retired Army Major, Richard Ojeda, served in the United States Army for 24 years before retiring. After his retirement he became an ROTC instructor from 2013 until 2017 when his Senate duties became too time-consuming.

He began his career in politics in 2014 when he ran for Congress, however, he lost to the incumbent. In 2016 he ran for Senate and won. In 2018 he ran for Congress again but lost after a visit from Donald Trump who mocked Ojeda on the campaign trail.

Richard Ojeda voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but has stated he regrets his decision to do so. He supports Medicare-for-all and the legalization of marijuana but considers himself moderate in most of his views. Earlier this year he traveled to California for the LA teachers strike and has organized many in his own state of West Virginia. He announced his run for President in November 2018.

While it may seem that we're still a long ways away from the next election, it's important to start listening now. Keep your eyes peeled for more candidacy announcements and learn everything you can before making any decisions on the matter. Our voices determine our future!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

355
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

1713
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2428
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments