Here's Who You Should Vote for in 2020, Based on the Things You Care About Most
The pool of 2020 presidential nominees already includes an array of diverse people-from high profile politicians to relatively unknown entrepreneurs-and though many of their policy proposals are similar, they all come with unique ideas and passions.
With so many options, it can be hard to decide who to vote for. So, we've compiled a comprehensive guide to the presidential hopefuls, based on the issues you care about most.
Here's who to vote for if...
You want Medicare-for-all
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (D) is officially running to become the Democratic presidential nominee again. He is a self-described "democratic socialist," explaining his political philosophy in a 2015 interview as creating "an economy that works for all, not just the very wealthy. Democratic socialism means that we must reform a political system in America today which is not only grossly unfair but, in many respects, corrupt."
His top policy goals include Medicare-for-all, free public college, and a $15 per hour minimum wage-but out of the other Democratic candidates, Sanders would perhaps bring the biggest change to businesses and upperclass Americans. He has pointedly criticized Wall Street for years, and slammed the Republican tax plan passed in December 2017.
For more on Sanders, here's our guide to his stance on eight important issues.
You want a return to Obama-era centrism
At her kickoff speech on a snow-covered stage in Minneapolis, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) promised to reinstate Obama-era climate rule. On her first day in office, she said, the United States would rejoin the Paris climate agreement. Klobuchar also told the crowd that she has a plan to automatically register people to vote when they turn 18, and she pledged to expand laws protecting online privacy.
Klobuchar believes tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Twitter are infringing on privacy rights and wants to curtail their power, so consider giving her your vote if privacy is one of your core issues.
“We need to put some digital rules into law when it comes to people’s privacy. For too long the big tech companies have been telling you ‘Don’t worry! We’ve got your back!’ while your identities are being stolen and your data is mined,” she said during her campaign launch speech in February. “Our laws need to be as sophisticated as the people who are breaking them.”
For more on Klobuchar, here's our guide to her stance on eight important issues.
You want a federally-funded savings accounts for every American child
It may sound strange, but New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (D), the famed Newark mayor and a former firefighter, has introduced a bill that would create a federally-funded savings account for every American child. According to Vox, the "baby bonds" offer newborns $1,000, and then add up to $2,000 annually for kids in low-income households. He's also for a federal jobs guarantee, Medicare-for-all, and combating the affordable housing crisis.
For more on Booker, here's our guide to his stance on eight important issues.
You're a fan of 'inter-generational justice'
Pete Buttigieg (D), the mayor of South Bend and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, told NPR that the 2020 election should be focused on what he calls "inter-generational justice." According to The New Yorker, it means that he believes millennials will suffer from their elders’ short-term actions on climate change and economics, among other issues.
"We have got to change the trajectory that we're on so that mine is not the first generation to be worse off economically than my parents' was," Buttigieg said. "If there's one center of gravity to all of it, I think it's this question of the future."
If he secures the nomination, he'll be the first openly gay presidential nominee from a major party.
You want universal pre-kindergarten
Former San Antonio mayor Julián Castro (D), who served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama, promised to pursue “pre-K for the USA” as one of his first policy proposals.
Castro, the grandson of an immigrant, also supports comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, for many of the estimated 11 million undocumented people nationwide.
You're for universal paid family leave
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) is running her campaign on the message that women are the future of the Democratic Party. She's a #MeToo advocate and is known for her crackdown on sexual assault in the military. She supports universal paid family leave and has repeatedly introduced a bill called The FAMILY Act, which would provide 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents.
For more on Gillibrand, here's our guide to her stance on eight important issues.
You want the government to address unaffordable housing costs
California Sen. Kamala Harris (D), the former California attorney general, is shaping up to be a front-runner in the bid for the Democratic nominee and she's proposing billions in tax credits to low-income renters. In 2018, Harris proposed legislation to combat rising rents in major U.S. cities. The plan would give tax credits to renters who make under $100,000 a year and spend 30 percent of their income on rent.
One of her other central policies proposals is Medicare-for-all. If she secures the nomination, she'll be the first African American woman to be a major party's pick for president.
For more on Harris, here's our guide to her stance on eight important issues.
You want political bipartisanship
Former Maryland Congressman John Delaney (D) was the first Democrat to announce a run for president, back in July 2017. He said that, if elected, he will only pursue policies that have support of both political parties.
"One of the things I've pledged is in my first hundred days, only to do bipartisan proposals," he said on This Week. "Wouldn't it be amazing if a president looked at the American people at the inauguration and said, ‘I represent every one of you, whether you voted for me or not ,and this is how I'm going to prove it.'”
You want a change in military strategy
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D), an Iraq War veteran, is speaking out about the nation's military, most recently against regime-change wars, which she's made a central part of her foreign policy platform. At an event in Iowa City, she said that increasing tensions with Russia, China, and North Korea open the door to nuclear war and other dangers.
She's also endorsed Medicare for all, improving immigration, and ending government shutdowns.
You want to tax the rich
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) is rallying supporters behind her signature proposal, a wealth tax on the rich. She wants an annual charge of 2 percent on the holdings of people with more than $50 million in assets and to have billionaires subject to a 3 percent tax, to “make sure rich people start doing their part for the country," according to The Washington Post.
Just a few weeks after announcing her 2020 presidential bid, she also revealed her proposal for a universal child care program that would support 12 million kids, according to The Wall Street Journal. Warren wrote about her own struggles finding child care when she was a working mom with two little kids, writing on Medium, "Today, in more than half the states in the country, a year of child care costs more than a year of in-state college tuition. We’re placing a huge financial burden on working families looking to find a safe and nurturing place for their kids."
For more on Warren, here's our guide to her stance on eight important issues.
You're looking for an Oprah-approved candidate
Marianne Williamson (D) is a self-proclaimed "bitch for God" and spiritual advisor to Oprah.
Our guide to Williamson can be found, here.
You believe in a universal basic income
Andrew Yang (D) is an entrepreneur and seasoned businessman who was named a Champion of Change by the Obama White House in 2012. In 2015 he was made a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. Yang has been pushing his proposal for a universal basic income of $1,000 for all Americans over the age of 18.
You care about climate change
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is focusing his platform on environmental issues and climate change threats. In his announcement video, Inslee declared, "Our country's next mission must be to rise up to the most urgent challenge of our time: defeating climate change."
You're satisfied with the country's current political climate
Vote for President Donald Trump (R) if you want to maintain the country's status quo. How many times do you think he'll mention it on the campaign trail?
You want a moderate Republican
Although Trump boasts an approval rating of ninety percent among Republican voters, according to The New Yorker, former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld (R) wants to give him a primary challenge in 2020. According to FiveThirtyEight, Weld has supported gay rights and abortion in the past.
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