Candidates For The
2020 Presidential Primary
Michael Bennet
Mike Bennet
On May 2, 2019, Michael Bennett announced his candidacy for the presidency. He has been the senior U.S. Senator from Colorado since 2009. Before becoming a U.S. Senator, he was the Superintendent of Denver Public Schools (2005-2009). He has also worked as managing director for Anschutz Investment Company and as chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.
Among the issues he supports is health care reform. He favors more incremental steps to increase health care coverage than the Sanders “Medicare for All” plan. He and Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia have proposed a plan called “Medicare X.” This plan would create a public option modeled on Medicare alongside private options of the ACA marketplaces. The plan would also “expand access to tax credits.”
On immigration, he favors a plan for reform that would embody the components of the DREAM Act, which would give residency to immigrants enrolled in higher education or serving in the military. He would pair this with stronger borders.
Additionally, he supports solar energy, environmental protections to address climate change, same-sex marriage, and gun control measures that would have universal background checks but not reinstate the federal assault weapons ban.
Michael Farrand Bennett was born on November 28, 1964, in New Delhi, India. His father was working as an aide to Chester Bowles, then U.S. ambassador to India.He grew up in Washington, DC because his father served under the Carter and Clinton administrations and in other high-profile positions. Michael Bennett earned a B.A. degree from Wesleyan University and a J.D. degree from Yale. He married Susan Diane Daggett; they have three daughters and live in Denver. In April, he went through surgery for prostate cancer, which was “completely successful,” and his doctor says he needs no further treatment (Wikipedia).
Website: https://michaelbennet.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senbennetco/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelbennet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/senatorbennet/
Video: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-bennet-2020-michael-bennet-running-for-president/
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joe Biden announced his long-awaited candidacy for the presidency on April 25, 2019. He was the vice president of the United States under the Obama Administration (2009-2017), and before that, he was US Senator from Delaware (1973-2009). He was a Democratic candidate for president in 1988 and 2008. His announcement was almost derailed by accusations of some women that he was more friendly than was comfortable for them. Biden apologized for not understanding how individuals might feel about his actions but said that his intentions had always been honorable.
Some of the issues Biden supports are affordable health care for all, the fight against climate change, clean energy solutions, humane immigration policies, LGBT rights, public education, abortion rights, affirmative action, and reasonable gun control legislation.
Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. was born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.He earned degrees from the University of Delaware (BA—history and political science) and Syracuse University College of Law (JD). He married Neilia Hunter in 1966, and they had three children. Tragically,in December 1972, Neilia and their daughter, Naomi, died in a traffic accident, and Biden lost his first child, Beau, to cancer in 2015.Beau was only 46. Biden married Jill Jacobs in 1977, and they have one child
Cory Booker
Cory Booker
U.S. Senator From New Jersey
Announced Feb. 1, 2019
Cory Booker announced his candidacy for the presidency on February 1, 2019. Booker is the junior US Senator from New Jersey and has been since 2013. Before that he was the 36th mayor of Newark, New Jersey (2006-2013).
However, his candidacy may be facing a rocky road since he is under fire for allegedly mishandling two $100 million donations from Facebook while he was the mayor of Newark. One of the donations was meant to be used to reform Newark’s public school system.
Politically, Booker is considered to be a social liberal and supports women’s rights, affirmative action, same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and single-payer health care. On foreign policy he has spoken out against military action without a clear plan and authorization from Congress. He supports scaling down military operations in Afghanistan and is against intervention in Syria. Despite these solidly Democratic positions, he does have one area of advocacy that most Democrats would consider to be a defect. He backed charter schools and vouchers when he was mayor.
Cory Anthony Booker was born on April 27, 1969, in Washington, DC but grew up in New Jersey. He attended Stanford University and Yale Law School. He also studied abroad at the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. He has never been married but is considered to be a very eligible bachelor. He describes himself as a “straight male” who is looking for someone to settle down with. He is a vegetarian, exercises regularly, does not drink, “and has no known vices” (Wikipedia).
Website: https://corybooker.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corybooker
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoryBooker
Steve Bullock
Steve Bullock
Born April 11, 1966
Governor of Montana
Stephen Clark Bullock is an American politician and lawyer who has served as Governor of Montana since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the 24th Governor of Montana. Born in Missoula, Montana, Bullock graduated from Claremont McKenna College and Columbia Law School.
Peter Buttigeig
Peter Buttigeig
Mayor of South Bend Indiana
On January 23,2019, Pete Buttigieg announced he was forming an exploratory committee for a possible run for the presidency in 2020. He is currently the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. If elected, he would be the first openly gay president and the youngest president ever to serve.
Buttigieg describes himself as a “candidate of the future “untethered to the politics of the past” on issues like climate and economic opportunity. He is campaigning as a long-shot candidate on his generational appeal to millennial voters, and his themes are freedom, democracy, and security. LGBT rights and issues will also be a big part of his campaign. He also considers himself to be a progressive.
Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg was born on January 19, 1982, in South Bend, Indiana. His mother was from Indiana and his father was an immigrant from Malta. He graduated magna cum laude from Havard University with a BA in history and literature. As a Rhodes Scholar, he graduated from Pembroke College in Oxford, England, in 2007. He served in the US Navy and is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan. In 2018, he married his partner, Chasten Glezman (Wikipedia).
Website: https://www.peteforamerica.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petebuttigieg1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pete.buttigieg/
Introduction Video:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/us/politics/pete-buttigieg-mayor-south-bend-president.html
Julian Castro
Julian Castro
Sec. of HUD (2014-17); Mayor of San Antonio, TX (2009-14)
Announced Jan.12, 2019
Julián Castro announced his intention to campaign for the presidency on July 12, 2019. Castro was US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2014-2017) during the administration of President Obama. From 2009-2014 he was the mayor of his home city of San Antonio,Texas.
Politically Castro appears to be progressive. He has stated that he is an advocate for Medicare-For-All, universal pre-K, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and LGBT rights.
Julián Castro was born September 16, 1974 and is an identical twin to US Representative Joaquin Castro. He and his brother both received law degrees from Harvard, joined the same law firm after graduation, and then began their own law firm in 2005. He married in 2007 and is the father of a daughter and a son (Wikipedia).
Website: https://www.julianforthefuture.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Julian-Castro-
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulianCastro
John Delaney
John Delaney
Rep. to US House from Md. (2013-19)
Announced July 28, 2017.
John Delaney, a US House representative from Maryland (2013-2019), announced his intention to retire from Congress and run for president in July 2017. This made him the first Democratic contender.
Many view John Delaney as a centrist or moderate who is courting Republican support, but he, himself, says he is liberal and progressive. He says he is also somewhat moderate in that he is solution-oriented. Many of his positions are more traditionally Republican than Democratic—like favoring some tax breaks for big business. But he has Democratic positions as well, such as raising the minimum wage and letting Americans buy into Medicare at age 55.
John Delaney was born on April 16, 1963, in New Jersey. His father was an electrician and neither of his parents attended college. He attended Columbia University on a scholarship from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and then went on to Georgetown Law School. He made his fortune through two small banks that he co-founded and through taking them on to the New York Stock Exchange (Politico).
The links below will take you to videos and more information on John Delaney so that you can begin to know him.
Website: www.johnkdelaney.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/JohnKDelaneyJ
Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard
Rep. to US House from Hawaii
Announced Jan.12, 2019
US Representative from Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District Tulsi Gabbard announced her candidacy on January 12, 2019.
Tulsi Gabbard is an Iraq War veteran and the first Hindu elected to Congress. She is considered to be a progressive by most people. She has the support of Bernie Sanders and Our Revolution, and she is a supporter of universal health care, clean renewable energy, criminal justice reform, making Wall Street pay their share, DACA, increasing the minimum wage, tuition-free postsecondary education, abortion rights, environmental protections, and medical marijuana. She originally opposed same-sex marriages but more recently has come to support them. She also has co-sponsored legislation to ban assault weapons and to require background checks for all gun purchases (Wikipedia).
Tulsi Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, American Samoa, and her family moved to Hawaii when she was two years old. She has a BS in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University and is a Major in the US Army.. Before being elected to the US House of Representatives, she held office in the Hawaii House of Representatives and in the Honolulu City Council. Since 2015, she has been married to Abraham Williams, a cinematographer and editor (Wikipedia).
For more information, go to the following media links.
Website: https://www.votetulsi.com/ and https://www.tulsi2020.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TulsiGabbard
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tulsigabbard
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TulsiGabbard/
Medium: https://medium.com/@TulsiGabbard
Mike Gravel
Mike Gravel
Ex-US Senator from AK
Age 88
On April 8, 2019, Mike Gravel announced his candidacy for the presidency. Although he is now retired, he was a politician of some renown. He was a Democratic US senator from Alaska (1969-1981). Before that, he was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives (1963-1967). He also was a candidate for the US presidency in 2008. In the Senate, he was something of a maverick, and he is remembered for getting the Pentagon Papers into the public record in 1971. This was a dangerous thing for him to do at the time. In addition to the Pentagon Papers episode, he is known for his impassioned opposition to the Vietnam War.
Gravel has said he is running for the presidency to promote his message of anti-imperialism and direct democracy. He hopes to get the 65,000 donations he needs to take part in the debates, and then he plans to leave the race and throw his support to the most progressive candidate. He said, “The goal will not be to win, but to bring a critique of American imperialism to the Democratic debate stage.” His website summary platform has four points: a foreign policy of peace, an attack on poverty and inequality, justice for all, and fundamental political reform. His entire platform of 29 pages is too lengthy to list here, but you can read it at this link. It is a wish list that most progressive Democrats would see in their dreams. The Gravel campaign is being run by some very Internet-savvy teens, and they gave it the title “Gravelanche.”
Maurice Robert “Mike” Gravel was born on May 13,1930, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He will be 89 in May. Before entering college, he served in the US Army in West Germany. After his military service, he entered Columbia University’s School of General Studies and received a BS in Economics in 1956. He then moved to Alaska in the late 1950s and became a real estate developer before becoming a politician in 1963. His second and current wife is Whitney Stewart, and he has two children from his first marriage (Wikipedia).
Website: https://mikegravel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikegravel2020/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeGravel/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike.gravel/
Kick-Off Video: https://splinternews.com/mike-gravel-launches-only-fun-2020-campaign-to-date-1833891208
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris
US Senator from CA
Announced Jan. 21, 2019
Kamala Harris, a US senator from California (2017-present), announced her intention to run for president on January 21, 2019. Before being elected to the US Senate, she served as Attorney General of California (2011-2017) and District Attorney of San Francisco (2004-2011).
Harris’s political views are progressive and include support for abortion rights, legalization of recreational marijuana, protection of the environment, single-payer healthcare, DACA, sanctuary cities, humane treatment and protection for migrant children, LGBT rights, fairer taxes for middle-class and working Americans, and gun control. She has an F report card from the NRA and she is opposed to the death penalty. On foreign policy, she believes that failure to work with our allies jeopardizes national security and that preemptive strikes against foreign governments, such as North Korea, without the authorization of Congress would be unconstitutional and illegal.
Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. She attended Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law. She is married and has two stepchildren through her marriage.
Website: https://kamalaharris.org/meet-kamala/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KamalaHarris/
Twittter: https://twitter.com/KamalaH
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kamalaharris/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0XBsJpPhOLg0k4x9ZwrWzw (Includes a video of her Launch Rally)
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
US Senator from Minnesota
Announced Feb. 10, 2019
Amy Klobuchar announced her candidacy for the presidency on February 10, 2019. Klobuchar is the US Senator from Minnesota and has been since 2007. Before that she was the County Attorney of Hennepin County, Minnesota (1999-2007).
Politically, Klobuchar is considered to be a liberal. She supports abortion rights, LGBT rights, Obamacare, reducing the costs of prescription drugs, gun control legislation, and protection of voters’ rights, and she was critical of the war in Iraq. At the end of the 114th Congress (2016) she had passed more legislation than any other senator.
Amy Jean Klobuchar was born on May 25,1960, in Plymouth, Minnesota. She attended Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School and worked as a corporate lawyer in Minneapolis until she was elected the county attorney of Hennepin County, Minnesota. Her husband, John Bessler, is a private practice attorney and a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. They have one daughter (Wikipedia).
Website: https://amyklobuchar.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyklobuchar
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyklobuchar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyklobuchar/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZZ4_LJnkeGnbiqQPKYDTaA
Kickoff speech:
https://www.facebook.com/amyklobuchar/videos/2097609030282567/
Wayne Messam
Wayne MESSAM
(2015–present)
Announced Exploratory Committee
March 13, 2019
On March 13, 2019, Wayne Messam announced he was forming an exploratory committee for a possible run for the presidency in 2019. He is currently the mayor of Miramar, Florida and has been since 2015. His first political office was to serve as a member of the Miramar City Commission (2011-2015). He is a general contractor and owner of a construction firm.
On his campaign website, Messam mentions the gun violence epidemic, rising healthcare costs, climate change, a living wage for workers, student loan debt, and protection of immigrants as issues that are important to him.
Wayne Martin Messam was born on June 7, 1974, in Florida. His parents were born in Jamaica. He is the fourth of five children and the first to be born in the United States. Messam attended Florida State University, where he played as a wide receiver on the Florida State Seminoles football team. He graduated in 1997 with a degree in Management Information Systems and then opened his own construction company. He is married to Angela Messam and they have three children (Wikipedia).
Website: https://www.waynemessam.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wayne.messam
Twitter: https://twitter.com/waynemessam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waynemessam/
Kick-Off Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jQrBjDqC_I
Beto O’Rourke
Beto o’rourke
from TX (2013–2019)
Beto O’Rourke announced his candidacy for the presidency on March 14, 2019. He was the US Representative for Texas District 16 from 2013-2019, and the Democratic nominee for the Senate from Texas in 2018. He ran against Republican incumbent Senator Ted Cruz. He began his political career as a member of the El Paso City Council (2005-2011).
Beto O’Rourke says he does not know where he falls on the political spectrum. Various political analysts have called him progressive, liberal, or centrist. He voted with President Trump 30.1 percent of the time when he served in Congress. Political positions he has supported have been universal healthcare; stronger anti-trust laws; stopping the “war on drugs,” eliminating private, for-profit prisons; stopping mandatory sentencing and providing reentry programs for non-violent criminals; legalizing cannabis; increasing federal aid to low-income public schools and giving more autonomy to teachers and school administrators; efforts to combat global warming and increase the use of renewable energy; comprehensive immigration reform; universal background checks for gun purchases and a complete ban on assault-type weapons; LGBT rights; racial equality; and veterans’ rights. He believes that Israel should discontinue settlements in the West Bank and work with the Palestinian Authority to recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke was born on September 26, 1972, in El Paso, Texas. He attended Columbia University and graduated in 1995 with a BA in English Literature. While in college, he was a member of a rock band named Foss that toured the US and Canada and released a few albums. In 1999, he co-founded Stanton Technology Group, an internet services and software company. He is married to Amy Hoover Sanders and they have three children (Wikipedia).
Website: https://betoorourke.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173422533403379/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BetoORourke
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betoorourke/
Introduction Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1106155281845760000
Tim Ryan
Tim Ryan
Tim Ryan Rep. to US House from OH
Timothy John Ryan (born July 16, 1973) is an American
Born in Niles, Ohio, Ryan worked as an aide to Congressman Jim Traficant after graduating from Bowling Green State University. He served in the Ohio Senate from 2001 to 2002 before winning election to succeed Traficant. In November 2016, Ryan launched an unsuccessful challenge to unseat Nancy Pelosi as party leader of the House Democrats.
When he took office in January 2003, he was the youngest Democrat in the House, at 29 years of age. He has been reelected five times.
Congressman Tim Ryan talks about Making America Competitive Again and Restoring U.S. Innovation Leadership
Ryan was a member of the "30 Something" Working Group, which was a Congressional caucus that includes those members of the United States House of Representatives who are Democrats and had not yet reached the age of 40.
Committees and caucuses
Committee on Appropriations
Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch
Subcommittee on Defense
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Ryan is a member of the following caucuses
Co-chair of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus
Co-chair of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus
United States Congressional International Conservation
Sportsmen's Caucus
Congressional Arts Caucus
Ohio River Basin Congressional Caucus
Afterschool Caucuses
Bernie Sanders
Bernie sanders
On February 19, 2019, Bernie Sanders, junior U.S. Senator from Vermont, announced that he is running for president in 2020. This is his second run, having lost to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primaries. He enters the crowded Democratic campaign field from a position of strength compared to his 2016 run. His political positions, considered then to be far left, are now accepted by the mainstream party, and he is running high in the polls on predicted Democratic primary winners. However, at this point he is the oldest candidate in the race. He is 77 and will be 79 by November of 2020.
Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist and progressive. "I don't believe government should take over the grocery store down the street or own the means of production, but I do believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a decent standard of living and that their incomes should go up, not down. I do believe in private companies that thrive and invest and grow in America, companies that create jobs here, rather than companies that are shutting down in America and increasing their profits by exploiting low-wage labor abroad."
Bernard Sanders was born on September 8, 1941, in New York City and describes himself as Jewish but not very involved with organized religion. He is currently married to Jane O’Meara and has one son from a former relationship. Although both now and in 2016 he has run as a Democratic candidate for president, he has been an independent since he began his political career in 1981 as the Mayor of Burlington, Vermont (Wikipedia).
Website: https://berniesanders.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berniesanders/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sensanders
Announcement video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1097828878310096901
Joe Sestak
Retired US Navy Vice Admiral and former US House Representative Joe Sestak announced his candidacy for the presidency on June 22, 2019, entering a field already crowded by 24 other Democratic candidates. He said he is running for president because our country needs accountable leadership.
Joe Sestak served in the US Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral during the years 1974-2005. He became the US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 7th district in 2007 and served in that position until 2011. As a three-star vice admiral, he was at that time the highest-ranking military officer to ever be elected to Congress.
Some of the issues Sestak supports: gun control, abortion rights, improving Head Start, reducing the cost of college tuition, protecting the environment, expanding middle class tax cuts, unions, and medical marijuana. At the top of his list would be healthcare because of the health problems his daughter has suffered. There is a discussion of his position on these issues and others on his website.
Joseph Ambrose Sestak, Jr., was born on December 12, 1951, in Secane, Pennsylvania. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy immediately after high school and graduated second in his class of 900 with a degree in American political systems. While in the US Navy but between tours at sea, he earned a master’s and a Ph.D from Harvard. He is married to Susan Clark, and they have one daughter, Alexandra. Their daughter survived brain cancer twice (Wikipedia).
Website: Joe Sestak for President
Announcement Video: https://www.joesestak.com/
Tom Steyer
Thomas Fahr Steyer is an American billionaire hedge fund manager, philanthropist, environmentalist, liberal activist, and fundraiser.
Born: June 27, 1957 (age 62 years), New York, NY
Net worth: 1.6 billion USD (2019)
Spouse: Kat Taylor (m. 1986)
Residence: San Francisco, California, U.S
Education: Stanford Graduate School of Business, Yale University, Phillips Exeter Academy, Buckley School
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren
Senator From Massachusetts
Elizabeth Warren announced her candidacy for the presidency on February 9, 2019. Warren is the US Senator from Massachusetts and has been since 2013. Before becoming a senator, she held the positions of Special Advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Barack Obama (2010-2011) and Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel (2008-2010). Prior to becoming a politician, she was a law professor.
Although Elizabeth Warren was registered as a Republican until 1996, she is now considered to be a progressive Democrat. She said she left the Republican Party because she no longer considered it to be the best party to support markets and it was instead leaning toward big financial institutions and away from middle-class families.
Elizabeth Ann Herring Warren was born on June 22, 1949, in Oklahoma City. Her post secondary education includes George Washington University, the University of Houston (BS), and Rutgers Law School (JD). She married Jim Warren in 1968, and they had two children before they divorced in 1978. She married Bruce Mann in 1980 but decided to keep the surname Warren. Although Elizabeth Herring Warren was born into a family struggling on the poverty end of the middle class, she and her husband are now quite wealthy (Wikipedia).
Website: https://elizabethwarren.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethWarren/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewarren
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethwarren/
YouTube: (Includes kickoff speech ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFmn9kmZAWU
Marianne Williamson
Marianne williamson
Williamson said she wants to bring a moral and spiritual awakening to the United States with her candidacy. She supports Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and $100 billion in reparations for slavery. Williamson said that U.S. foreign policy and national security "should be based more on efforts to wage peace than on efforts to prepare for war."
Williamson is a lecturer and author who has written 12 books, including four New York Times best sellers. She has appeared as a guest on television shows such as "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Good Morning America," and "Real Time With Bill Maher."
Williamson ran to represent the 33rd Congressional District of California as an independent candidate in 2014
Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang is a U.S. 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, entrepreneur, attorney, philanthropist, and founder of Venture for America. He worked in startups and early-stage growth companies as a founder or executive from 2000 to 2009. Wikipedia
Born: January 13, 1975 (age 44 years), Schenectady, NY
Nationality: American
Education: Columbia Law School (1999)