Who’s Ahead in the Democrat Presidential Bid?

The TV debates are a go, and there are a plethora of Democratic candidates to choose from to rival Donald Trump for the Presidency in 2020—over 20 in fact. We’ve already had a few candidates drop out, like former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel and recent Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper, and more are expected to follow with the race heating up in recent weeks. If you’re right clued up on who’s running and who’s not, and just missed the recent round of television exchanges, you can get the lowdown here. However, if you need a little bit more detail on who the main runners and riders are at this stage of the campaign trail, then look no further.

Bernie’s Back

Narrowly missing out on the 2016 Democratic nomination to Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders has once again tried to chance his arm to get into the White House as the country’s Commander-in-Chief. Having returned to being an independent in the Senate after briefly joining the Dems for the duration of his last campaign, Bernie has committed to being a Democrat even if he fails to gain the nomination this time round. He hopes this will silence those critics who say he’s just hopping on the Democratic cause when it suits him, and for the sole purpose of helping him getting into the White House. 77-year-old Sanders has been a life-long socialist and is looking to make a whole raft of changes, including: healthcare for all, responsible gun laws and jobs for all— where everyone would have access to better-paid jobs. But voting for Bernie or hoping he wins isn’t the only thing that can be done to make your paypacket go further. With sites such as My Favourite Voucher Codes you can get discounts from a whole host of retailers such as Debenhams, Argos and Under Armour, making sure you—just like Bernie promises—can have more money left over.

Blundering Biden

The Vice President to Barack Obama is still the fornt-runner in the polls, if only due to name recognition at this point. With a huge number of contenders, having a recognisable name gets you going in this contest, and being the second-most important person in the country for eight years has certainly helped. However, he doesn’t seem to be building on his advantage, and it’s quite often cited that the early frontrunner rarely wins, because those who were trailing go on to build up a voter base as the campaigning progresses have the momentum. Also, the former VP has failed to shine during the television debates and is known to make the occasional political gaffe. During his visit to the Iowa State Fair, he mis-spoke when he said "poor kids as just as bright as white kids." So far Biden has been able to progress on his fun and carefree persona, but will he be able to shrug things off so easily when scrutinised in much more detail later on in the primaries?

Energetic Elizabeth

Whilst Sanders and Biden were recognisable names to even the lay voter before this process began, Elizabeth Warren—the current Senator for Massachusetts—is the one from the pack of miscellaneous candidates that has been able to put her head above the parapet. Offering a similar deal to Bernie Sanders, the former schoolteacher has pledged to remove Washington lobbying loopholes, to rebuild the middle class and ultra-millionaire tax on the very highest earners in the country. She is rapidly gaining support, and is now placing in the top two in some opinion polls.

The Best of the Rest

Because of the enormous field, it is almost a given that some very good candidates will struggle to find traction and be lost in a sea of progressive voices. But there are a few candidates who could do just about enough to stick in the race whilst others drop out, giving them a bigger platform to gain some late support. So who could they be? It’s unlikely to be either Cory Booker or Julian Castro. Both seen as the future of the party, they will still have time on their sides, but both have failed to gain notoriety this time around. This probably won’t be the last you hear of them either, as Castro is a hot tip for VP if the Democratic nominee wants to turn Texas blue for the first time since Jimmy Carter managed it in 1976.

So who are the ones who can actually challenge? Kamala Harris has had a successful spate of TV hustings, and young (in American political terms) Pete Buttigieg is still hanging on in there, hoping he can be the first gay man to become President of the United States.

So with just over a year to go until polls open for the 2020 Presidential election and only six months until the Democratic Primaries get officially underway, rest assured that next year will be a big one for American politics.