Republican and Democratic Candidates for the 2020 United States Presidential Elections Establish Their Platforms

The early months of 2020 will begin one of the most contentious and competitive elections in recent American history. Both Democratic and Republican candidates alike will be racing to end President Trump’s four-year stay in the White House, while he will be campaigning to double the length of his already-controversial career.

As of Sept. 25, there are 20 democrats and four republicans who have officially announced their campaign for presidency. The most popular democratic candidates are Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders. The most popular republican candidates are Mark Sanford, Donald Trump, and William Weld. 

Joe Biden (D) was a Delaware senator from 1973 to 2009, and Vice President from 2009 to 2017. He says that healthcare is a top priority for him and will protect the Affordable Care Act. He supports universal background checks on guns, and was appointed head of the Gun Violence Task Force after Sandy Hook, which suggested (but failed to enact) various penalties and regulations on guns. He helped to authorize the Iraq War in Obama’s presidency but has recently admitted that he “made a bad judgement.” 

Kamala Harris (D) was a San Francisco District Attorney from 2004 to 2011, and was the Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017. She has come out in support of Medicare for All. Harris supports a ban of assault weapons and wants to perform a sweep to confiscate all guns that were obtained through illegal methods. She supports the Green Deal and has suggested a $10 trillion climate plan. She supports the right to get an abortion at up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. She wishes to end U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. 

Bernie Sanders (D) was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont from 1981 to 1989, and was a Virginia representative in the House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007. Healthcare is a primary force in his campaign, and he is the leader of the universal healthcare movement. He has suggested a ban on assault weapons and supports universal background checks for the purchasing of firearms. Sanders was one of only ten senators who voted against a suggested defense budget of $716 billion in 2019. 

Mark Sanford (R) is a former congressman of South Carolina. The primary concerns for his campaign include an address to America’s debt and re-establishing a trust in the Oval Office. Sanford was originally pro-Trump presidency, but has seen a massive flip in opinion and has become one of the leading republican critics of President Trump. 

Donald Trump (R) is the current president of the United States. He is a major influential factor on many candidates’ decisions to run for office, as his presidency has been one of the most controversial ones in recent American history. Some of the primary goals of his presidency will be to continue restriction of immigration and illegal aliens entering the country with the use of his infamous wall. He supports the withdrawal of American troops overseas. Much of his presidency has focused on the undoing of what the Obama administration has done, which includes eliminating Obamacare and withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. 

 William Weld (R) was the governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. He wishes to be a massive challenge for President Trump’s and was critical of Trump’s initial election. He wishes to focus on immigration reform, the legalization of marijuana, and the restraint of government spending of tax dollars.