Democratic Candidates: Who’s the right one for you?

Mary Gillon, Print Editor-in-Chief

North Carolina’s Democratic primary is on Tuesday, March 5. If you are a Democrat who will be 18 by March 5 and have no clue who to vote for, this one’s for you. There are 12 democrats remaining in the field, so take your pick: 

 

Joe Biden, 77- Former Vice President during the Obama administration, former senator from Delaware

photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

This is Biden’s third time running for president. Biden’s son, Beau, passed away in 2015 after a battle with brain cancer. Biden has since told supporters that if he wins the election, he will work to find a cure to cancer. Biden’s signature issue is strengthening economic protections for low-income workers.

 

Michael Bloomberg, 77- Former mayor of New York City, owner of Bloomberg News

photo by John Locher/AP Photo

Bloomberg ran for mayor on a Republican ticket, but re-registered as a Democrat in October of 2019. Although he is running for president as a Democrat, he has been very vocal about his disdain for Progressive ideologies, like big-bank regulation and the #MeToo movement. 

 

Pete Buttigeig, 37- Former mayor of South Bend, Ind., military veteran

photo by Lucy Hewett/NPR

Buttigeig is the youngest candidate in the field and the first openly gay candidate. He also spent six years as an intelligence officer in the Navy and was deployed in Afghanistan for six months. He has pushed for policies on climate change and economic opportunity. 

 

Tulsi Gabbard, 38- Hawaiian congresswoman, Army veteran

photo by Bill Clark/AP Photo

Gabbard was a vocal support of Bernie Sanders during 2016, but now is blazing her own path to the presidency. She has come under fire for past anti-gay statements and past work with an anti-gay organization, but she has since apologized. As a veteran, her signature view is the opposition of American intervention in countries overseas. 

 

Amy Klobuchar, 59- Senator from Minnesota, former attorney

photo by Wilfredo Lee

Klobuchar gained some spotlight after she questioned Supreme Court Justice (nominee, at the time) Brett Kavanaugh. She has called for Democrats to focus on turning swing states blue, painting herself as someone who will be able to do that. Her signature issue is creating legislation to resolve the opioid crisis and drug addiction.

 

Bernie Sanders, 78- Senator from Vermont, former congressman, former mayor of Burlington, Vt. 

photo courtesy of Bernie Sanders/Facebook

Sanders describes himself as a “democratic socialist” and has advocated for policies such as Medicare-for-All and tuition-free education at four-year public colleges and universities. He was the runner up in the 2016 Democratic primaries. In October of 2019, Sanders suffered a heart attack, but has since returned to the campaign trail in order to sway voters his way. 

 

Tom Steyer, 62- Former hedge fund executive

photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images

Steyer joined the race originally as an environmental activist, but now also markets his campaign as an anti-Donald Trump one. He has used million of his own dollars to run ads calling for Trump’s impeachment. He aims to create policies to curb climate change and supports the use of renewable energy.

 

Elizabeth Warren, 70- Senator from Massachusetts, former Harvard professor

photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images

Warren was a registered Republican until 1996. Now, she is a vocal supporter of many progressive ideals and has worked on many bills and policies with Bernie Sanders. “I have a plan for that” is one of her slogans, having released numerous plans for reform. Her main focus is tackling income inequality.