Who are the 2020 US Democratic presidential candidates?
The pool of candidates vying for their party’s nomination in 2020 is among the largest and most diverse in US history.
Less than two years out from the 2020 US presidential election, the pool of Democratic candidates vying for their party’s nomination is among the largest and most diverse in United States history.
With 24 candidates already in the race and a number of individuals yet to announce their campaign, the list is likely to grow as the US primary season gets closer.
Here is a look at who has thrown their name in the race so far:
We cannot be the first generation to leave less to our kids, not more. That’s why I’m running for President. Let’s build opportunity for every American and restore integrity to our government. — Michael Bennet (May 2019)
Michael Bennet is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate representing Colorado. He was first appointed to the office in 2009 and won election to a full term in 2010.
Before his appointment to the Senate, Bennet was the superintendent of Denver Public Schools. Bennet earlier worked as chief of staff to then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D), at an investment firm, and as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bennet has focused his run on the themes of expanding economic opportunity and promoting integrity in government. In his campaign kickoff video, Bennet said he would support introducing an opt-in government-run health insurance system, tax cuts for families with children, and increased spending on education.
We’re in a battle for the soul of America. It’s time to remember who we are. We’re Americans: tough, resilient, but always full of hope. It’s time to treat each other with dignity. Build a middle class that works for everybody. Fight back against the incredible abuses of power we’re seeing. It’s time to dig deep and remember that our best days still lie ahead. — Joe Biden (April 2019)
Joe Biden is a former Democratic vice president of the United States who served from 2009 to 2017. He announced that he was running for president on April 25, 2019.
He framed his campaign as a challenge to President Donald Trump (R). “I believe history will look back on four years of this president and all he embraces as an aberrant moment in time. But if we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation—who we are—and I cannot stand by and watch that happen,” he said.
Biden represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009, where he chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for several years.
Democrats have to be strong and clear, and bold, and progressive in our messages or we’re not going to make it. … Here in New York City over these last five years, we’ve proven time and time again that you can take on the big issues like income inequality and public safety and global warming, it can be done. — Bill de Blasio
Bill de Blasio is the Democratic mayor of New York City. He announced he was running in the 2020 presidential election on May 16, 2019. He is the third sitting mayor to enter the race.
In a video announcement, de Blasio highlighted establishing a $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, mental health services, and universal pre-K as policy issues he has addressed.
Before being elected mayor of New York City in 2013, de Blasio served as the New York City public advocate and represented District 39 on the New York City Council. De Blasio also managed Hillary Clinton’s 2000 New York Senate campaign. He received a B.A. from New York University and an M.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
I believe we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind. … Together, we will channel our common pain back into our common purpose. Together, America, we will rise. — Cory Booker (February 2019)
Cory Booker is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from New Jersey. He announced on February 1, 2019, that he was running for president of the United States.
Booker’s early campaign messaging has focused on unity and finding commonality by addressing inequality and racial discrimination.
On the campaign trail, Booker has highlighted the following policy positions: supporting the Green New Deal, ending private prisons and other criminal justice initiatives, and lowering prescription drug costs.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Booker was the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 2006 to 2013, and a city councilman from 1998 to 2002. He also worked at the Urban Justice Center and in private practice.
We can’t write off parts of the country just because we didn’t do well there in 2016. As the only Democrat in the country to be re-elected statewide in a state Trump won, I know that firsthand. If we do, we’ll lose. And we’ll deserve to. — Steve Bullock
Steve Bullock is the Democratic governor of Montana. He announced he was running for president in the 2020 presidential election on May 14, 2019.
Bullock released a video on social media focused on his Montana roots, work on campaign finance law, and efforts to collaborate with both Democrats and Republicans as governor.
Before he was elected governor in 2012, Bullock served a single term as state attorney general. He previously worked as an attorney in the offices of the state attorney general and secretary of state.
I launched a presidential exploratory committee because it is a season for boldness and it is time to focus on the future. Are you ready to walk away from the politics of the past? — Pete Buttigieg (February 2019)
Pete Buttigieg is the Democratic mayor of the South Bend, Indiana. He announced he was running for president on January 23, 2019. On April 14, 2019, he formally kicked-off his campaign.
Buttigieg has focused his campaign on policy issues that he’s implemented as mayor, such as connecting with the global economy through investing in advanced industries, data, technology, and higher education.
Prior to serving as mayor, Buttigieg worked as a consultant for McKinsey and Company. He serves as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and served a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan.
America isn’t just my home and my country — it’s always been a promise for a better life. A promise that every American deserves. — Julián Castro (January 2019)
Julián Castro is a Democratic candidate for president of the United States in 2020. He announced he was running on January 12, 2019.
Castro emphasized education when announcing his candidacy. He said he achieved universal preschool in San Antonio during his time as mayor and would do the same nationally. Castro has also promoted Medicare for All and housing affordability on the campaign trail.
Prior to running for office, Castro served as the U.S. secretary of housing and urban development during the Obama administration. He also served as mayor of San Antonio for five years.
There have been moments in history where big ideas have really changed things, and I think I have some big ideas. I think I have something to say. — John Delaney (July 2017)
John Delaney is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Maryland’s 6th Congressional District from 2013 to 2019. He formally declared his candidacy on July 28, 2017. He was the first Democratic candidate to announce a campaign for the 2020 election.
Delaney’s campaign motto is Focus on the Future, and he is running to address issues primarily related to globalization, automation, and technology.[3] He has also made cooperation and bipartisanship a major focus of his campaign, including a pledge to only work on bipartisan proposals during his first 100 days as president.
Prior to his congressional career, Delaney founded two New York Stock Exchange companies, as well as Blueprint Maryland, a nonprofit organization focused on the creation of jobs in Maryland’s private sector.
I will bring this soldier’s principles to the White House, restoring the values of dignity, honor and respect to the presidency and above all else, love for our people and love for our country. — Tulsi Gabbard (February 2019)
Tulsi Gabbard is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii. Gabbard announced that she was running for president of the United States on January 11, 2019.
Gabbard has highlighted her noninterventionist foreign policy and military experience as a veteran of the Iraq War on the campaign trail. “When it comes to the war against terrorists, I’m a hawk. When it comes to counterproductive wars of regime change, I’m a dove,” Gabbard said.
In 2012, Gabbard became the first Hindu elected to Congress. She previously served in the Hawaii House of Representatives and on the Honolulu City Council. Gabbard has been deployed on two tours of duty in the Middle East.
I believe this country needs a movement rooted in compassion and courage. We want an America defined by strength of character, not weakness of ego. We need to protect our basic rights and fight for better health care, education and jobs. And I believe I’m the woman for the job. — Kirsten Gillibrand (January 2019)
Kirsten Gillibrand is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from New York. She launched an exploratory committee on January 15, 2019, and formally declared her candidacy on March 17, 2019.
Gillibrand has focused her campaign on economic and social issues, including addressing sexual assault in the military, healthcare for 9/11 first responders, increasing transparency in politics, Medicare for All, and universal paid family leave.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Gillibrand worked as an attorney, law clerk, campaign staffer, and Special Counsel to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She also represented New York’s 20th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2007 to 2009.
Today, we launch an unprecedented presidential campaign, a movement centered on changing the conversation, retaking Democracy, and ending the American Empire. We can do it, but only with your help. — Gravel 2020 (April 2019)
Mike Gravel is a Democratic former U.S. senator from Alaska. He announced that he was running for president of the United States on April 2, 2019.
Gravel does not intend to seek the Democratic nomination. “Our only aim is pushing the field left by appearing in the Democratic debates,” the Gravel campaign tweeted. A spokesperson said Gravel would withdraw from the race and endorse the most progressive candidate.
From 1969 to 1981, Gravel represented Alaska in the U.S. Senate. He also served in the Alaska State House of Representatives from 1963 to 1966, including two years as the speaker of the House.
I feel very confident about my ability to listen and to work on behalf of the American public. The American public wants a fighter, and they want someone that is going to fight like heck for them and not fight based on self-interests. I’m prepared to do that. — Kamala Harris (January 2019)
Kamala Harris is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from California. She formally declared her candidacy for president on January 21, 2019.
Harris has focused her campaign on economic issues, including universal pre-K, debt-free college, a tax cut for working- and middle-class families of up to $500 a month, and Medicare for All.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Harris served as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and district attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.
Harris worked as an attorney in both the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
I’m running for president became we need dreamers in Washington, but we also need to get things done. I’ve proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver. Join me, and we’ll repair the damage done to our country and be stronger than ever. — John Hickenlooper (March 2019)
John Hickenlooper is a former Democratic governor of Colorado. He announced he was running for president of the United States on March 4, 2019.
Hickenlooper has emphasized his tenure as governor, including developing methane emissions laws with environmentalists and oil and gas companies, expanding Medicaid in the state, and pushing through gun control legislation that limited the sale of certain gun magazines and expanded background checks. He has also presented himself as both ready to challenge President Donald Trump and capable of earning bipartisan support.
Prior to serving as governor from 2011 to 2019, Hickenlooper was the mayor of Denver for nearly eight years. He also opened 15 brew pubs and restaurants in several states.
Let’s come together and build a future, with clean air, clean water and economic opportunity for all, regardless of zip code, income, or the color of your skin. — Jay Inslee (March 2019)
Jay Inslee is the Democratic governor of Washington. He announced he was running for president of the United States on March 1, 2019.
Inslee called climate change the pillar of his campaign. “I’m running for president because I am the only candidate who will make defeating climate change our nation’s number one priority,” he said when announcing his candidacy. Inslee proposed developing industries around this initiative, including building electric cars, installing wind turbines, and establishing solar energy sources across the nation.
Prior to serving as governor, Inslee was a member of the state House of Representatives, representing District 14. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. After moving to the Puget Sound area, Inslee was again elected to Congress, where he represented Washington’s 1st Congressional District from 1999 to 2012.
In our nation’s heartland, at a time when we must heal the heart of our democracy and renew our commitment to the common good, I stand before you as the granddaughter of an iron ore miner, the daughter of a teacher and a newspaperman, the first woman elected to the United States Senate from the state of Minnesota, to announce my candidacy for president of the United States. — Amy Klobuchar (February 2019)
Amy Klobuchar is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from Minnesota. She formally declared her candidacy on February 10, 2019.
Klobuchar announced several focuses of her campaign, including automatic voter registration, reducing the amount of money in politics, and reinstating climate regulations that were eliminated by the Trump administration.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Klobuchar was a partner at the law firms of Dorsey & Whitney and Gray Plant Mooty.
I see it to be a unique opportunity for Americans to look at another option of leadership. … When you look at a mayor, Americans see mayors favorably. We are at the front line of what Americans are dealing with every day. — Wayne Messam (March 2019)
Wayne Messam is the Democratic mayor of Miramar, Florida. He announced he was forming an exploratory committee to run for president of the United States on March 13, 2019.
The focus of Messam’s campaign will be canceling $1.5 trillion in student debt, according to an aide. “I think that [the] American dream is slipping away for most Americans,” Messam said of his decision to run. “Americans are not getting their needs met.”
Messam has served as mayor of Miramar, a city with 150,000 people, since 2015. He was previously elected to the City of Miramar Commission in March 2011.
We need to restore our moral authority in everything we do. Whether it’s appointing a Cabinet member, negotiating a treaty or signing an executive order, I will always uphold America’s values. — Seth Moulton (April 2019)
Seth Moulton is a Democratic member of the U.S. House representing Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District. He was first elected to the House in 2014.
Before serving in Congress, he was a member of the United States Marine Corps. He served four tours in Iraq between 2003 and 2008 and was among the first groups of American soldiers to reach Baghdad during the 2003 invasion.
Moulton was one of the Democratic members of the U.S. House that voted against Nancy Pelosi’s selection as Speaker of the House, and his campaigns have regularly called for new leadership both within the party and in Washington. ABC News noted that he is “no stranger from straying from party leadership.” While announcing his campaign on Good Morning America on April 22, Moulton said he is “not a socialist. I’m a Democrat. And I want to make that clear. Maybe that’s a differentiator in this race.”
This is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us. The challenges that we face right now—the interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy, and our climate have never been greater. And they will either consume us or they will afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the United States of America. — Beto O’Rourke (March 2019)
Beto O’Rourke is a former U.S. representative from Texas. He announced he was running for president of the United States on March 14, 2019.
In his first campaign video, O’Rourke discussed “investing in the dignity of work,” establishing universal healthcare, and combating climate change. He also said of immigration, “If immigration is a problem, it’s the best possible problem for this country to have and we should ensure that there are lawful paths to work, to be with family, and to flee persecution.”
O’Rourke served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. He ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Ted Cruz (R) in 2018, losing by 2 percentage points. O’Rourke previously served on the El Paso City Council from 2005 to 2011.
When our local GM factory was shutdown last Thanksgiving, I got a call from my daughter who was consoling her friend whose father was an auto worker and was just laid off. My daughter said to me, with tears in her voice, ‘You have to do something.’ That’s why I am running for president. It’s time to do something. — Tim Ryan (April 2019)
Tim Ryan is a Democratic U.S. representative from Ohio. He announced he was running for president of the United States on April 4, 2019.
Ryan said he would focus manufacturing jobs, keeping jobs in the United States, and moving towards emerging technology. “I understand that legacy of job loss. I understand where we need to go. The country is so divided right now that we can’t get a plan together. The first thing we have to do is unify,” Ryan said.
Ryan has served eight terms in the U.S. House and unsuccessfully challenged Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for House leadership in 2016. Prior to his congressional service, Ryan was a member of the Ohio State Senate from 2000 to 2002. He earned his J.D. from the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
Our campaign is about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice. — Bernie Sanders (April 2019)
Bernie Sanders is an independent member of the U.S. Senate from Vermont who caucuses with the Democratic Party. He formally declared his candidacy for president on February 19, 2019.
Sanders has focused his campaign on economic issues, including Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, a $15 minimum wage, expanding the estate tax, limiting the size of banks, and tuition-free college.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Sanders lectured at Harvard University and Hamilton College in New York, in addition to working as a carpenter and a journalist. He was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, from 1981 to 1989 and a member of the U.S. House from 1991 to 2007.
I talk to kids who sit in their classrooms, afraid that they’ll be the next victim of gun violence. And they see Washington doing nothing about it after the moments of silence, and they see lawmakers who love their guns more than they love our kids. And none of that is gonna change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer, and do good in the way that we govern. I’m ready to solve those problems. I’m running for president of the United States. — Eric Swalwell (April 2019)
Eric Swalwell is a Democratic U.S. representative from California. He declared his candidacy for president of the United States on April 8, 2019.
Swalwell’s policy proposals include a national and mandatory buyback of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons (exempting law enforcement agencies and gun clubs) and universal background checks for weapons and ammunition purchases. He has also called for no-interest federal student loans, debt-free college for work-study students, and increased investment in curing diseases like ALS and Alzheimer’s.
Swalwell served on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was the ranking member of Subcommittee on the CIA in the 115th Congress.
Before he was elected to represent California’s 15th Congressional District in 2012, Swalwell was a member of the Dublin town council and served as the deputy district attorney for Alameda County, California.
Every person in America should be able to work hard, play by the same set of rules, & take care of themselves & the people they love. That’s what I’m fighting for, & that’s why I’m launching an exploratory committee for president. — Elizabeth Warren (December 2018)
Elizabeth Warren is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. She launched her exploratory presidential committee on December 31, 2018, and formally declared her candidacy on February 9, 2019.
Warren has focused her campaign on economic issues, including proposing a wealth tax on the wealthiest 75,000 families to partially fund universal childcare, student loan debt relief, the Green New Deal, and Medicare for All.
Warren’s professional experience includes time in both the government and academic sectors. Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Warren helped establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the Obama administration. She also served as the chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program from 2008 to 2010.
Warren worked as a law professor for three decades at several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.
Our national challenges are deep, but our political conversation is shallow. My campaign is for people who want to dig deeper into the questions we face as a nation and deeper into finding the answers. — Marianne Williamson (January 2019)
Marianne Williamson is a Democratic candidate for president of the United States in 2020. She entered the race on January 28, 2019.
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.
I’m not a career politician—I’m an entrepreneur who understands the economy. It’s clear to me, and to many of the nation’s best job creators, that we need to make an unprecedented change, and we need to make it now. — Andrew Yang (February 2019)
Andrew Yang is a Democratic candidate for president of the United States in 2020. He filed to run for the office on November 6, 2017.
The cornerstone of Yang’s platform is the universal basic income (UBI). Yang describes the UBI as “a form of social security that guarantees a certain amount of money to every citizen within a given governed population, without having to pass a test or fulfill a work requirement.” Yang’s UBI proposal is a payment of $1,000 per month for every adult American citizen.
Prior to running for office, Yang founded Venture for America, a nonprofit organization that trains recent graduates and young professionals to work for startup companies in cities across the country, including Baltimore, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. He also worked for a healthcare startup, founded a national education company, and practiced law as a corporate attorney.
Yang also wrote two books: Smart People Should Build Things in 2014 and The War on Normal People: The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future in 2018.