Here Are Your 2020 Presidential Candidates

   It’s too early in the game to know who exactly is looking to be the next Commander in Chief, but there are already 12 people in the running, 11 of which are Democratic. As 2019 progresses and we get closer to election year, both the Democratic and Republican parties have some convening and collaborating to do. Since the 2016 presidential election, both parties have struggled to find their identity.
   The Democratic party contains self proclaimed democratic socialist members like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Bernie Sanders (D-VT), but also the ideologically democratic and fiscally conservative members of the Blue Dog Coalition such as Sanford Bishop (GA-2) and Jim Costa (CA-16). The republican party has very traditionally conservative members such as Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) but also “Rockefeller Republicans” or moderate republicans such as Susan Collins (R-ME) or Mike Coffman who was voted out in the 2018 Midterms.
   These factions within each party are by no means recent. Political identity is a spectrum, and will likely always remain so. However, in the wake of the 2016 election, there has been a zealous effort to require party members to pick a side. The grey area is almost nonexistent. This was seen with senators like Susan Collins, who backed the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. This ideology is dangerous. Forcing politicians to pledge allegiance to a party instead of their beliefs is a detriment to the proper function of our government, and makes bipartisanship increasingly difficult.
​   This all or nothing attitude is seen in citizens as well as politicians. After the 2016 election, traditionally moderate republicans moved their support to Donald Trump in order to stay allegiant to the Republican party, even though they didn’t agree with much of his rhetoric. Democrats begrudgingly supported Hillary Clinton despite their views and morals not being reflected. We can’t allow ourselves to head into this election with blind support of a candidate because they’re in our party. Do your research, have some conviction, and think for yourself.
  Each party needs to do a lot of soul searching to decide the type of person they want occupying the White House. Being anti or pro-Trump isn’t enough of a qualification; people like him have existed before the 2016 election. What America needs is a president who can unify people across the political spectrum, enacting legislation that is based on constructive compromise and values--not spite and intransigence.
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Without further ado, here are the 2020 presidential candidates as of 2/12/2019.

Democratic candidates
Cory Booker (D-NJ)*
Platform
-Criminal justice reform
-Unifying and uplifting the country
Kamala Harris (D-CA)*
Platform
-Criminal justice reform
-Medicare for all
Pete Buttigieg- Mayor of South Bend, IN
Platform
-Pushing for a generational shift in American politics
-First openly LGBTQ elected official to run for President
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)*
Platform
-Lower healthcare costs
-Gun safety
Julian Castro- Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Platform
-Improved immigration policy
-Proprieter of the American Dream
Tulsi Gabbard (HI-2)
Platform
-Affordable housing/cost of living
-Environmental conservation
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)*
Platform
-Rebuilding the middle class
-Ending Washington corruption
John Delaney (MD-6)​
Platform
-Removing big donors from politics
-Universal healthcare and improved education
Marianne Williamson
Platform
-Reparations for Black Americans
-Re-establishing American values
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Platform
-Unity in politics
-Accountability in politics
Andrew Yang
Platform
-Medicare for all
-Universal basic income
Bernie Sanders (D-VT)
Platform
-Free public college education
-Raising minimum wage
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Republican Candidates
Donald Trump
Platform
-"America first"
-Strengthening military and law enforcement
​-Border protection

*Candidates who are not taking donations from corporate PAC's