On Nov. 3, 2020, Americans will elect their next president in the 59th U.S. presidential election.
Candidates who have announced or filed to run for president include the following:
Democratic Party Candidates
Cory Booker, a New Jersey senator, announced that he was running for president on Feb. 1, 2019.
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, announced that he was running for president on Jan. 23, 2019.
Julian Castro, a former U.S. secretary of housing and urban development and San Antonio mayor, formally announced that he was running for president on Jan. 12, 2019.
John Delaney, a former Maryland house representative, filed to run for president on Aug. 10, 2017.
Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii house representative, announced that she was running for president on Jan. 11, 2019.
Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York senator, announced that she was running for president on Jan. 15, 2019.
Kamala Harris, a California senator, announced that she was running for president on Jan. 21, 2019.
John Hickenlooper, a former governor of Colorado, announced that he was running for president on Mar. 4, 2019.
Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, announced that he was running for president on Mar. 1, 2019.
Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota senator, formally announced that she was running for president on Feb. 10, 2019.
Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts senator, announced she had formed an exploratory committee on Dec. 31, 2018. She formally announced she was running for president on Feb. 9, 2019.
Marianne Williamson, an author and lecturer, announced she was running for president on Jan. 28, 2019.
Andrew Yang, a New York entrepreneur and author, filed to run for president on Nov. 6, 2017.
Independent Candidates
Bernie Sanders, a Vermont senator, announced that he was running for president on Feb. 19, 2019.
Republican Party Candidates
President Donald Trump filed to run for re-election in 2020 on Jan. 20, 2017.
Bill Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts, announced that he had formed an exploratory committee on Feb. 15, 2019.
Candidate announcement dates and parties were sourced from Ballotpedia.
Notable Names
In a January Democratic presidential candidate poll conducted by the Washington Post, 56 percent of self-identifying Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents had no preference toward any individual. From the results of the Democratic-leaning independents who had a preference, there were no candidates who received double-digit support. Former vice president Joe Biden lead the poll, but has not formally announced his candidacy. California Senator Kamala Harris showed the highest number of support among candidates who have announced their 2020 campaign plans. In addition to Harris, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, President Trump, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren are among the official 2020 candidates prominent in polling results.
(The Washington Post)
Kamala Harris is a California senator, former attorney general, and former San Francisco district attorney. She was the first woman of South Asian and African American descent to be elected California attorney general. Her issues are centered around middle class tax cuts, civil rights, public safety, and women’s health.
“I believe our country wants and needs some leadership that provides a vision of the country in which everyone could see themselves,” she stated on MSNBC.
Bernie Sanders is a Vermont senator and former congressman. He was a runner up in claiming the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 2016 presidential election. As a self described “democratic socialist,” Sanders centers his campaign around universal Medicare and free college tuition.
“The only way we will win this election and create a government and economy that work for all is with a grassroots movement — the likes of which has never been seen in American history,” he said online.
Donald Trump, businessman and former television personality, is the incumbent 45th president of the United States. Despite the Democrat-targeted poll, 4 percent of respondents have a preference towards Trump. His campaign focuses on strengthening the American economy and enforcing immigration laws, including building a wall at the Mexico-United States border.
“Considering that we have done more than any administration in the first two years, this should be easy. More great things now in the works!” he announced regarding the Republican National Committee’s unanimous vote to support him in the 2020 election.
Elizabeth Warren is a Massachusetts senator and former Harvard professor, as well as the mentor of District 45 House Representative Katie Porter. Her campaign includes rebuilding the middle class, strengthening democracy, and criminal justice reform.
“It’s time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government, and that includes a woman at the top,” she said during her campaign announcement at a town hall in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Important Election Dates and Schedule
According to McClatchy, Apr. 15, 2019 is when all candidates must submit their first quarter campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission.
California primaries are scheduled to be held on Mar. 3, 2020.
The Democratic National Convention will take place from July 13-16, 2020. A location has yet to be determined.
The Republican National Convention is set roughly a month after the Democrats. It will be held from Aug. 24-27, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
