The Race to the Primary: The Four Leading Democrats by Polls for the Upcoming 2020 Election

For somebody trying to get into politics, the sheer size and number of parts that the political landscape has can be extremely daunting. However, one easy place to get started is the upcoming Democratic primary to decide who will run in 2020. Because of this, I have prepared a cheat sheet of sorts to help those who are looking for some quick information. Here are the 4 candidates who are currently performing the best in national polls and form a clear top tier. 

Joe Biden

Joe Biden, also known as “Uncle Joe”, is a former vice president and the current nationwide polling leader. Before he was vice president, Biden was a senator from Delaware who prided himself on going across the aisle to compromise with people he disagreed with. As a senator, he is most famous for the passage of the 1994 crime bill which at the time was popular but eventually resulted in a sharp increase in mass incarceration, particularly in minority communities. Biden famously helped push through Obamacare, and supports expanding it with a public option as opposed to the more liberal “Medicare for All” policy championed by other Democrats. Overall, he is a distinctly more moderate option for Democrats.

Age: 77

Polling Average: 27.0%

Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren is a senator from Massahusetts who has slowly but surely climbed to the very top tier of candidates. She has accomplished this feat through a combination of organized campaigning and a constant stream of policy plans, ranging from affordable college to criminal justice. She comes from the distinctly liberal wing of the Democratic party, and has proposed a wealth tax on the richest Americans as well as rolled out plans for “Medicare for All”. She grew up in Oklahoma, and uses her rural connections to help push her image as someone who is in touch with the Midwest. Overall, Warren is a policy-oriented liberal who is advocating for major structural change.

Age: 70

Polling Average: 15.8%

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders is the extremely popular Vermont senator who rocketed to stardom last election cycle with his insurgent primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. He returns this year no longer the underdog, but as a favorite. Sanders is one of the original supporters of Medicare for All and has been an ardent liberal for decades, going all the way back to his time as mayor of Burlington in the 1980s. Sanders is decidedly pro-worker, vowing to take on greedy corporations and the billionaire class. He has a very loyal and passionate base and could be an interesting candidate to watch going into the New Hampshire primary. He did, however, recently suffer a heart attack, bringing his age and health into question.

Age: 78

Polling Average: 18.3%

Pete Buttigieg

“Mayor Pete”, as he is known back home in Indiana, burst onto the scene this year going from relatively unknown to a household name. He is a young, intelligent mayor who is both a Rhodes Scholar and a veteran. His combination of silky articulation and a slightly more moderate stance is a winning combination for many voters. Additionally, his military background is a boost for his foreign policy credentials, which many other candidates lack. As opposed to Medicare for All, Buttigieg has his own plan for health care known as “Medicare for All Who Want It”, which is slightly less liberal. Buttigieg would be our country’s first openly gay president and our youngest president.

Age: 37

Polling Average: 11.0%