The 2020 election has already achieved quite a few historical milestones, including hosting a large field of over two dozen candidates in the race for president. Now, however, with the primaries well under way, the notable names have thinned dramatically. After numerous debates, early primary results, and other campaign obstacles, only five Democratic nominees and one Republican nominee (not including President Trump) are left standing.
Consider this your cheat sheet for who’s still in the race and who’s dropped out.
Candidates Still in the Race
Joe Biden
As former VP and one of the oldest candidates, Biden has already run for office twice now. He is known for his ability to connect with blue-collar voters, and his campaign focuses on restoring America’s global presence and strengthening economic protections for low-income workers.
Michael Bloomberg
Best known as the billionaire and former three-term mayor of New York City, Bloomberg has switched party affiliation multiple times. He recently re-registered as a Democrat in October 2018, nearly two decades after he left the party to run for mayor as a Republican. Bloomberg is campaigning for gun control, though most of his policies are more centrist.
Tulsi Gabbard
Gabbard is a U.S. Representative from Hawaii and Army National Guard veteran. She supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primaries, and her current campaign hopes to create a progressive economy and opose military intervention overseas.
Bernie Sanders
Sanders is a senator from Vermont who describes himself as a Democratic Socialist, and he has campaign policies central to many liberal goals. His progressive proposals regarding Medicare for All and tuition-free public college made him a runner-up in the 2016 Democratic primary.
Elizabeth Warren
Warren is a senator from Massachusetts and a former Harvard professor. She is running on a progressive platform and speaks frequently about the need for big, structural change. Warren has released a range of plans to reshape economy, with focus on ending income inequality and cancelling student debt, reversing what she sees as a middle class under attack from big corporations.
Bill Weld
As former governor of Massachusetts, Weld is currently running for the Republican nomination. He previously ran for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 2016. Weld is presenting himself as an option for mainstream conservatives and moderates, who he thinks Trump has alienated. Weld favors fiscal restraint, free trade, moderate immigration reform and has endorsed steps towards legalizing marijuana.
Candidates That Have Dropped Out
Some candidates made it to the primaries, while others quit the race before debates even began. These are the key candidates that have ended their campaigns so far.
- Michael Bennet
- Bill De Blasio
- Cory Booker
- Steve Bullock
- Pete Buttigieg
- Julián Castro
- John Delaney
- Kirsten Gillibrand
- Mike Gravel
- Jay Inslee
- Kamala Harris
- John Hickenlooper
- Amy Klobuchar
- Wayne Messam
- Seth Moulton
- Richard Ojeda
- Beto O’Rourke
- Deval Patrick
- Tim Ryan
- Mark Sanford
- Joe Sestak
- Tom Steyer
- Eric Swalwell
- Joe Walsh
- Marianne Williamson
- Andrew Yang