This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Utah chapter.

Eeeeek! We are less than nine months away from one of the biggest days of the year — ELECTION DAY! If you’ve been slacking and haven’t registered to vote yet, here you go!

There are currently eight potential candidates left out of the whopping twenty-five that were initially running.

I know we are all busy with our school work and just life in general, so I did some research for you so you don’t have to. (: Here’s an updated list of the candidates and where they stand on certain issues, as well as how they are ranking in the polls.

Joe Biden

Who is He: Former Vice President of the United States and Former Delaware Senator
Stance on Gun Control: Supports banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Plans to regulate the possession of existing assault weapons with background checks. Wants to institute a buy-back program where the government will buy back assault weapons from individuals. Plans to require a background check on anyone who is trying to purchase a gun. He also has plans to stop the sale of guns and magazines from online retailers. I could go on all day telling you about Biden’s plans for gun control, but you can also find the information listed on his official campaign website here. He also has plans for guns and victims of domestic violence. I highly recommend taking a look.
Plans for Health Care: Plans to build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to ensure that every American has access to affordable health insurance. He wants to increase the value of tax credits to lower premiums and expand coverage to low-income Americans. He also has a plan to allow Americans to purchase their prescriptions from other countries to fuel competition in the U.S. He plans to make healthcare a right, not a privilege. To learn more, click here.
Plans for Education: He plans to make two years of community college debt-free and plans to invest in community colleges. Individuals making $25,000 or less do not have to pay back their debt to college institutions. Everyone else will use 5% of their income (excluding costs for housing, food, etc.) to pay off their loans.
Plans for Climate Change: Supports the Green New Deal and plans to ensure that “the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions no later than 2050.” If you’re interested in learning more, click here.
Immigration: Wants to reinvent legal-immigration. Has made some comments about illegal immigration being a crime.
Where he stands in the polls: Biden was initially seen as the front-runner for the position, but in recent months he has not been performing as well in the polls. According to information presented in The New York Times, Biden’s ‘national polling average’ is 23%. He currently falls behind Bernie who has 24% in the category.
Number of Pledged Delegates: 6
Predictions/Opinions: I personally don’t see Biden as the nominee because he isn’t performing as well as other candidates *cough* Bernie *cough cough*. I personally see him dropping out in the months to come.

Pete Buttigieg

Who is He: Mayor of South Bend, Indiana; Military Vet.
Stance on Gun Control: Plans to make background checks universal and ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Wants to establish a nationwide gun licensing program.
Plans for Health Care: Plans to make Medicare available to all, make prescriptions more affordable, and expand health care access to rural areas.
Plans for Education: Plans to raise teachers’ pay and make college tuition debt-free for low-income families.
Plans for Climate Change: Supports the implementation of the Green New Deal and increasing energy efficiency in homes.
Immigration: Easier citizenship for DREAMers and those living, working, and contributing to the United States. Common Sense Immigration is what Buttigieg likes to call it.
Where he stands in the polls: Buttigieg scores a 9% on The New York Times’ ‘national polling average’. He is not the worst performing candidate in this category. He made headlines in the recent Iowa caucus, but nationally he is not performing as well.
Number of Pledged Delegates: 22
Predictions/Opinions: I see Buttigieg dropping out of the race before the Democratic Primary Election. He is not a strong enough candidate. Maybe he will perform better if he runs again in the future.

Tulsi Gabbard

Who is She: Congresswoman from Hawaii
Stance on Gun Control: Supports universal background checks and banning the sale of military weapons.
Plans for Health Care: Will ensure that all Americans have quality healthcare.
Plans for Education: N/A
Plans for Climate Change: Plans to ban “offshore drilling, harness innovation to create jobs in renewable energy”. Click here to read more of her quotes that are available on her campaign website.
Immigration: Plans to secure America’s borders and stop separating children from their families. Supports DACA and granting asylum to refugees.
Where she stands in the polls: In the same poll presented by The New York Times, Tulsi is receiving an average of less than 1%.
Number of Pledged Delegates: —
Predictions/Opinions: She needs to drop out already. She has no chance of being the party’s nominee.

Amy Klobuchar

Who is She: Senator from Minnesota
Stance on Gun Control: Supports universal background checks and banning high capacity ammunition and assault weapons.
Plans for Health Care: Supports universal health care by expanding Medicare and Medicaid coverage. She also wants to make prescription drugs more affordable.
Plans for Education: Wants to make one- and two-year community colleges tuition-free. She also wants to refinance student loans at lower rates.
Plans for Climate Change: Supporter of the Green New Deal and will invest in clean-energy jobs and infrastructure. To learn more, click here.
Immigration: Wants to create “an accountable pathway” to citizenship and protect DREAMers. Plans to stop separating families.
Where she stands in the polls: Klobuchar scores a 5% in the poll.
Number of Pledged Delegates: 7
Predictions/Opinions: I think she will drop out very soon. She hasn’t made much news and is not a strong enough candidate for the current election. I can see her running again in the future.

Bernie Sanders

Who is He: Senator from Vermont
Stance on Gun Control: Plans to expand background checks and ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons, as well as high capacity magazines. Wants to stop NRA influence.
Plans for Health Care: Believes everyone should have Medicare through single-payer programs. Sanders plans to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
Plans for Education: Wants to make public colleges and universities tuition-free. Plans to pass the College for All Act which will provide at LEAST $48 billion per year to eliminate tuition at four-year public institutions. He also plans to cancel all existing student debt. To learn more about his plans in regards to education, click here.
Plans for Climate Change: Supporter of the Green New Deal. Will declare climate change as a national emergency and will commit to reducing emissions around the world. To learn more about Sanders’s plan, click here.
Immigration: Plans to expand DACA and DAPA. Will provide immediate legal status to those eligible for DACA and will end the separation of kids from their parents. No more kids in cages! Will completely reshape our immigration enforcement system.
Where he stands in the polls: Bernie is currently the front-runner. He scores a 24% in the national polls.
Number of Pledged Delegates: 21
Predictions/Opinions: I think Bernie could be the party nominee! He has been performing well in the national polls as well as state caucuses. He has plenty of experience and a lot to bring to the table.

Elizabeth Warren

Who is She: Senator from Massachusetts
Stance on Gun Control: To purchase a gun, you will need to go through a required background check. She also supports raising the minimum age of purchasing a gun to 18 years of age. She wants to pass a federal assault weapon ban that will also affect high capacity magazines. Warren would like to establish a buy-back program as well, and those who fail to register or return their assault weapon could face penalties. To learn more about Warren’s plan to end gun violence, click here.
Plans for Health Care: Supports Medicare for all and the ACA. She plans to lower the cost of prescription drugs and invest in mental health.
Plans for Education: Warren plans to give every American the opportunity to attend two-year or four-year public institutions without paying tuition. She also plans to make free college universal — especially for lower-income families. She also has plans to cancel 95% of debt for nearly 45 million Americans. To learn more about her plans, click here.
Plans for Climate Change: Warren has multiple plans to restore our climate. Some of those plans include Clean Energy, Green Manufacturing, Environmental Justice, Protecting Public Lands, and so on. To learn more about Warren’s detailed plans, click here.
Immigration: Warren plans to eliminate abusive enforcement and remake CBP and ICE in a way that doesn’t target immigrants and communities of color. She also wants to raise the refugee cap and grant asylum to those who need it. Warren plans to provide a fair and achievable pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and DREAMers.
Where she stands in the polls: Warren’s national polling average is 14%. She has the third highest average and falls 10% behind Bernie.
Number of Pledged Delegates: 8
Predictions/Opinions: I would love to see Warren as the nominee, but she hasn’t been performing as well as Bernie in the polls. I can definitely see Bernie picking Warren to be his vice president if he wins the primary election over her.

Tom Steyer

Who is He: Billionaire
Stance on Gun Control: Wants to institute a national license program for all gun owners and require universal background checks. Like most of the candidates, he wants to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines.
Plans for Health Care: Supports universal health care. Wants to lower the cost of prescription drugs and create an affordable health care system.
Plans for Education: Plans to forgive certain types of student loans and debt.
Plans for Climate Change: Steyer has a plan that is too long to summarize, but here’s what you need to know: he will prioritize communities that have been treated like “dumping grounds”. To learn more about his plan, click here.
Immigration: Will take executive action to reinstate DACA and TPS programs. He also wants to grant asylum to individuals fleeing persecution and oppression. Wants to create an easier pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Where he stands in the polls: 1%
Number of Pledged Delegates: —
Predictions/Opinions: I think he will drop out within the next two weeks. Steyer is not a strong candidate.

Mike Bloomberg

Who is He: Former Mayor of New York and Billionaire
Stance on Gun Control: Wants to ban assault weapons and create a more effective background check system.
Plans for Health Care: Wants to lower the cost of drugs and plans to create a Medicare insurance option for the public. He also wants to expand the ACA.
Plans for Education: Wants to make two-year public institutions tuition-free. Desires to make four-year public institutions tuition-free for low-income students and more affordable for middle-class students.
Plans for Climate Change: Plans to rejoin the Paris Agreement. He wants to prioritize the fight to reduce wildfires. He also wants to reduce pollution.
Immigration: He plans on protecting DREAMers and end family separation at the border. Like many candidates, Bloomberg wants to create an easier pathway to citizenship for undocumented peoples. Against Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’.
Where he stands in the polls: Bloomberg’s national polling average is 10%. He currently ranks behind Bernie, Biden, and Warren.
Number of Pledged Delegates: —
Predictions/Opinions: I don’t see Bloomberg getting much farther in the race. I think he will drop out soon and possibly run again in the future.

I hope you found this article to be helpful and now know a little more about the Democratic candidates running for president. Remember to go out and vote because your voice matters!!!!!!

Second Dates with the Democratic Candidates