Tuesday November 3rd, marks the date that US citizens get to select the new president and put the future into the choice of the people. For some students at Morro Bay High School, they have the chance to vote in the primaries or final vote in November depending on when they turn 18. While eventually, it will boil down to two candidates to choose from, the primaries are just as important. March 3rd, or better known as Super Tuesday is the turning point in the primaries, determining the potential winners as the final candidate. 14 states making up 40% of the population vote on this day, including California.
The amount of candidates can be overwhelming when it comes to voting, and often new voters avoid primaries for this reason. It seems like everytime the TV gets turned on or social media opens, there is some buzz on the candidates, whether from debates to other states’ primary results, it’s a good idea to know who the candidates are, their past experience, and their proposed policies.
There are five candidates from the Democratic Party: Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, and Tulsi Gabbard. There are also two candidates from the Republican Party, Bill Weld, and President Donald Trump running for his second term.
Bernie Sanders is a Democratic candidate from Vermont who has formerly served as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont’s biggest city, has been a congressman for the House of Representatives for 16 years, and is currently serving his third term in the US Senate. He strongly prioritizes securing healthcare for all, in his Medicare for All plan, providing full health insurance like the current existing Medicare, for all regardless of age. He also acknowledges the problem of climate change by proposing a Green New Deal, including plans in investing in sustainable solutions for transportation and rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement.
Elizabeth Warren is a Democratic candidate currently serving as the senior senator for Massachusetts since 2013. Raised in a lower-middle class family, she first hand fights the financial problems of the lower classes including costs of education, costs of living, and employment needs. Before serving as senator, she has over 30 years of experience as a law professor at multiple universities including Harvard and Rutgers. Along with prioritizing anti-corruption plans in office, she plans on imposing a wealth tax on fortunes over $50 million, to help fund universal childcare, free college, and public education. Like Sanders, she plans to utilize the Green New Deal to help solve the current climate crisis.
Joe Biden, most known for being the former Vice President under former President Obama, is running for office for the Democratic Party. As Alumni of University of Delaware and Syracuse University, he has served as US senator from 1973 to 2009, and two full terms as Vice President. Biden plans to support the working class by building on Obamacare as a public option for affordable healthcare and make post-secondary education affordable and available. He also plans on passing reforms of the immigration system and criminal justice system.
Michael Bloomberg is another Democratic candidate with prior political experience as the former mayor of New York City. He is also well known for creating the company Bloomberg, a financial and business news source. Aside from his driving campaign slogan of beating Trump, he plans to build on the Affordable Care Act and enact common-sense gun safety laws.
Tulsi Gabbard, running for the Democratic party, has experience as a combat veteran in the Middle East and currently serves as a major in the National Guard. She also is the first female combat veteran to serve in congress. She focuses on foreign policy as a main priority of hers, her goal being ending America’s intervention and initiation of regime change wars, hopefully ending conflict in the Middle East. Gabbard prioritizes international peace and providing clean resources for all.
Donald Trump is one of the Republican party candidates known most for being the current president. Running for his second term as president, he advocates stronger national defense, and stronger immigration screening for homeland security. He also continues to repeal Obamacare and allow private health insurance companies to have control of their prices. Trump also continues to work towards his goal of lowering taxes.
Bill Weld, another Republican candidate, has experience as a former governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997 and prior to that, served as the Assistant US Attorney General under the criminal division. He believes in a well-run economy, a pragmatic foreign policy, and moderation on social issues. He wants no government interference.
