Sanders has raised the most money, but Warren’s chances of winning the primary are better.
I get it: you’re in college and don’t have time to figure out voter registration and absentee ballots, much less read 500 articles to decide on your favorite candidate in the crowded Democratic field. Lucky for you I’ve written a quick rundown of the top three contenders in the Democratic primary, based on recent polling data and fundraising.
Joe Biden: raised $24 million, polling 30.4 percent
It isn’t surprising to see that Biden has a strong lead in the polls: serving as Barack Obama’s vice president grants him widespread recognition, and he has retained his appeal among older, more moderate members of the Party. I think he will struggle to gain the female vote after coming under fire for his demeanor around women. He has a plan for improving the education system by doubling the number of psychologists in schools and reducing the wealth disparity between schools in rich and poor districts. He also has plans for sweeping criminal justice reforms, like eliminating mandatory minimums and expunging low-level marijuana offenses. Unlike Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, he doesn’t want to create a Medicare-for-All system and would rather keep private health insurance while expanding the Affordable Care Act.
Elizabeth Warren: raised $36 million, polling 17.1 percent
The Oklahoma-raised former Harvard law professor made an enormous jump in the polls, establishing a close tie with Sanders over the last few weeks. I think she has the best shot at securing the Democratic ticket. She served six years as a Massachusetts senator, created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and co-sponsored the Green New Deal. Her policies have been focused primarily on economic reforms, such as a 2 percent tax on estates worth over $50 million, eliminating $640 billion in student debt and breaking up tech giants like Amazon and Facebook. She is a proponent of Medicare-for-All and universal child care.
Bernie Sanders: raised $46 million, poll- ing 16.3 percent
Bernie Sanders has had tremendous impact on the nature of the Democratic Party. His surprising levels of success in the 2016 primaries are responsible for the leftward ideological shift of the Democratic Party in the last few years. His once-radical ideas concerning single-payer healthcare, pharmaceutical regulation, and the $15 minimum wage now enjoy broad support among members of the party. Sanders pledges to expand Social Security, shut down for-profit prisons and provide a universal government-run healthcare system. He is devoted to improving life for rural Americans by breaking up agricultural monopolies like Monsanto and providing broadband access in rural America. One of his more novel ideas is to create a national banking system though the Post Office, in an effort to destroy the predatory payday loan system.
The third round of Democraric primary debates will take place this Thursday, Nov. 12 in Houston, Texas. Only ten candidates met the funding and polling requirements to be on stage. The televised debates will run from 8 to 11 Central Time. The candidates have taken firm policy and ideological divisions: the only question remaining is who will be the one to take on Donald Trump.
