Meet the candidates

A look at the 2020 election

Jessie Larrinaga, Social Media Manager|March 13, 2020

Source: OnTheIssues.org, respective campaign websites

The Florida primary voting will take place on March 17, and the remaining candidates have varying views on the issues that will affect the public should they take office. Things like the economy and social views held by the candidates may affect voters’ opinions on them. To inform voters about the political stances of the remaining candidates in the race, this list shows some of the positions they’ve taken on several different policies.

Republican Candidates

Donald Trump: Donald John Trump is the current 45th President of the United States. Before running for president, he was a TV personality and businessman. He is running for re-election in the upcoming 2020 race.

Economic and Foreign Policy:

Corporate tax rate decreased from 35% to 21% (Jan. 2018)
7.3 million jobs created since election
1.5 million jobs added for women in 2019
2018 annual GDP growth was 2.9%

Youth unemployment reached lowest rate in nearly 50 years Nov. 4, 2019
Implemented a 25% global steel tariff and 10% global aluminum tariff
Wants to reduce reliance on foreign producers
Withdrew the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement into the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement

Social views:

Supports the death penalty
Hopes to “revive the coal industry” and end efforts to curb carbon (March 2017)
Believes it unfair to serve a life sentence for nonviolent drug offenses (Feb. 2019)
Opposes abortion, against Planned Parenthood

Withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change June 1, 2017
Against gun control, but wants to lower the amount of illegal firearms

Bill Weld: William Floyd Weld is an attorney, businessman, author, and Republican politician who served as the Governor of Massachusetts from 1991-1997. He is running for the Republican nomination for the presidency.

Economic and Foreign Policy:

Top priority is to cut spending and taxes
Wants to balance the federal budget similarly to how states budget
Views Trump’s trade wars as destructive to the economy

Wants to restore “deep connections” with European, Asian and Middle East allies, including Israel
Rejects isolationist policies

Social views:

Values moderation on social issues

Pro-choice
Supports the death penalty
Supports LGBT rights
Disagrees with Trump’s immigration policies (Feb. 2019)
Prefers a guest worker program rather than a path to citizenship for immigrants

Democratic Candidates

Joe Biden: Joe Biden is a Democratic candidate and politician who served as one of the youngest Senators at age 29. Biden represented Delaware in the Senate from 1973 to 2009 before becoming the 47th Vice President under Barack Obama.

Economic and Foreign Policy:

Reduce spending by $1 trillion, increase taxes by $600 billion, cut debt
Wants to end “forever wars” in the Middle East
Supports reentering the Iran Nuclear Deal
Strengthen treaties between Russia and US
Work with allies for a denuclearized North Korea

Strengthen the agricultural sector and rural communities

Social views:

Pro-choice
Supports LGBT rights, including transgender military personnel
Supports the Me Too movement

Supports free community college tuition and state universities (April 2019)
Rejoin and raise standards of Paris Climate Accord
Supports gun reform, including buying back assault weapons and requiring background checks

Bernie Sanders: Former Representative and current Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders is campaigning for the nomination as a Democrat. Sanders served 16 years in the House of Representatives and is now on his third term as a Senator.

Economic and Foreign Policy:

End US support for the Saudi-Arabian backed intervention in Yemen
Remove troops from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria
Strengthen pro-democracy alliances to fight authoritarianism

Establish an annual tax on the top 0.1% of US households
Wants to revitalize rural communities
Higher corporate taxes for companies with large wage gaps between workers and CEOs

Social Views: