By Dhruv Kapur ’22, News Writer

Amid these unfamiliar times, it is important to not lose sight of the fact that in a few months, aside from maybe still being in quarantine, we will have a major decision on where we want our country to be in the next 4 years. Here is a run-down on what the electoral bloodbath has been looking like.

  We started off with over 20 potential nominees, including Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer, to name a few. Each of these candidates had valid ideas on topics such as healthcare, taxes, and immigration policies that might improve each individual American’s life. Ideas such as higher taxes on billionaires, universal healthcare, and gun control were some of the key points in their platforms.

  The first Democratic debate saw many Democratic hopefuls enter the stage as well, which according to CNN is the best chance for hopefuls to gain support from a national audience. Some front-runners that attended the first Democratic debate were former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Tulsi Gabbard, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Representative Beto O’Rourke to name a few. These candidates were separated into two nights of debate, with Former Vice-President Joe Biden, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Bernie Sanders being front-runners in their respective nights according to ABC News. After the first and second debates the Democratic National Party cut 10 presidential hopefuls for the upcoming third Democratic debate.

  The Republican Party does not have as many potential candidates as the Democratic Party, but still has some. These potential candidates are the incumbent President Donald Trump, Governor Bill Weld, and businessman Rocky De La Fuente. However, it is generally accepted that the incumbent President will be the Republican nomination for president.

  The Democrats slowly dropped out one by one until only 6 of the original 20 were left. Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City Mayor, joined after the majority of the Democratic debates had occurred. The candidates took the stage against each other in February of 2020. Bloomberg, the late joiner, was attacked on all fronts by Democrats who thought he was trying to buy his way into the presidency; a valid point as he spent more than any other candidate on advertising and was practically self-funding a campaign.  About two weeks after his first debate, he dropped out of the race altogether, leaving 3 candidates. Tom Steyer, Amy Klobuchar, and Pete Buttigieg had dropped out of the race in the previous weeks, leaving only Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders in the race.

These three candidates were the favorites going in the beginning of the debates and it only seemed fitting that they went in at the end of the debates. Elizabeth Warren was for protecting the people. According to her website, elizabethwarren.com, she wanted to fix foreign policy, build financial security for all, and to fix our healthcare system. According to Vox, she found support from many women, who were hopeful that our country would have a woman president for the first time ever. After losing her home state, she decided to drop out of the presidential election according to CNN. Another frontrunner was Bernie Sanders, who gained massive support from younger voters by calling for universal healthcare, college for all, and housing for all. Bernie was on the more progressive and leftist side of the Democratic Party, but nonetheless amassed massive support, winning large Democratic states such as California, Vermont, and Utah while coming in second against his main opponent, Joe Biden, in all Super Tuesday states. However, the amount of support that Joe Biden had garnered was apparently too much for Bernie Sanders to catch up to, as on April 8th, Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential race. Joe Biden is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, with policies such as Medicare for All who want it and imposing a ban on assault weapons.

  It will be interesting to see throughout the coming months how Joe Biden stacks up against President Trump and eventually who will win the votes of the American people.