The field is ever-expanding, with more than 20 candidates from across the country, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Senator Kamala Harris of California, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington, Representative John Delaney of Maryland, Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Representative Eric Swalwell of California, Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas, Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of Indiana, Mayor Julian Castro of Texas, Mayor Wayne Messam of Florida, Andrew Yang, and Marianne Williamson. That’s a lot of people.
“Some of them are really well known, like Bernie for instance,” Harker senior Cameron Jones said. “I know Elizabeth Warren, and Harris is my senator. But there’s almost too many to keep track of.”
While Biden and Sanders lead the polls, lesser-known candidates are gaining some notoriety.
“One new candidate I’ve heard about recently is the mayor from Indiana,” Woodside sophomore Stephanie Alfadel stated. “It’s cool to have a queer candidate represented in the field,” Alfadel added.
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Buttigieg’s rise in the polls has been surprising given his low name-recognition around the country. In a recent Emmerson poll, Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, got third place among likely Iowa caucus-goers. His fundraising for the first quarter reflects this rise to prominence, raising over $7 million.
“I’m really impressed with all of Elizabeth Warren’s policies,” Angelina Gaddi, a Woodside senior, stated. “It’s like every day she puts out a new policy proposal to pay for childcare or student debt. It’s also great that there are more women like Elizabeth Warren running.”
Warren pulled in about $6 million in the first quarter of fundraising, putting her behind candidates like Sanders and Buttigieg.
While it’s extremely early in the presidential cycle to judge how well each campaign is doing, fundraising shows momentum and support for the candidates. By this metric, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren are doing the best so far. All of these candidates have qualified for the Democratic Presidential Debates, which are in a few short months in Miami.
