Things to Know Before the First Day of Democratic Debate
If you’re not following your aunt’s Facebook news or status, as a reminder, today the first half of the Democratic Debate will take place at 9:00 pm ET.
Ten candidates, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, will take to the stage in Miami. Given the sheer number of candidates, it’s hard to remember how they compare. If you need a little help, here’s a quick breakdown of the top 10 candidates in today’s debate.
Bill de Blasio
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his presidential race back in May, much to the chagrin of many New Yorkers who criticized the city ‘s metro system and rising rents. As mayor, de Blasio has worked on income inequality and criminal justice issues (for example, rolling back the city’s shutdown and screening program).
During his brief campaign, de Blasio spoke out against President Trump, calling for his impeachment , and criticized Joe Biden ‘s stance on the Hyde Amendment banning federal funding for abortion.
Corey Booker
New Jersey Senator Corey Booker is a fierce advocate of criminal justice and housing reform, and gun control. Back in September, Booker also made headlines for challenging Supreme Court Justice Brett Cavanaugh at a confirmation hearing in an attempt to prove Cavanaugh supported racial profiling.
Booker has been criticized for his Wall Street connections; As Vox writes, in 2014, as a member of Congress in New Jersey, Booker received more donations from Wall Street-related donors than any other member of Congress at the time.
Julian Castro
You may be familiar with former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, as he previously served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Obama.
So far, during his presidential campaign, Castro has focused on immigration as well as criminal justice reform. “The next president must start by reversing the Trump administration’s brutal policies, including banning Muslims, wasteful spending on mindless walls and cutting the refugee program — and end the nefarious rhetoric that scapegoats and denigrates immigrants,” Castro wrote. in a post on Medium . In May, he also proposed a universal early childhood education program and canceled university and college tuition.
John Delaney
Former Maryland Congressman John Delaney is probably best known for his universal health proposal – and his recent criticism of Medicare for everything that earned him a few screams at the California Democratic convention . (Despite his proposal, Delaney still favors S for private health insurance.)
Delaney also previously founded a company that funded healthcare providers.
Tulsi Gabbard
Hawaii Congressman Tulsi Gabbard supports Medicare for All and is canceling four-year universities and colleges and community colleges. She also actively supported Senator Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Although she publicly changed her views (and some of them apologized ), Gabbard had a particularly controversial story ; She previously advertised working with an anti- LGBTQ organization that supported conversion therapy, opposed abortion, and had a notably conservative foreign policy stance under the Obama administration .
Jay Inslee
Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington has dedicated most (if not all) of his campaign to climate change, planning to invest in clean technology, create jobs through investment in better technology, and ultimately “hold polluters accountable” by ending federal subsidies. for them. pollutants.
He even advocated the climate change debate (which the DNC later rejected).
Amy Klobuchar
Having earned a reputation as a moderate Democrat, Senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, probably best known for the fact that fried a judge of the Supreme Court of Brett Kavanaugh during the hearings he claimed candidacy in October (and less than amiable profile in the New York Times with scallop and lettuce) … ).
According to Vox , she has been largely silent about costly services like Medicare for all Bernie Sander’s programs, but advocates for universal health care and a Green New Deal .
Beto O’Rourke
Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke is probably best known for his headstrong campaign in the Senate against the incumbent Ted Cruz – and a viralmoment back in August 2018 when he defended the right of NFL players to kneel while singing national anthems.
Among other things, he is a supporter of immigration and naturalization reform and has called for a plan to tackle climate change, which is estimated at about $ 5 trillion. He is also known for his centrist electoral roll; debate can shake up his low vote and put him back in the spotlight.
Tim Ryan
Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, from the working-class area , has made job preservation a central role in his campaign. “I know the president wants to campaign on the economy,” Ryan told USA Today this week. “But I’m going to campaign against the economy because that doesn’t work for the vast majority of the people in the country. Seventy-five percent of people still live paycheck to paycheck. ”
Ryan is also best known for challenging Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House of Representatives back in 2016 and most recentlychanging his views on abortion.
Elizabeth Warren
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is best known for her anti- money and anti -corruption stance in politics seeking to tighten lobbying rules and impose taxes on corporations and the super-rich, with some of the funds going to reduce student loan debt .
Warren remains the only one of the top five outside of Thursday’s debate, so she’ll be in the spotlight tonight.