Each Democratic Presidential Candidate’s Position on Minimum Wage
When you look at your salary, do you want the amount to be higher? If so, you might be wondering what many of our Democratic presidential candidates think about the federal minimum wage and what they are going to do about it.
Most candidates have supported raising the minimum wage to $ 15 (a big jump from the current federal minimum wage of just $ 7.25), but there are a few exceptions. Andrew Yang, for example, maintains a universal basic income.
Here are the candidates’ positions according to their campaign sites, in alphabetical order.
Michael Bennett
Raise the federal minimum wage – he doesn’t give numbers.
Joe Biden
Raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
Steve Bullock
Raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, and higher in some regions. He does not elaborate, but most likely these are regions with a higher cost of living.
Corey Booker
Raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
Pete Buttigieg
Raise the minimum wage to $ 15 “and above” and restore the Obama-era overtime rules .
Julian Castro
Position not specified.
Bill de Blasio
- Raise the minimum wage to $ 15 and “index to the average worker’s wage,” which means that the minimum wage will automatically adjust in line with annual inflation.
- Eliminate minimum wages for tipped workers and create “one fair wage for all.”
John Delaney
- Gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
- Include tipped employees and index the minimum wage for inflation.
Tulsi Gabbard
Position not specified.
Kirsten Gillibrand
Raise the minimum wage to $ 15 nationwide.
John Hickenlooper
- Raise the minimum wage to a nationwide minimum of $ 15 an hour by 2024, with areas with the highest cost of living moving first.
- Peg the minimum wage to the subsistence level at all times, adjusting it every three years.
- Raise the minimum wage above $ 15 in regions with high cost of living.
Jay Inslee
- Raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by 2024, “subsequently tied to average hourly wages.”
- Raise your overtime pay threshold in line with Obama-era rules.
Kamala Harris
Make the $ 15 minimum wage as the national minimum.
Amy Klobuchar
Raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
Beto O’Rourke
“Ensure one job is enough by paying every American a real living wage.” He does not provide numbers on his website.
Tim Ryan
“Build an economy that works for everyone.” No further information was provided.
Bernie Sanders
Raise the minimum wage to a “living wage” of at least $ 15 per hour.
Elizabeth Warren
Raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
Marianne Williamson
Raise the minimum wage to “the level of subsistence in a given geographic area” and adjust this rate for inflation.
Andrew Yang
Introduce Universal Basic Income (UBI) to guarantee payments of $ 1,000 per month for every citizen over 18.