This article was originally published on February 11, 2019
The presidential election of 2020 is less than two years away and members of the Democratic Party have already announced their candidacy. After President Trump won the presidential election in November 2016, many members of the Democratic Party have vowed to defeat him in the 2020 presidential election. Some of the Democrats who announced their candidacy include Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Senator Kamala Harris of California.
[Source: Associated Press, Lynne Sladky]
On January 15, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York announced on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that she has launched an exploratory committee to run for president in 2020. In the past, she has pushed for legislation on equal pay, sexual assault on college campuses and the military, and women’s rights. She also celebrated the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Act which previously did not allow people of the LGBTQ community to serve in the military. She believes that health care should be a right and not a privilege and that the nation should have better public schools for children. She has also announced that she is not accepting corporate PAC (political action committees) money for her campaign and pushing for transparency in the government.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Senator Kamala Harris announced that she is running for president in 2020. Born to Indian and Jamaican immigrant parents and raised in Oakland, California, Harris said that her mother always taught her that she had a responsibility to become a part of the fight for justice. She believes in fixing the criminal justice system, defending the rights of immigrants and Dreamers, the right to marry whoever you love and that no American should work two jobs to pay their bills. She said that she is running to be president “of the people, by the people, and for all people.” She also believes that “healthcare is a fundamental right” and that it can be delivered through “Medicare for all.” She strongly cares about protecting the democracy of America and defending the American values of the people.
[Source: Associated Press, Michael Dwyer]
As the months progress, we could expect to see more Democrats announcing their candidacy for the presidential election of 2020.
Jennie Kim, Grade 12
Immaculate Heart High School