Who is Running for President besides Trump, Biden, & Sanders?
We are in the thick of primary elections for both Democrats and Republicans. The Republicans continue to back Donald Trump for a second term as he surpassed the necessary number of delegates on March 17th. The Democrats continue to have competitive contest between two candidates. In 2019, over 29 people announced their candidacy as the Democratic nominee for President. By the beginning of 2020, 15 were left. Now, only 2 candidates remain. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders vie for this spot, but some voters are concerned. If I have to choose between Trump and either Biden or Sanders, can I please have another option?
The third largest party offers another plausible option for voters who favor limited government and individual freedom. The Libertarian Party does not conduct primary elections, instead they will be selecting their nominee in May through a national party convention. As of right now, the convention will be held, but due to COVID-19 this convention may be postponed. Currently, the party have acknowledged 18 individuals who are interested in being the Libertarian nominee for President. These individuals come from diverse backgrounds ranging from veterans to doctors to lawyers to academics. If you think you may be interested in the Libertarian Party and their nominees you can go to: https://www.lp.org/libertarian-party-candidates/2020/
The Constitution Party also offers 5 candidates for President. Each candidate emphasizes conservative values centered around the U.S. Constitution (as indicative in the party’s name). One of these candidates will be selected by the party at their party convention at the end of April/beginning of May. To check them out go here: http://www.constitutionparty.com/category/national-events/
The Green Party is focused on four pillars: Peace/Non-Violence, Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, and Social Justice. The Green Party’s main focus recently has been the Green New Deal. Their candidate is decided through state caucuses and a national party convention. The front-runner seems to be Dario Hunter, from Youngstown, Ohio, who announced his running mate will be Darlene Elias, from Massachusetts. For the latest news on the Green Party’s Presidential candidates check here: https://www.gp.org/2020
Many other parties exist and offer up nominees. Many other candidates run independent of a party affiliation. According to Ballotpedia, 1,074 candidates filed to run for President
(https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_registered_2020_presidential_candidates)
. Thus, if you aren’t satisfied with the current options, more candidates are out there. More parties are out there as well.
Written by Jaqualynn Anderson