Presidential Candidates for 2020 has yielded no end of diverse figures. Several billionaires. A self-help guru. Openly gay men. Investors. More women than ever before. Socialists. People of colour. But one key figure is missing… atheists.
Whilst the religious beliefs of the socialist candidates, including Senator Bernie Sanders, are unknown. There are no openly atheist candidates…
Despite atheism seeming to take hold in many parts of the world. There are very few openly atheist politicians. Even if the voter isn’t religious themselves. A religious representative conveys trust. After all, any person who is religious has morals. Thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal etc. Religion is comforting for those they represent.
Atheists remain few and far between in Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The only notable to publicly claim to be atheist is Jared Huffman.
Congressman Huffman is a Democrat who represents California’s second district. Congressman Huffman is also a leading proponent of the impeachment of President Trump.
Gallup Poll performed a poll on how willing Americans are to vote for particular groups. People of colour. Catholics. Evangelical Christians. Jewish. Muslim. Hispanics. Women. Gay or Lesbian. Under 40. Over 70. The results were as follows
- People of colour, 96%
- Catholics, 95%
- Hispanics, 95%
- Women, 94%
- Jewish, 93%
- Evangelical Christians, 80%
- Gay or Lesbian, 76%
- Under 40, 71%
- Muslim, 66%
- Over 70, 63%
During the 2016 election, leaked emails show that a Democrat official considered raising the issue of religion to Bernie Sanders. The Democrat official claimed it would ‘boost support for Hillary’. Sanders, who’s Jewish, has openly stated that he’s “Not actively involved in an organised religion.”
Who‘s running for President 2020?
Obviously, at this stage of the race, there are many presidential candidates. But only one will win. The majority are either Democrats or Republicans. But there are independents. And those from other parties.
Democrats
- Michael Bennet, a Democrat Senator representing Colorado with almost 10 years of experience behind him.
- Joe Biden, former Vice-President under Obama. He is framing his run for President as a challenge to President Trump.
- Bill de Blasio, the Democrat mayor of New York City. He has come in with an impressive mayoral agenda, such as a $15 per hour minimum wage.
- Cory Booker, a Democrat Senator from New Jersey. He has supported the Green New Deal, racial equality and criminal justice reform.
- Steve Bullock, the Democrat governor of Montana. He has attempted to please the tech generations. His campaign was announced via social media.
- Pete Buttigieg, the Democrat mayor of South Bend, Indiana. As mayor, he has tried to be economically minded. He has made investing in advanced industries, data, technology, and higher education easier.
- Julián Castro, former US secretary of Housing and Urban Development. On the campaign trail he has promised much. Including Medicare for all and affordable housing
- John Delaney, former Democrat member of the House of Representatives. He has claimed that he will spend his first 100 days in office working bipartisanly.
- Kamala Harris, a Democrat Senator from California. She has promised much of she is elected. Debt-free college, tax cuts and Medicare for all.
- Tim Ryan, a Democrat member of the House of Representatives from Ohio. He has talked about how divided the United States is. And he thinks he can change it.
- Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat Senator from Massachusetts. She’s quite infamous- she has promised much, and is the favourite for the Democratic leadership. Free healthcare for all, student loan debt relief, and a wealth tax.
Obviously, some have been left out as they are not believed to have much of a chance.
Republicans
There are only two main Republican candidates.
- Donald Trump, current President of the United States. He has a high chance of re-election. He’s much loved by the public. Trump is continuing to run on his ‘America First’ policy.
- Bill Weld, the former Republican Governor of Massachusetts (1991 to 1997). He’s focused his run on the criticisms of Trump. Both his economic policies and personality. He also claims he can replace jobs that will be lost to automation in the near future.
Independent
There are quite a few independent candidates. Many from so-called ‘Joke parties’. There is only one serious Independent candidate.
- Bernie Sanders, a Senator from Vermont with caucuses in the Democrat Party. He’s focused on many socialist issues. Limiting the sizes of Banks, tuition free colleges and expanding the estate tax.
Have any presidential candidates dropped out of the race yet?
Obviously, it’s early days. So, many presidential candidates, even the joke ones, have not considered dropping out. However Business Insider reports that Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell of California has dropped out. He claimed that he ‘had to be honest about his candidacy’s viability.’
Other than that, no one that has announced their candidacy has dropped out. Although it is still early days, so many presidential candidates will end up dropping out.
Why are many of the Democrats hell-bent on impeachment?
Many of the 2020 democratic candidates have talked about criminal charges being pressed against President Trump. It’s not just about party divides…
The Democrats unjustifiably dislike President Trump. They say he is a criminal. Despite the meagre evidence for that. The BBC reports that not even Robert Mueller couldn’t prove collusion in the 2016 election.