Even though party caucuses aren’t for several more months,  politicians are trying to further their campaigns for the 2020 presidency. A number of candidates have dropped out of the race since August, but the playing field is still wide open. Here is a compiled list of the major and minor candidates running for the nation’s highest office.

Democrats: major candidates

For the Democratic Party, there are three major candidates running. They’ve been in the news for months, some for their quick wits and remarks and some for their bumbling comments.

The first major candidate is Joe Biden. A former senator and vice president, Biden seems to be the candidate targeted towards traditional, centrist Democrats. Sometimes called “Uncle Joe,” a lot of Biden’s campaign promises focus on maintaining the status quo; he’s not a populist like other candidates and is more of a friend to free trade and corporatist lobbyists.

Biden’s campaign has been mired with some controversy though: the former vice president served on the Anita Hill panel that saw Justice Clarence Thomas elected to the Supreme Court, and recently Biden has flubbed several comments in regards to wealth, race and education.

Even though Biden doesn’t necessarily represent the Democratic Party’s quickly changing demographics, he should not be easily disregarded. He’s a career politician and knows how to play the field.

The second major candidate is Elizabeth Warren. A former law professor from Oklahoma City, Warren was elected to the Senate in 2013 to represent Massachusetts—the first female senator elected from the state.

Warren’s proposed policies are certainly more left-leaning than Biden. During debates and press releases, Warren has focused on topics such as creating a “wealth tax” and creating a plan to forgive or cancel all student loan debt—which just recently passed $1.5 trillion.

Certainly more populist than Biden, Warren has faced her fair share of controversy. Before her campaign began, Warren was known for her claims to Native American ancestry which mired her in controversy after taking a DNA test that revealed her closest Native American ancestor was “6-10 generations” in the past, according to Stanford University researcher Carlos Bustamente. There are also records that Elizabeth Warren voted for President Trump’s military budget increase in 2017 that increased the defense budget from $80 billion to $700 billion.

“I have positive feelings about most of the primary candidates in the Democratic Party, but I think Warren is the best choice,” said Nolan Woodman, philosophy and political science major. “Part of the reason for thinking so is due to a question of agenda setting. To my knowledge every candidate has identified massive wealth inequality and student debt issues, but Warren has made both key parts of her campaign.”

The final major Democratic candidate is Bernie Sanders. A senator from Vermont, Sanders is notable as one of the few independents to currently serve in the Senate. Sanders began serving as a representative for Vermont in 1991 and has served as a senator for Vermont since 2007. Sanders pursued an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.

Even though Sanders is running as a Democrat, it should be noted that he officially is an independent. A self-described democratic socialist, Sanders’ campaign and his proposed policies focus on a populist message, like Warren.

Some of Sanders’ proposed legislation includes universal healthcare, a $15 minimum wage and free public college—as well as student loan forgiveness. Bernie has also proposed aggressive wealth taxes and has even gone on record saying that he doesn’t think “billionaires should exist” in America.

“I appreciate Bernie trying to restructure the absolute mess that is the healthcare system we have now,” said Meagan Carmack, political science, math and Spanish major. “I think if people stopped a minute to think about how much the healthcare system really costs, we’d find that restructuring the tax code would save everyone money in the end.”

Unfortunately, unlike Warren and Biden, Sanders has never been a member of the Democratic party. Along with this, the grassroots revolution that he likes to talk about will be hard to achieve considering his self-identification as a socialist, as many Americans have an aversion to such an ideology.

Republicans: Major candidates

Unlike the Democratic Party, there is only one candidate that should be seen as a serious consideration for the Republican Party’s nomination: Donald Trump.

Elected in 2016, President Donald Trump is currently serving the third year of his first term as president. Born and raised in New York City, Donald Trump never held public office before he became president, but he did work as a businessman. Trump opened businesses and buildings across the world. Many nations across the world have buildings that hold the title of “Trump Towers” including Manhattan; Istanbul, Turkey; and Vancouver, Canada, among others.

President Trump has been known for his America First agenda. His pledges to “drain the swamp” and “build the wall” during his 2016 election garnered him widespread support across traditionally conservative areas in America, such as the Midwest. Trump has supported legislation lowering tax rates, replacing the Affordable Care Act and building a wall on the southern border with Mexico.

President Trump’s tenure in office has been far from peaceful though. He has faced criticism from Republicans and Democrats for his comments in the past, including a recording from 2005 where Trump spoke about sexually assaulting women.

Along with this Trump faced a two-year-long investigation by a special panel into Russian interference during the 2016 election and is now facing an impeachment investigation by the House of Representatives due to recent events regarding Ukraine.

“With the Republican party, the internal cracks are showing due to the allegations surrounding Trump and the impeachment inquiry,” said Kat Sittenauer. “I’m wondering how the Republican National Convention will go once we get closer to this time next year.”

However, until something substantive comes about, Donald Trump should be considered as the only likely candidate for the Republican Party. Historically, sitting presidents have always received the nomination of their party for a second term. Only once has it occurred that a president has not received the nomination, and that was to Franklin Pierce.

Democrats: minor candidates

The playing field for the Democratic nomination has thinned out in recent months, with candidates such as New York City mayor Bill De Blasio dropping out.

Aside from the three aforementioned candidates, there are 15 minor Democratic candidates trying to win the nomination. The candidates are a wide range of individuals, including legislators like Corey Booker (Senator from New Jersey) and Kamala Harris (Senator from California), mayors like Pete Buttigieg and Julian Castro, and entrepreneurs like Andrew Yang and John Delaney.

Though many of these candidates have good views on important topics such as climate change, wealth inequality and more, they are unlikely to be nominated for the position as long as the three major candidates are in the running.

Republicans: minor candidates

Currently there are three Republican candidates running for office against Trump. These include Mark Sanford, a former congressman and governor for South Carolina; Joe Walsh, who served one term as a representative from Illinois and is a radio show host; and William Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts.

All three of these Republicans focus on classic conservative rhetoric, and Weld has even voiced his support for taking steps to legalize marijuana. But it’s the same story for these candidates as the minor Democratic candidates: as long as Trump is a candidate, they will not be nominated.

Looking ahead

The 2020 election is shaping up to be an interesting one. No doubt party lines will be drawn deep in the sand depending on who is nominated for the Democratic Party. Will they select a traditionalist like Biden to try and appeal to corporations and the older voter, or will they move towards a modern candidate like Warren, Sanders or Harris? Only time will tell. Meanwhile the Republican nomination—barring any unforeseen complications—lies firmly in the pocket of President Trump.

Article by Ryan Smith