Before Donald J. Trump was even sworn in as the President of the United States of America, the Democratic Party began strategizing the 2020 election.  Democrats will do absolutely anything to avoid the shock and devastation of another defeat.

But who would be the best candidate to assure a win for the liberals?  Will they select a lifetime politician such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or Julian Castro?  Will they select their candidate based on racial diversity or sex?  Or will they select a newcomer from a different background.

Many candidates have tossed their hats into the presidential ring and it is likely that there are more to come.  What will distinguish each candidate in this race for the White House?  Will we return to clean debates and campaigning?

The following are the front running democratic candidates:

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is a 54 year old daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants.  She served as California’s attorney general and San Francisco’s City attorney.  She was elected to the US senate in 2016 and has challenged Trump on his Judiciary nominees.  She has a “law and order” history in California but has progressive stances on Medicare-for-all, sanctuary cities and marijuana legalization. Harris formally announced her run for president on January 27, 2019, where she vowed to fight for the, “largest middle class tax cut in a generation.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) has spent the last decade in the spotlight.  She first emerged as a consumer activist during the 2008 financial crisis and she hopes that her call to fight economic inequality will make her stand out in this sea of red.  Recently, controversy surrounded Warren when her claims to Native American heritage were found to be faulty.  Warren relies on her experience as an assistant to President Barack Obama and special adviser to the Treasury Secretary to give Americans, and fellow democrats’ confidence in her abilities.  On February 9, 2019, Warren officially announced her run at a rally in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

She calls President Trump, “the latest — and most extreme — symptom of what’s gone wrong in America.”

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) offers sermon like speeches and vows to unite what he considers to be a currently divided nation.  He could be the next “twitter” president already boasting about his following of more than four million people.  Booker served as mayor of Newark, NJ, and was elected to the Senate 2013.  He plans to utilize a new law in NJ that will allow him to run for Senate as well as President in 2020. On February 1, 2019, he announced his campaign to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

The campaign for the Oval Office is well underway and many more are considering entering the race.  Of those running for their party’s nomination we are sure to see a record number of women and culturally diverse candidates.  We will see popular politicians and possibly stars as well as lesser known contenders with the hope of achieving victory.  Whoever wins will immediately enter another race that will prove to be even more challenging.  They will face President Donald Trump, who has already raised more than $100 million dollars for reelection.  Will Americans give their president another four years?  We will not know until all of the votes are in and counted on election night.  Even exit polls will be questioned as many political projectors are still shocked and humbled by the 2016 election.

No doubt, Trump will be painted as a one term President that has harmed the country through a self-serving ego and supposed racist views.  Harris said, “The American people deserve to have someone who is going to fight for them…and put them in front of self-interest.”

Trump will have one fist leading the nation while the other is slid into a boxing glove as he fights for reelection.  Warren is already equipped with two gloves.  She said “This is the fight of our lives. The fight to build an America where dreams are possible, an America that works for everyone. I am in that fight all the way…It won’t be enough to just undo the terrible acts of this administration. We can’t afford to just tinker around the edges – a tax credit here, a regulation there. Our fight is for big, structural change.”

Trump will need to prove to critics that he is not the President of “the rich get richer”.

Although he takes a different approach from the regal, collected, professional speakers that preceded him, he will need to find a way to prove that he is respectable and “presidential”.

In a recent jab at Trump, Booker stated, “I believe that we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind; where parents can put food on the table; where there are good-paying jobs with good benefits in every neighborhood; where our criminal justice system keeps us safe, instead of shuffling more children into cages and coffins; where we see the faces of our leaders on television and feel pride, not shame.”

I decided to get a panther’s take on the upcoming presidential race, so I talked to Spencer Bono,’19, who relayed to me that he, “Would love to see Joe Biden run for the presidency. His experience as Barack Obama’s Vice President and his success as the Senator of Delaware for more than 30 years can prove to be a very prominent benefactor to his presidency.”

I then spoke with Jack Dowling, who stated, “I think the democrat party should pay close attention to its nomination in 2020 after what happened in 2016. Warren is similar to Bernie’s liberal populism, who showed that populism has broad appeal, especially among millennials.

Dowling also added, “However, I don’t think Warren can challenge other candidates given her lack of support from minority communities. I think Harris would run a good campaign and stand up against the negative campaigning of others, including Trump. In addition, her background would help garner support from minorities, similar to Obama.”

Dowling finished by saying, “I also hope Beto O’Rourke runs, who challenged Cruz and almost won Texas, which has been a republican stronghold since the mid-70s. One long shot ticket would be Biden and Kasich running on a split ticket. They have worked together on many issues and have attacked political polarization in American politics. This ticket would be able to reach across the aisle and gain support from both sides.”

Candidates like Senator Warren, Harris and Booker, will each have to strike their own balance between joining the fight in Washington and introducing themselves to voters around the country, frame working their agendas, and drawing oppositions with their rivals for the 2020 nomination.

The election is fast approaching, and soon we will all know who will be competing for the job. It will not be long before July of 2020 rolls around and the primaries are announced. Until then, so much can change and happen, so be prepared for anything.