Republicans
President Donald Trump has been active in his campaign efforts throughout his first term, formally launching his campaign in February 2017. As of our last article update, two more people have joined former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld in opposing Trump.
Joe Walsh, former Representative from Illinois, is opposing Trump’s campaign, as he is critical of Trump’s trade war, position on global warming, stance on same-sex marriage, and foreign involvement. Lately, Walsh has also been critical of the GOP’s choice to cancel the Republican primaries in Nevada, South Carolina, Kansas, and Arizona.
Early this week, Mark Sanford also joined the race, and has been quickly branded as Republican’s last chance and the biggest threat to Trump. Sanford previously served as a polarizing Governor in South Carolina. He narrowly avoided criminal charges after being charged with 37 ethics violations in 2009. In 2011, he was also accused of accepting illegal gifts as Governor. In 2013, he successfully was elected to Congress in a special election.
Democrats
The DNC originally planned on having two debate nights for as long as necessary. However, the requirements were heightened for the September debates, as candidates had until midnight last Wednesday to gain over 130,000 individual donors AND earning 2% support in at least four eligible polls. These requirements were twice as high as the previous thresholds, which has forced many candidates to run unique campaigns or face reality and drop out.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton, and California Representative Eric Swalwell have all fallen victim to the harsh debate thresholds and folded.
The ten candidates to be on the Houston Stage on September 12th are:
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- New Jersey Senator Cory Booker
- South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Former housing secretary Julian Castro
- California Senator Kamala Harris
- Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar
- Former Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke
- Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
- Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren
- Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
Many others, however, have not met the requirements to make the debate stage, but are nonetheless optimistic about their odds. These Presidential hopefuls include Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, Montana Governor Steve Bullock, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Maryland Representative John Delaney, Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, Miramar Mayor Wayne Meesam, Ohio Representative Tim Ryan, former Pennsylvania Representative Joe Sestak, and author Marianne Williamson.
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