The President is the head of the executive branch, the head of our government, and the figure representing the United States in the international scene. The position goes up for election every four years, with the incumbent, or current, president able to go up for his or her own re-election once. The current president of the United States, Republican Donald Trump, has already announced his reelection bid for the 2020 Presidential election, along with 20 Democrats and one other Republican as of May 1st, 2019.

Presidential nominees include the likes of Jay Inslee, the Washington state governor who is running solely on climate change, Cory Booker, the New Jersey senator running on criminal justice reform and unifying the country, Joe Biden, the former vice president running based on restoring the United States to its former glory, and Elizabeth Warren, the senator from Massachusetts running on income equality and protecting the middle class of America. CBS released an article discussing Democratic voters, and that, “for many voters, race and gender don’t matter at all. Men, women, white, black, it has no relevance to the voters.” The Democratic Party has changed to revolve around policies molding to fit modern times.

Seniors Lauryn Denkenberger and Jack Higgins both support Bernie Sanders in the upcoming election, with Denkenberger saying that “Bernie [Sanders] is very inclusive and open to all ideas and people, and would leave a positive impact on the American people,” where Higgins says, “I support [Bernie] Sanders because I want him to drop the cost of college for the next four years, my college years.” Based on early polls by CNN, among the Democratic nominees, Bernie Sanders has the second highest tally of supporters, with 19 percent of the vote, behind Joe Biden with 38 percent. Biden, the former vice president and a symbol for the American people, has a lot of support already from his time in office, leaving Sanders with a large, but not insurmountable, hill to climb.

Another candidate in the race, Kamala Harris, has plenty of experience in government and has the support of many young people who want new blood in the White House. Senior Mikey Redding is a Kamala Harris follower, and when asked why she had his support, he stated, “Her experience as an Attorney General and a Senator shows her ability to be a good representative of the United States on the international scale.” She also served as a San Francisco district attorney, proving her extent of experience in both the judicial and legislative branches of government. This could possibly give her an advantage over the other candidates because of her understanding of the processes of the judicial members of government, and legislative branches as well as then her possible new position as the head of the executive branch.

Joe Biden, former vice president under our former President Barack Obama, has had plenty of controversy surrounding him, with several allegations of sexual misconduct from several different women around the country over the past few decades. CNN opinion writer Marion Steinfels wrote about her experience with Joe Biden, saying that, “He grabbed my arm on the plane, was very animated during takeoff, and I realized he was distracting me from my deathly fear of flights. How did he know that I was afraid of flying?” Steinfels goes on to explain who Joe Biden really is; an understanding, compassionate person who spends a lot of time caring for those around him. His perceived sexual misconduct may have been legitimate misconduct, which is inexcusable; however from Steinfels’ and multiple other women’s perspectives, he is a caring man who is trying his best to support those supporting him.

Although all of the candidates in this election have displayed their credentials and their ability to lead the country, support is varied among the Democrats for their representatives. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have the early lead in voting, 57 percent combined. With 43 percent of the vote falling to 18 other representatives in the Democratic party, it is a time for critics to wonder if it is time for fresh blood in the political scene, with young faces like Beto O’Rourke and Cory Booker breaking into politics, but are not making much headway with voters.

Often with discussions about major elections such as the Presidential election comes the topic of the electoral college in the United States, with the population even more often split on whether or not it should change. The Electoral College is the system in which senior Daniela Moretsky, when asked about the Electoral College and whether or not it should change, said, “the electoral college in my opinion is a flawed system designed by our Founding Fathers to protect the elite from the common people. I think either switching from the winner-take-all system in the vote, or just switching to a popular vote is a good and necessary change.”

In this upcoming election, people like Higgins and Redding are excited to see what will happen. Will new blood rapidly gain support and lead the country through a new age? Or will those with experience and precedent continue to lead the country? The 2020 presidential election has plenty of qualified candidates and a lot of debate, prepping the public for a vivacious fight to gain the Presidency.