2020 Presidential race has begun: any vote is good, as long as it’s not for Trump

2019 is finally upon us, and with it comes some of the new presidential candidates for 2020. Regardless of how early it is, it is still good to be informed about possible candidates.

Elizabeth Warren has announced she will be running for the 2020 election. Warren is considered to be an extremely liberal candidate according to On The Issues. She is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage and pro-women in the workplace, and she strongly favors a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. She also adamantly opposes the notion that guns are an absolute American right.

Warren is someone our government needs. Recovering from Trump’s administration will be an uphill battle, but, if shown by Warren’s extensive campaigning this early in the race, it’s something she will be extremely capable of tackling. Warren is hard working, intelligent and will bring refreshing views to the White House.

Another Democrat in the running is Bernie Sanders. Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, whose views reflect that. Socially, he is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage and he supports a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Economically, he describes himself as a socialist.

While Bernie Sanders would be a big step up from Donald Trump, and would be a welcome president, his extreme views of the American economy tend to be idealistic. Sanders advocates for free tuition and Medicare for all. While these changes would be welcome, it’s hard to see them as realistic. His strict “Bernie or Bust” followers are often theorized to be the reason Hillary Clinton’s campaign failed previously, due to splitting the Democratic Party.

The two leading announced candidates in the Republican race are William F. Weld and Donald Trump.

According to On The Issues, Weld is a progressive leaning libertarian. Weld is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage and pro-women in the workplace, and favors the pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Weld also supports legalized marijuana. Weld’s more conservative views come into play with his views on gun rights, however. He supports the absolute American right to gun ownership, and strongly opposes higher taxes on the wealthy.

While Weld is not the ideal candidate, based purely on his views he seems to be the lesser of two evils. When choosing between Trump and Weld, Weld seems to be the more obvious candidate.

Finally, Donald Trump will be running again. According to On The Issues, he is anti- abortion, anti- hiring women in the workplace, anti- immigrants path to citizenship, and strongly favors keeping God in the public sphere.

Donald Trump’s administration has run on fear and it’s time for a change. Frankly, any other candidate would be a step up from Trump.

No matter who you are voting for, it is important to make an informed decision. Doing things as simple as looking up the candidates’ opinions on certain issues and making sure you are updated on news can really help your vote count.