The Stream

Who can beat Trump in 2020?

The field of Democratic candidates gets crowded, with no Republican yet ready to take on the US president.

With more than 600 days still to go until election day in the United States, the list of candidates is bulging. There are 10 officially declared candidates, three exploratory committees under way and more than a dozen politicians saying maybe. Donor visits, speeches, interviews and meet and greets are beginning across the country.

Some big fish from the Democratic Party – Senators Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders – are on the list of declared candidates. And some lesser known names are also taking a shot at the highest office in the country. US President Donald Trump has declared he will be “very tough to beat in 2020.”

But, as the Democratic Party swings to the left, there appears to be little policy distance between the declared candidates. They are all campaigning on well-trodden progressive issues such as lower cost or tuition-free higher education, a national minimum wage and wider access to healthcare. So, is this a knee jerk reaction to Trump, are they cashing in on the success of social democrats in the midterms, or is American public and political opinion on these issues truly shifting?

On this episode we’ll take a close look at the candidates Trump is up against and try to answer those questions with a panel of experts. 

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Brad Jenkins @BradJenkins
Democratic Strategist
bradjenkins.net

Rina Shah @RinainDC
Republican Strategist & Consultant, Founder of Women’s Public Leadership Network
womenspublicleadership.net

Patty Culhane @PattyCulhane
Correspondent, Al Jazeera English

Read more:
Do you know the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates? – Politico 
As 2020 candidates turn left, some Democrats worry about the center – Reuters 

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