Super Tuesday: Who’s leading in the presidential race before the big event?

Two years ago, the presidential field stood at 32 candidates. Fast-forward to 2020, and the field has narrowed to seven: two Republicans and five Democrats.

With Super Tuesday happening on March 3, the Democratic race is expected to narrow, as more than a third of the delegates will be decided in 14 states.

With President Trump winning in the first four primaries and caucuses, he is projected to receive the Republican nomination. So the real question is, who will be the Democrat running against him?

Since the beginning of the 2020 campaign trail, it has been hard to pinpoint who will win the Democratic nomination because of the record-breaking number of bids. But after the first two caucuses and two primaries, there are three likely contenders, Sen. Bernie Sanders,  former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

In Iowa, Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out of the race last night, led with 13 delegates confirmed. Following was Sanders with 12 delegates, Warren with eight delegates, Biden with six delegates.

Next was the New Hampshire caucus with 24 delegates declared. Sanders and Buttigieg tied, both receiving nine delegates. The only other candidate who received votes from delegates was Sen. Amy Klobuchar with six delegates.

In Nevada, Sanders came out on top with 24 delegates followed by Biden with nine and Buttigieg with three.

Over the weekend, in South Carolina, Biden came out on top with 39 delegates. Following him was Sanders with 13 delegates and Tom Steyer with two delegates.

In the Republican primaries, Trump has won most of the delegates with his only opponent, former Gov. Bill Weld, receiving only one delegate.

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So far, only 155 Democratic delegates have declared their votes for nomination and 1,991 delegates are needed to win, so at this point it is still anyone’s game. Here is information on who is leading in the Democratic nomination race:

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Bernie Sanders

In 2016, Sanders lost the Democratic nomination for president to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The independent senator from Vermont put his bid in for this year’s election in 2019.

Widely known as the underdog opponent, Sanders leads the race. He is known for his radical ideas including free public college, “Medicare for all” and raising minimum wage to $15.

According to the New York Times, Sanders refers to himself as a Socialist, which is someone who doesn’t support capitalism.

“Real change never takes place from the top on down, never takes place from an oligarchy controlled by billionaires,” Sanders said at the Ddemocratic debate in Las Vegas. “We need to mobilize millions of people to stand up for justice.” 

Joe Biden

Biden is the former vice president to Barack Obama, serving from 2008-2016. He also ran for Democratic nomination in 1988 and 2008.

According to the New York Times, health care is a top priority to Biden as well as bipartisanship. He has also been vocal about his dislike of President Trump and his administration.

“If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen,” Biden said in a New York Times article.

Elizabeth Warren 

Warren is a former law professor and was elected into the Senate in 2012. She began her bid for presidency in December 2018.

According to her campaign website, the senator has been building her campaign around giving more power to the working class and less to big corporations and the rich. She is also a supporter of “medicare for all” and cancelling student loan debt.

“If you work hard and play by the rules, you ought to be able to take care of yourself and the people you love,” Warren said in a video when announcing her bid.

Student opinion

Makenzie O’Nan, sophomore from Paducah, Kentucky, said she has noticed the “hype” around the presidential election and has been trying to keep up with the candidates and stay informed.

“This will be my first time voting in a presidential election so I’m excited to see the results,” O’Nan said.

Samantha Wells, senior from Memphis, Tennessee, said she is anticipating voting this year because she believes a lot of things need to change in this country.

“Of course, I would like loan forgiveness and free public healthcare but i’m going to vote for who I think will best run the country,” Wells said. 

The official Democratic nomination will be announced at the 2020 Democratic convention on July 13-16.

For a full calendar of the important dates in the presidential election, including the primaries, click here. 

For more information on the Democratic candidates and where they stand on important issues click here.