Don’t waste your vote next November. Pay attention to who is leading the polls for your preferred party, and why.
For students and young voters in California, the obvious choice is to vote Democrat in the 2020 presidential race. The current administration has been marred by hateful rhetoric, empty promises and no support for the future of this country- us.
We know it’s time for a change. The 2018 primary was proof that our power and duty to elect our leaders is important. However, with a crowded field of left-wing candidates, who should the progressive youth throw their support behind?
In a study conducted by Harvard’s political analysts, Bernie Sanders leads polls among the 18-25 year old demographic with a 30 percent clip. This remains consistent with Sander’s impressive popularity with young voters in 2016. Although he did not win the Democratic bid then, exit polls revealed that he had 70 percent of the vote from the youth.
Another popular candidate for young voters is former congressmen Beto O’Rourke. He won 70 percent of voters in the 18-30 age group, despite his narrow loss to Senator Ted Cruz in the 2018 race. However, political analysts think he’s too centrist to be a mascot for young Democrats.
Other big names like Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris are noteworthy, but don’t waste your time considering their candidacy. Warren does not represent our values as young voters, and Harris has a controversial history in the criminal justice system that we cannot ignore.
Another name that is worth considering, however, is former Vice President Joe Biden. Although Biden has not entered his name into the presidential election (formally), many expect him to do so in the coming weeks. As President Obama’s right-hand man, Biden is almost as popular as Sanders among the youth and exponentially more popular than any other candidate in the 45 and older demographic.
Discounting the other big names who are jockeying for position on the 2020 ballot, we’ve come down to two names. Should we support Sanders’ revenge tour or Biden’s familiarity?
With voter turnout increasing by four percent in the 2018 midterms nationally and nearly 12 percent in California, expect the turnout for a presidential race to be historic. The age of progressive voters who intend to make a change is upon us, who better to lead us in that charge than the most polarizing candidate in the field- Bernie Sanders?
No one promises more change for the benefit of America’s future than Senator Sanders. Despite his age, no one is more passionate and energetic about pushing that change forward than Sanders. No one has the gall and charisma to challenge Washington’s elites than Sanders.
2016 was a hiccup in the story of Sanders’ candidacy. With the support of America’s progressive youth, Sanders can rewrite his shortcomings from last time and give President Trump the most serious challenge to his re-election- a reality that none of us should want to happen.