The Democratic primary field for 2020 is largely set, but with former Vice President Joe Biden finally jumping in, the most high-profile candidate has yet to weigh in on many of the policy fights that so far have defined the battle to beat Donald Trump.
Voters, donors and political organizations are grilling candidates on whether they would support paying reparations to descendents of slaves, expanding the Supreme Court or abolishing the Electoral College. Biden, who has so far avoided many of these knotty questions, is sure to face inquiries about them soon.
Here’s how Democratic White House hopefuls are siding on the fiercest debates in the party right now:
Supreme Court expansion
Advocacy groups have pushed the idea of increasing the number of seats on the Supreme Court so that a Democratic president could appoint more justices to balance the court’s current conservative tilt. The idea was raised after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland in 2016 — and further prompted by McConnell’s more recent push to install scores of conservative judges throughout the federal judiciary.
Legalizing marijuana
It was somewhat of a sideline issue in the 2016 Democratic primary, but nearly every Democratic presidential candidate now supports decriminalization or legalization of marijuana at the federal level. Some have gone further, calling for expunging marijuana-related offenses from criminal records.
Abolishing the Electoral College
After Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million ballots but still lost the White House to Trump, abolishing the Electoral College has gained favor among many Democrats, who say a national popular vote would be fairer.
Universal health care
The idea that health care is a human right is universal among 2020 Democrats. The majority of the candidates support a transition toward a single-payer, “Medicare for All” model that eliminates private insurance, though most argue that expanding Medicare and introducing a public option is a more realistic and likely first step.
Taxing the rich
Nearly every candidate has vowed to roll back Trump’s 2017 tax reform legislation, which they say unfairly benefits corporations and top earners. Most candidates say they would give the wealthy a tax hike and give Americans with middle and low incomes more tax relief. Some, like Bernie Sanders, would revive the estate tax that Trump’s tax bill dramatically scaled back.
Reparations
Most Democratic candidates have backed a bill in the House that would create a commission to study reparations, or compensating descendents of slaves for the long-term damage of slavery, including structural and institutional racism and inequality. But some candidates have argued for using policies other than cash payments to counter discrimination and inequality.
Free college
Every Democratic candidate supports making higher education more affordable, but proposals range from making community colleges and trade schools tuition-free to covering the costs of books and other expenses to prevent students from going into debt. Others have proposed making college free for those who go into public service or wiping out existing student loan debt.
Rejecting super PACs
The Citizens United Supreme Court decision paved the way for candidates to receive aid from super PACs, which don’t have contribution limits and sometimes take pains to hide their donors. Some Democrats say they’ll reject super PAC money to show that they aren’t beholden to wealthy donors. Many in the 2020 field have pledged to eschew money from corporate PACs, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren has sworn off private dinners and fundraisers with wealthy donors entirely.
Late-term abortions
While many 2020 Democrats have advocated for maintaining or increasing access to abortion and other reproductive services, few have explicitly said they support permitting so-called late-term abortions during the third trimester of pregnancy. Though those abortions are rare, Republicans have sought to use the issue as a cudgel against Democrats, citing polling that shows third-trimester abortions are unpopular among voters.
‘Green New Deal’
The ambitious proposal to combat climate change was thrust into the mainstream by freshman Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and climate activists earlier this year. The nonbinding joint resolution introduced by the New York legislator and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) calls for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and overhauling the economy by investing in clean energy and infrastructure, and includes a jobs guarantee for U.S. residents. Though almost every 2020 Democrat in Congress has endorsed or co-sponsored the resolution, many have called it aspirational and have advocated for less-sweeping climate policies.
Eliminating the filibuster
Several Democratic candidates have expressed openness to ending the legislative filibuster in the Senate, contending that passing ambitious policy like a “Green New Deal” or “Medicare for All” would be impossible with the chamber’s 60-vote threshold in place for most major legislation. Democratic opponents counter that the rule forces lawmakers from both parties to work across the aisle, and they say eliminating the filibuster would make it easier for conservatives to push through their own policies if they regain power.
In their own words
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForUniversal health care |  |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
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| ForFree college | |
|
| ForRejecting super PACs | |
No explicit position taken on: court packing, legalizing marijuana, abolish the electoral college, reparations, late term abortions, green new deal, remove filibuster
Disagrees most with
*Candidates agree or disagree most based on the percentage of the issues they’ve stated a clear position on.
Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForCourt packing | |
|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
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| ForAbolish the Electoral College | |
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| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| AgainstReparations | |
|
| AgainstFree college | |
|
| ForLate term abortions | |
|
| ForGreen New Deal | |
No explicit position taken on: rejecting super pacs, remove filibuster
John Delaney
John Delaney
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| AgainstCourt packing | |
|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
|
| AgainstAbolish the Electoral College | |
|
| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| AgainstReparations | |
|
| ForFree college | |
|
| AgainstRejecting super PACs | |
|
| ForLate term abortions | |
|
| AgainstGreen New Deal | |
|
| AgainstRemove filibuster | |
Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
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| ForUniversal health care | |
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| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| ForReparations | |
|
| ForFree college | |
|
| ForRejecting super PACs | |
|
| AgainstGreen New Deal | |
|
| AgainstRemove filibuster | |
No explicit position taken on: court packing, abolish the electoral college, late term abortions
Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Gillibrand
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForCourt packing | |
|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
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| ForAbolish the Electoral College | |
|
| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForReparations | |
|
| ForFree college | |
|
| ForRejecting super PACs | |
|
| ForLate term abortions | |
|
| ForGreen New Deal | |
|
| AgainstRemove filibuster | |
No explicit position taken on: taxing the rich
Agrees most with
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForCourt packing | |
|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
|
| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| ForReparations | |
|
| ForFree college | |
|
| ForRejecting super PACs | |
|
| ForLate term abortions | |
|
| ForGreen New Deal | |
No explicit position taken on: abolish the electoral college, remove filibuster
Agrees most with
John Hickenlooper
John Hickenlooper
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| AgainstCourt packing | |
|
| AgainstLegalizing marijuana | |
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| AgainstAbolish the Electoral College | |
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| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| ForReparations | |
|
| AgainstFree college | |
|
| ForRejecting super PACs | |
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| ForLate term abortions | |
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| AgainstGreen New Deal | |
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| AgainstRemove filibuster | |
Jay Inslee
Jay Inslee
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
|
| ForAbolish the Electoral College | |
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| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| AgainstReparations | |
|
| AgainstFree college | |
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| AgainstRejecting super PACs | |
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| ForGreen New Deal | |
|
| ForRemove filibuster | |
No explicit position taken on: court packing, late term abortions
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| AgainstCourt packing | |
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| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
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| ForUniversal health care | |
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| ForTaxing the rich | |
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| AgainstReparations | |
|
| AgainstFree college | |
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| ForRejecting super PACs | |
|
| ForGreen New Deal | |
|
| AgainstRemove filibuster | |
No explicit position taken on: abolish the electoral college, late term abortions
Wayne Messam
Wayne Messam
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForRejecting super PACs | |
|
| ForLate term abortions | |
|
| AgainstGreen New Deal | |
No explicit position taken on: court packing, legalizing marijuana, abolish the electoral college, taxing the rich, reparations, free college, remove filibuster
Disagrees most with
Seth Moulton
Seth Moulton
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
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| ForAbolish the Electoral College | |
|
| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| AgainstFree college | |
|
| AgainstGreen New Deal | |
|
| ForRemove filibuster | |
No explicit position taken on: court packing, reparations, rejecting super pacs, late term abortions
Tim Ryan
Tim Ryan
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
|
| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForFree college | |
|
| AgainstRejecting super PACs | |
|
| ForLate term abortions | |
|
| AgainstGreen New Deal | |
No explicit position taken on: court packing, abolish the electoral college, taxing the rich, reparations, remove filibuster
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| AgainstCourt packing | |
|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
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| ForAbolish the Electoral College | |
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| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| AgainstReparations | |
|
| ForFree college | |
|
| ForRejecting super PACs | |
|
| ForLate term abortions | |
|
| ForGreen New Deal | |
|
| AgainstRemove filibuster | |
Eric Swalwell
Eric Swalwell
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| AgainstCourt packing | |
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| AgainstLegalizing marijuana | |
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| AgainstAbolish the Electoral College | |
|
| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForReparations | |
|
| AgainstFree college | |
|
| ForGreen New Deal | |
No explicit position taken on: taxing the rich, rejecting super pacs, late term abortions, remove filibuster
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| AgainstCourt packing | |
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| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
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| ForAbolish the Electoral College | |
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| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| ForReparations | |
|
| ForFree college | |
|
| ForLate term abortions | |
|
| ForGreen New Deal | |
|
| AgainstRemove filibuster | |
No explicit position taken on: rejecting super pacs
Disagrees most with
Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang
| Issue | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| ForCourt packing | |
|
| ForLegalizing marijuana | |
|
| AgainstAbolish the Electoral College | |
|
| ForUniversal health care | |
|
| ForTaxing the rich | |
|
| ForReparations | |
|
| AgainstFree college | |
|
| ForRejecting super PACs | |
|
| ForGreen New Deal | |
|
| AgainstRemove filibuster | |
No explicit position taken on: late term abortions
Disagrees most with
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