OKALOOSA DEMOCRATS

“We cannot be the first generation to leave less to our kids, not more. That’s why I’m running for President. Let’s build opportunity for every American and restore integrity to our government.”


• A moderate Democrat known for seeking compromise. Is best known for being a part of the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group that crafted a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013.

• Announced in early April that he had prostate cancer, but has since had surgery that his staff called “completely successful.”

• Signature Issues: Has called for modernizing the economy in fields like artificial intelligence and increasing infrastructure spending.

Senator from Colorado, 54

“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.”

• Has run for President twice before.

• Is among the best-liked figures in the Democratic Party, known for his down-to-earth personality and his ability to connect with working-class voters.

• Regards 2020 as his last chance to run for president.

• Signature Issues: Restoring America’s standing on the global stage; strengthening economic protections for low-income workers in industries like manufacturing and fast food.

Former Vice President; former senator from Delaware, 76

“I believe that we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind…where we see the faces of our leaders on television and feel pride, not shame.”

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• Would be one of the most gifted orators in the field, running on a politics of uplift that could recall President Obama’s 2008 campaign.

• Enjoys a vast fund raising base, thanks to longstanding connections to donors around the country

• Signature Issues: Has been one of the leaders in the Senate on criminal justice reform, but his appeal would most likely center on his call to unify the country.

Senator from New Jersey; former mayor of Newark, 50

“We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people’s voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of [a] fair shot for everyone.”

• Democratic governor of a state that Mr. Trump easily won in 2016.

• Known as a pragmatist who was able to win Republican support for liberal priorities.

• Came out in favor of an assault weapons ban, despite overseeing a state that prizes hunting.

• Signature Issues: Expected to make campaign finance reform a priority, while also pushing early childhood education and other policies aimed at reducing economic inequality.

Governor of Montana; former state attorney general, 53

“I launched a presidential exploratory committee because it is a season for boldness and it is time to focus on the future."

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• Began to draw national notice after delivering an essay that counseled Democrats on how to recover from their defeats in the 2016 elections.

• Has embarked on a long-shot campaign that may test the appeal of a youthful profile over more traditional qualifications.

• Signature Issues: Has stressed his generational identity and called for policies on issues like climate change and economic opportunity.

Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, military veteran, 37

“I’m running for president because it’s time for new leadership. Because it’s time for new energy.”

• Opted out of challenging Senator Ted Cruz for the Senate in the 2018 midterm elections

• Once a rising political star, has struggled to find a role during the Trump administration.

• Money could be an issue, especially if former Representative Beto O”Rourke, a small donor magnet, also mounts a bid.

• Signature Issues: Has emphasized a platform of universal prekindergarten, “medicare for all” and immigration reform.

Former housing secretary; former mayor of San Antonio

"As president, I will take on the wealthy. I will take on the big corporations. I will not rest until this government serves working people.”

• Could credibly make the case that he has fused liberal policy feats like universal prekindergarten with falling crime and a sturdy economy.

• Past forays into national politics, like a progressive nonprofit and a halting endorsement of Hillary Clinton, have ended in disaster.

• Signature Issues: Is likely to run on his signature prekindergarten program and the city’s low crime rate.

Mayor of New York City, 58

“I think I’m the right person for the job, but not enough people knew who I was or still know who I am.”

• Was elected to the House in 2012 as a “pragmatic idealist,” in his telling.

• Has been running aggressively sine 2017.

• Has already visited every county in Iowa, though it’s unclear if he has improved his long-shot prospects.

• Signature Issues: has pitched himself as a bipartisan problem-solver, but has also endorsed liberal causes like universal health care.

Former congressman from Maryland; former businessman, 56

“There are a lot of challenges that are facing the American people that I’m concerned about and that I want to help solve.”

• Supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primaries.

• Has drawn condemnation for meeting with Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, whose regime has been accused of using chemical weapons against civilians.

• Has apologized for her history of anti-gay statements and her past work for an anti-gay advocacy group.

• Signature Issue: opposition to American military intervention overseas, including in countries like Syria.

Congresswoman from Hawaii, Army National Guard veteran, 38.

“I believe our country wants and needs some leadership that provides a vision of the country in which everyone could see themselves.”

• Would bring a star power and history-making potential to the race that few other Democrats can match.

• One of few Democrats to join the Senate after 2016.

• Quickly drew notice for her tough questioning of Mr. Trump’s cabinet nominees-and later, his Supreme Court nominee Bret M. Kavanaugh.

• Signature Issues: Unveiled middle-class tax cut legislation last fall, and has championed a liberal civil rights agenda in the Senate.

Senator from California; former AG of California, former San Francisco DA, 54

“It is time to organize, time to galvanize, time to take back our democracy."

• Became a hero to many Democrats for her stern, cool questioning of Brett M. Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.

• Has called for Democrats to focus on reclaiming the swing states in the middle of the country.

• Signature Issues: Has championed legislation to combat the opioid crisis and drug addiction, and to address the cost of prescription drugs.

Senator from Minnesota; former Hennepin County, Minn. Attorney, 58

“America belongs to all of us. The promise of America belongs to all of us. That’s why I’m going to be running for president. To be your champion.”

• Defeated a long-time incumbent to become his city’s first black mayor.

• Has taken progressive stances on guns, immigration and environmental issues.

• A first generation American born to Jamaican parents, he is hoping to tap into the Caribbean-American community to help fuel his long-shot bid.

• Signature Issue: Has proposed canceling the more than $1.5 trillion in student debt owned by 44 million Americans.

Mayor of Miramar, Fl; former college football champion, 44

“I’m running because we have to beat Donald Trump. And I want us to beat Donald Trump because I love this country.”

• Won his congressional seat in 2014 after ousting a longtime Democratic incumbent

• Has made his military service a key piece of his political brand.

• Helped lead an effort to oppose electing Representative Nancy Pelosi speaker in the new Congress.

• Signature Issues: Has stressed his four tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps and called for a new approach to foreign policy, national security and defense.

Congressman from Massachusetts; Iraq War veteran, 40

“The only way we will win this election and create a government and economy that works for all is with a grassroots movement­­—the likes of which has never been seen in American history.”

• A self-described democratic socialist.

• Was the runner-up in the 2016 Democratic primary.

• Would begin a second White House race with a more extensive organization-in-waiting than any other candidate in the Democratic primary.

• Might face difficulties retaining the level of support he enjoyed in what was effectively a head-to-head race against Hillary Clinton.

• Signature Issues: “Medicare for all,” free college tuition and curtailing the influence of, as he calls them, “the billionaires.”

Senator from Vermont, former congressman, 77

“It’s time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government, and that includes a woman at the top.”

• Has done some of the most extensive preparations for a presidential run.

• Attempted to dispatch questions about her Native American heritage by releasing the results of a DNA test.

• That effort raised questions about her readiness for a national bid.

• Signature Issues: Income inequality and what she sees as a middle class under attack from big corporations and political corruption.

Senator from Massachusetts; former Harvard professor, 69

“We need a moral and spiritual awakening in the country…Nothing short of that is adequate to fundamentally change the patterns of our political dysfunction.”

• The author of more than a dozen self-help and spirituality books.

• Ran for Congress as an independent in 2014, and lost.

• Championed the rights of gay men with AIDS, founding a charity that now supplies meals to people with serious illnesses.

• Signature Issues: Has proposed $100 billion in reparations for slavery, with $10 billion to be distributed annually over a decade for economic and education projects.

Self-help author, new age lecturer, 66

“Universal basic income is an old idea, but it’s an old idea that right now is uniquely relevant because of what we’re experiencing in society.”

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• Is running a long-shot campaign on a proposal to establish a universal basic income funded by the government.

• Has drawn some media attention for highlighting tech issues like robotics and artificial intelligence.

• Signature Issue: Establishing a universal basic income of $1,000 per month for all Americans.

Former tech executive who founded an economic development nonprofit, 44