The 2020 U.S. Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet

The party might not decide anymore, but it is trying to coalesce.

In the span of 24 hours on the eve of Super Tuesday, both Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota ended their presidential bids and threw their support behind the surging former Vice President Joe Biden. It was the most-abrupt turn of events in a Democratic-primary race that began as a 24-person free-for-all more than a year ago. And it came as the party’s most powerful pooh-bahs—with the notable exception of its living former presidents—tried desperately to slow the march of Senator Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont, toward the Democratic nomination before it is too late.

Buttigieg got out of the race first, exiting the day after Biden’s dominating victory in South Carolina on Saturday. In a speech to supporters in the city he once led, the 38-year-old who became the most successful openly gay presidential candidate in American history said he was stepping aside to help bring “our party and our country together.”

“After a year of going everywhere, meeting everyone, defying every expectation, seeking every vote, the truth is that the path has narrowed to a close for our candidacy, if not for our cause,” Buttigieg said. “And another of [our] values is responsibility, and we have a responsibility to consider the effect of remaining in this race any further.”

He did not endorse Biden immediately, although it seemed clear he would soon. By Monday afternoon, Klobuchar’s campaign put out word that not only would she, too, be withdrawing, but she’d be flying to Dallas to endorse Biden at a rally that night. For a brief moment, it seemed likely that the two candidates who had sliced each other up with barely concealed contempt at recent Democratic debates would jointly link arms with Biden in a moment of unity. But it was not to be: Buttigieg appeared with Biden separately before his rally, which featured Klobuchar and another departed Democratic hopeful, Texas’s own Beto O’Rourke.

The endorsements are an attempt to help Biden narrow a delegate gap with Sanders in the 14 states that vote on Super Tuesday, although some of Buttigieg’s and Klobuchar’s support could go to Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who remain in the race. Some of their support is going nowhere at all: Because of early voting, millions of Democrats had already cast ballots before the two candidates dropped out, demonstrating once again that early voting works better in static elections than in rolling presidential primaries.

Buttigieg and Klobuchar were not the only candidates to exit after South Carolina. The billionaire Tom Steyer also dropped out after pouring millions into the state, only to fade to a distant third.

Together, the withdrawals and coalescing around Biden suggest that the Democrats may have learned lessons from the Republican experience in 2016, when a crowded field of contenders split the anti-Trump vote throughout the primaries and allowed the former real-estate developer to coast to the nomination. While Trump was not the general-election deadweight that the GOP establishment feared, Democratic leaders appear unwilling to take the same chance with Sanders.

As the primaries progress, this cheat sheet will be updated regularly.

The Democrats

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG

Who is he?

The billionaire former mayor of New York, Bloomberg is a Democrat turned Republican turned independent turned Democrat again.

Is he running?

Yes. Having ruled out a run in March, hizzoner changed his mind in early November and officially launched his campaign on November 24.

Why does he want to run?

For starters, he is convinced that he’d be better and more competent at the job than anyone else. Bloomberg’s bid will likely center on his pet issues of gun control, climate change, and fighting the more fiscally liberal wing of the Democratic Party tooth and silver-plated nail.

Who wants him to run?

What, is his considerable ego not enough? Though his tenure as mayor is generally well regarded, it’s unclear what Bloomberg’s Democratic constituency is beyond other wealthy, socially liberal, and fiscally conservative types, and it’s not as if he needs their money to run.

Can he win the nomination?

Who even knows anymore? His lavish spending has helped Bloomberg gain a toehold in polls, and Joe Biden’s Iowa collapse could drive moderates to alternatives like hizzoner.

TOM STEYER

Who is he?

A retired California hedge-funder, Steyer has poured his fortune into political advocacy on climate change and flirted with running for office.

Is he running?

Not anymore. He dropped out after finishing third and earning no delegates in South Carolina on February 29.

Why did he want to run?
Impeachment, baby.

Who wanted him to run?

Steyer managed to gain ground among African American voters in South Carolina. It was pretty threadbare beyond that.

Can he win the nomination?

Nope.

JOE BIDEN

Who is he?

Don’t play coy. You know the former vice president, senator from Delaware, and recurring Onion character.

Is he running?

Yes. After a long series of hesitations, Biden announced his campaign on April 25.

Why does he want to run?

Biden has wanted to be president since roughly forever, and he thinks he might be the best bet to win back blue-collar voters and defeat President Trump in 2020. (Trump reportedly agrees.) But Biden seems reluctant to end his career with a primary loss, knows he’s old (he’ll turn 78 right after Election Day 2020), and is possibly out of step with the new Democratic Party.

Who wants him to run?

Biden’s sell is all about electability, and his dominant win in South Carolina—after a poor showing in the other early states—has the Democratic establishment rallying to his side.

Can he win the nomination?

It was looking iffy after Iowa, but Biden’s surge after South Carolina has given him a decent shot, if not yet the front-runner’s perch, once again.

BERNIE SANDERS

Who is he?

If you didn’t know the Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist before his runner-up finish in the 2016 Democratic primary, you do now.

Is he running?

Yes. Sanders announced plans to run on February 19.

Why does he want to run?

For the same reasons he wanted to run in 2016, and the same reasons he’s always run for office: Sanders is passionate about redistributing wealth, fighting inequality, and creating a bigger social-safety net.

Who wants him to run?

Many of the same people who supported him last time, plus a few converts, minus those who are supporting Sanders-adjacent candidates like Elizabeth Warren or Tulsi Gabbard.

Can he win the nomination?

Yes. After Iowa, he is the front-runner.