The political ads are flooding TV screens across the nation, with some names familiar, some unknown. It’s the infamous presidential election season, and right now, candidates are vying to be named the Democratic or Republican presidential nominee for the ballot in November . Following the primaries, the two will then try to convince the nation as to why they should be elected as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States. For this year’s primary election, there are an astounding twelve Democratic candidates and three Republican candidates, hoping to be crowned their party’s nominee in the presidential race. Many of the long shot the hopefuls are hoping for an electoral shift in states like New Hampshire and Iowa to help them push them into the candidacy. But who’s actually running? Here’s a rundown of who is running this year: 

(in alphabetical order)

Democrats:

Michael Bennet:

Bennet is one of the underdogs in this race, especially being that he did not qualify for the past two debates. He is currently a Colorado senator, a position he’s held since 2009. Bennet is hoping that New Hampshire and Iowa can help push him to the finish line and make his efforts worth it; this explains his choice to enroll in the New Hampshire primary. However, Bennet’s hope of an underdog win in New Hampshire is not looking victorious; Bennet currently has no recognition in New Hampshire, often polling around zero percent. With the New Hampshire primary elections looming, and happening in February, Bennet will need to push in order to make a presence in New Hampshire.

Joe Biden:

Biden is one of the bigger names in the pool of Democrats. Biden is a familiar face around the Oval Office, as he was the vice president during Barack Obama’s term as president (2009-2017). Nationally, Biden is in the lead polling at 27 percent. Many voters seem to find Biden a good fit because he is considered electable, something that his campaign tries to portray to voters. Like Biden’s national polling average, he seems to be holding well in New Hampshire. He falls in first place, polling around 22.3 percent.

Michael Bloomberg: 

Bloomberg’s approach is an unorthodox approach to how people typically start their campaign. The former Mayor of New York (2002-2013) was extremely late in joining with his campaign, and he chose to opt out of the early primary elections in the states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. This is a tactic that seldom pays out for candidates in the democratic field, especially one this crowded. Without some of the most important primary elections counted towards his totals, this campaign method could potentially hinder his chances of becoming the Democratic nominee. The earliest primaries are the ones that can make or break a presidential campaign, and Bloomberg will not have these to back his campaign.

Pete Buttigieg:

Buttigieg is not an average Democratic candidate, as he attended Oxford University after graduating from Harvard; while at Oxford, Buttigieg studied politics, philosophy, and economics.While the former Mayor of South Bend, Ind. may have the education to be considered a good fit for the job, many Democrats are nervous that he isn’t advocating for the right causes. Buttigieg is considered a moderate Democrat, meaning that his views can appeal to some Democrats, Republicans, and Centrists alike. With his ability to appeal to each party, he has been able to climb the polls in New Hampshire, polling at 13.3 percent; this puts him in fourth place behind Elizabeth Warren. Will Buttigieg’s luck in New Hampshire help him win the deomcratic candidacy? 

John Delaney: 

The former representative of the sixth congressional district of Maryland (2013-2019) has shown that he has the experience for the job, but there is one thing Delaney is severely lacking; recognition amongst voters. At a national level, 20 percent of people recognize his name, and 10 percent said they would be satisfied with him as president. In New Hampshire, Delaney is not polling very well. Delaney is currently polling at zero percent in New Hampshire. One of Delaney’s key policies is to make national service mandatory.   

Tulsi Gabbard: 

Gabbard falls under a list of abnormal candidates. While the Hawaiian representative has experience with politics, as she was former Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, she has one thing that is not common amongst candidates. Gabbard was deployed to Iraq, and is still currently serving as a major in the Hawaii Army National Guard. Adding onto her resumé, Gabbard is currently the Representative for Hawaii, which means she had to participate in the House impeachment vote from late last year. Gabbard said voted present during the House meeting, saying she felt he was guilty but without the proper evidence to prove it. While she presents quite a list of qualifications and her dedication to the job, do New Hampshire voters agree with her? She is currently polling three percent in the state. 

Amy Klobuchar: 

Klobuchar has extensive political exposure, having served as a Minnesota senator since 2006. Democrats tend to view her positively after her questioning of the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings. Klobuchar is continuously pushing, and has been polling in Iowa around five to ten percent. But nationally, it appears that it is getting harder for Klobuchar to grasp the sole attention of voters. Only four percent of voters solely favored Klobuchar, and would be happy with seven other candidates running for office. Her numbers in New Hampshire are not any better than her national ones. Klobuchar falls in the middle of the pack, polling at around four percent, which is not stellar, when some of her other competitors are polling much higher. Should Klobuchar get the candidacy, she would enact her $100 billion plan to fight drug and alcohol addiction.  

Deval Patrick:

The former Governor of Massachusetts seems to be a ghost in this election. Patrick has not registered for most of the national polls, and his supporters are beginning to fear that he will not be able to win. In New Hampshire, he is barely polling, registering at zero percent. Could Patrick come back to life and snag the candidacy? Deval plans to enact his bill to close the gap between students and their socioeconomic status in schools, should he get the nomination. 

Bernie Sanders:

The Vermont senator is one of the top competitors in the pool of the candidates. Sanders notably pushed through a heart attack which he experienced during his campaigning in Nevada. While he is pushing to win over the early voting states, Sanders  has the lead in New Hampshire. Buttigieg has is leading in Iowa, and Biden currently is leading in both Nevada and South Carolina. During his 2016 campaign run, he was able to beat Hilary Clinton by twenty-two points in New Hampshire, and his lucky streak runs into his 2020 campaign. Sanders is in second place in the state of New Hampshire with polls citing him around 22.3 percent. Remaining on the same path could bring Sanders great success in New Hampshire. Should Sanders win the election, he plans to enact the Medicare for All plan, a national health insurance policy provided to everyone in the United States. 

Tom Steyer:

Steyer is going to have to find a way to prove to New Hampshire voters that he will be able to handle the job of president. He has had no previous government experience, which makes this fight a tough one. Across eight polls, with over 3,500 respondents, only 130 people said that they would be happy if Steyer took office. He has spent millions on his advertisements, pushing them through social media to hopefully gain traction in the election. However New Hampshire voters haven’t hooked onto his ideas polling in at  three percent of votes. Steyer is currently advocating for green energy policies to help the climate change efforts in America. 

Elizabeth Warren: 

Elizabeth Warren was the chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, belonging to the Troubled Asset Relief program. She began in 2008-2010, and then became the advisor to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2010-2011. Warren seems to be pushing through, as anyone who supports her candidacy would support about 4 other candidates, which is one of the lowest rates. While she may have her supporters across the nation, she is not doing as well as anticipated in New Hampshire. Warren is polling in at 17 percent, which puts her in third place place behind Sanders. This is a major setback for her, since she was leading, but she has been dethroned from first place. Throughout her campaign, Warren has pushed to eliminate student loans across the country.  

Andrew Yang:

Yang also has no previous experience in politics, but the entrepreneur seems to be liked fairly well. He’s hopeful that he will win the election, and has dubbed himself the “comeback kid,” which appears to be possible. On a national stage, eight percent of Yang’s supporters solely support him, which is extremely promising for him so early on. In New Hampshire, Yang is currently trying to make connections with voters, by talking about how he attended Phillips Exeter Academy, a private school located in Exeter. However, his connections are not necessarily helping his running in New Hampshire. Yang is currently polling at 2.3 percent, pushing him just out of the top five and leaving the “Yang Gang” in eighth place. Yang wants to incorporate something called the  freedom dividend, giving a base salary of $1000 a month to Americans over the age of 18. 

Republicans:

Donald Trump:

Trump started his term presidential term in 2016, and he is hoping to be reelected in 2020. However, his efforts may be hindered. On Dec. 18, the House of Representatives officially impeached Trump, making him only the third president in American history. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D), said that she did not think that any Republicans would vote to impeach Trump, but it was critical that they voted to impeach him. It will now be passed to the Senate for trial on for obstruction of congress and abuse of power. The Senate will determine whether he is guilty or innocent. As of Dec. 20, the Senate is waiting for Pelosi to send the impeachment documents. While nationally it may look like Trump’s reputation is going down, his supporters are extremely loyal, raising $5 million on the day of the impeachment vote; as well as early voting states like Nevada and South Carolina have cancelled their G.O.P. ballot voting in favor of the President’s favorability in the Republican party. In New Hampshire, Trump seems to be keeping even. When Trump took office in 2017, 45 percent of voters approved of him, and he currently has 41 percent of New Hampshire voters that approve of his job.   

Joe Walsh:

Walsh is a former congressman from Illinois, who once supported Trump and his values. Now, he seemingly cannot stand him and hopes to defeat him during the Republic primaries. Walsh has admitted before that it’ll be a long shot especially due to the little presence that he has in the G.O.P. field. There is not a single poll in New Hampshire with any appearance of his campaign. He is still determined to try, filing for the New Hampshire primary, just to oppose Trump. With under two months until the primaries in New Hampshire, Walsh doesn’t seem to have the support of the state to grant him the needed delegates for the Republican nomination.

Bill Weld:

Weld has a fairly long resumé, as he was the Assistant Attorney General for the US Criminal Division (1986-1988), Governor of Massachusetts (1991-1997), and the vice president nominee in 2016 on the Libertarian ticket with Gary Johnson. Weld’s main goal is to try and take vote-out  the Trump administration, however, he did not support Trump in 2016 either. In New Hampshire, he has registered for the G.O.P. primary to give Trump a challenger. Weld is gathering much more recognition that Walsh has in the polls, but Trump is still beating Weld in the polls.  Weld will have to push his campaign in order to be able to beat Trump.