Defying the Odds: The Progressive Women Running For President in 2020

Out of the 26 confirmed Democratic candidates running for President of the United States in the 2020 election, there are a total of 6 women. While that is only around 24 percent of all of the candidates - and in a country where women account for roughly half of the population- that may not seem like much, 2020 is already shaping up to be a record-breaking and glass-ceiling shattering year.

Women across the country are fighting for greater equality in many different areas: access to reproductive healthcare, equal pay, workplace protections for expecting mothers, etc. One major battle that has been waged by countless courageous women over the centuries - women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Gloria Steinem, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to name a few - is the fight for increased representation and diversity in government. These brave women carved a place for themselves in American history, helped lay the groundwork for modern feminism, and paved the way for female Democratic candidates like Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marianne Williamson to have the right and confidence to run for the highest and most-esteemed office in the nation. 

Here is an overview of these six Democratic candidates including their beliefs, values, and core policies:

Kamala Harris: Kamala Harris’ campaign website self-describes her as tough, principled, and fearless - and given her stellar performance in the first Democratic debate, I think it’s safe to say that that description isn’t too much of a stretch. Harris is a Democratic Senator from California and also served as California’s first African-American and female Attorney General. Harris stresses the importance of Medicare-for-All, healthcare as a basic human right, and intends to slash prescription drug prices - a platform that Harris became increasingly passionate about after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She also champions women’s reproductive rights and has vowed to do whatever necessary to protect Roe v. Wade. Another key issue Harris has put on the front lines of her campaign is racial and economic justice. Harris plans to address the maternal-mortality rate of African-American women (who are three to four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women) as well as passing laws such as the LIFT Act and Rent Relief Act to help bridge the economic gap that contributes to the continued oppression of people of color. 

Elizabeth Warren:  Elizabeth Warren is a Senator and former law professor from Massachusetts and has established herself as one of the Democratic front-runners by choosing a strong, central platform and running with it. Warren, much like Harris, was also a force to be reckoned with in the first Democratic debate of the election. Fighting for economic equality, ending corporate corruption, and protecting the rights of the working class are just some of the main platforms that Warren has touched on in interviews and debates. Warren has made it clear that she will stand firmly against corporate lobbyists and plans to “shut the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington.” According to her website, she also has proposed a tax plan (called the Ultra-Millionaire Tax) that would tax the top 0.1% of American households 2% annually on every dollar of net worth above $50 million and a 3% annually on every dollar above $1 billion. This tax plan would generate roughly 2.75 trillion dollars in ten years. 

Amy Klobuchar: Amy Klobuchar, a Senator from Minnesota, has committed herself to multiple issues of great importance in the upcoming election, such as fighting climate change, justice for undocumented immigrants, women’s reproductive rights, and expanding Medicare. Klobuchar’s plans regarding healthcare include Medicare-for-All, decreased rates for prescription drugs, and an emphasis on mental health issues and treating addiction. Klobuchar also is an outspoken supporter of the Green New Deal and has signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge. She believes it is imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and has also promised to rejoin the International Climate Change Agreement on the first day of her presidency. In her economic plans, Klobuchar has stated she will place a heavy emphasis on giving children an equal start in their education, investing in rural communities and agriculture, and supporting workers’ unions. According to her campaign website, Klobuchar’s plans to strengthen infrastructure include “repairing and replacing our roads, highways and bridges as well as building smart climate infrastructure, ensuring clean water, modernizing our airports, seaports and inland waterways, expanding reliable public transit options, rebuilding our schools, overhauling our country’s housing policy, and connecting every household to the internet by 2022.”

Kirsten Gillibrand: Kirsten Gillibrand is a Senator from New York who has placed a heavy emphasis on womens’ rights and access to reproductive healthcare. She claims to have fought against sexual assault and harassment since long before the #MeToo Movement, and has spoken numerous times of the importance of protecting Planned Parenthood. She also guarantees access to all reproductive healthcare - including abortion - and champions paid family leave, promising 12-weeks of paid leave to new parents to care for their child.  Gillibrand also places a heavy importance on transparency and on an economy that works for every American. 

Tulsi Gabbard: Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaiian Congresswoman and military veteran, is the first Samoan American as well as the first Hindu member of Congress. She has voiced her opinion on numerous issues, such as Medicare-for-All, rejecting the support of Political Action Committees, taking action to prevent the long-lasting effects of climate change, comprehensive immigration reform, and ending government shutdowns. Some specific examples of legislation that Gabbard has supported in the past are Medicare-for-All, a path to citizenship for recipients of DACA, the Equality Act, and the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 2018. 

Marianne Williamson: Marianne Williamson is a best-selling American author, activist, and the “spiritual advisor” for Oprah. According to her campaign website, Marianne Williamson’s Presidential bid is centralized on a search for “higher wisdom.” Some of her main talking points include introducing legislation to fight the climate crisis, greater accessibility to reproductive health care, gun safety, and ending mass incarceration through criminal justice reform and prisoner rehabilitation.