Floridians will help decide on the nominees for the Democratic and Republican presidential elections. Election day for the state’s presidential primary is March 17, but early voting is going on until Saturday. Florida is a closed-primary state, which means voters can only vote for candidates in their registered party. Gainesville voters can elect city commissioners, regardless of party.
Democratic nominees
Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden knowledges the crowd during a campaign rally Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Joe Biden, 77
Joe Biden is a six-term senator from Delaware and former vice president of the United States from 2009-2017 with President Barack Obama. Biden is the frontrunner of the Democratic race, winning 664 delegates in the Democratic primaries. Democratic candidates need 1,991 delegates to get the nomination on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention. Florida has 248 delegates at stake. Biden has previously sought the Democratic nomination twice — once in 1988 and in 2008.
Here are some of Biden’s platform points:
College cost: Biden wants two years of community college to be free.
Student debt: He wants to expand or fi x debt-relief programs.
Legalization of marijuana:He wants to let states make the decision to legalize it or not.
Minimum wage: Biden wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he walks on stage to applause at a campaign rally Thursday, March 5, 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Bernie Sanders, 78
Bernie Sanders is a U.S. senator from Vermont. Sanders was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990 and the U.S. Senate in 2006. Sanders has won 573 delegates in the Democratic primaries. Democratic candidates need 1,991 delegates to get the nomination on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention. Florida has 248 delegates at stake. In 2016, Sanders was the runner-up for the Democratic nomination, losing to former presidential candidate and former first lady Hillary Clinton.
Here are some of Sanders’ platform points:
College cost: Sanders wants to get rid of tuition for all public colleges and universities.
Student debt: He wants to eliminate all student debt — about $1.6 trillion.
Legalization of marijuana: He wants to legalize it federally.
Minimum wage: Sanders wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2020, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, speaks during the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner in Manchester, N.H. Gabbard of Hawaii, who was born in American Samoa, received one delegate. Bloomberg’s decisive win over the local-born Gabbard was startling, but the Hawaii congresswoman had a late start campaigning in the territory compared with the billionaire. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Tulsi Gabbard, 38
Tulsi Gabbard is a four-term congresswoman from Hawaii who was first elected in 2012. She was born in American Samoa. Gabbard served in Iraq and is a major in the Hawaii Army National Guard. Gabbard has won two delegates in the Democratic primary. Democratic candidates need 1,991 delegates to get the nomination on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention. Florida has 248 delegates at stake.
Here are some of Gabbard’s platform points:
College cost: Gabbard wants college to be free.
Student debt: She wants to expand or fix debt-relief programs.
Legalization of marijuana: She wants to legalize marijuana federally.
Minimum wage: Gabbard wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Republican nominees
President Donald Trump takes part in a FOX News Channel Town Hall, co-moderated by FNC's chief political anchor Bret Baier of Special Report and The Story anchor Martha MacCallum, in Scranton, Pa., Thursday, March 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Donald Trump, 73
Donald Trump is the current president of the United States and the frontrunner of the Republican primary. Trump is a real estate developer, a businessman and a former reality TV star. Some of his signature issues include building a wall at the Mexican border, restricting immigration to the U.S. and renegotiating international deals. During his term, he’s passed large tax cuts. Trump was impeached in December by the U.S. House of Representatives but was acquitted. He won 833 delegates in the Republican primary. Candidates need 1,276 delegates to win the Republican nomination. Florida has 122 delegates.
Here are some of his platform points:
College cost: Not specified in his website’s policies, but he did sign a federal spending bill to restore year-round Pell Grants.
Student debt: Undergraduates can get loan forgiveness after 15 years. Legalization of marijuana: Trump wants states to make decisions on legalization.
Minimum wage: Trump has previously said he wants to keep the minimum wage at $7.25 an hour but has also said it’s too low.
Bill Weld, 74
Bill Weld, the Republican challenger of Donald Trump, secured one delegate out of the 40 from the Iowa Caucus. Weld is the former governor of Massachusetts.
Bill Weld worked for the U.S. Department of Justice and served as the governor of Massachusetts. He has won one delegate in the Republican primary. Candidates need 1,276 delegates to win the Republican nomination. Florida has 122 delegates at stake. Weld ran for vice president in 2016 on the Libertarian ticket.
Here are some of his platform points:
College cost: Weld believes college should be free for low-income students.
Student debt: He wants to expand or fix debt-relief programs.
Legalization of marijuana: He wants to legalize marijuana federally.
Minimum wage: Weld’s platform on his website does not include views on minimum wage.
*This voter guide was developed with information from the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections, The New York Times, Politico, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, CNN and candidate campaign websites.
Alachua County residents show up to vote in the Florida primaries at the Reitz Union Sunday evening.
