They were 24 this fall, they are only eleven today: the race for the democratic nomination officially starts this Monday in the United States, with the caucus of Iowa, whose winner will be the favorite of this election . And for good reason: since 2000, all the Democratic candidates who won the first vote in this state, have been invested to represent the Democratic party during the presidential election.
For the moment, four favorites stand out from the polls: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg. Donald Trump claims that he has a derogatory nickname for each of them. Here are the portraits of the eleven candidates for the American Democratic primary.
- Joe Biden, the favorite
At 77, this veteran of American politics relies on his experience. Former vice-president of Barack Obama, he was elected to the Senate in 1972 in the state of Delaware, then re-elected without interruption until 2008, when he became a member of the former president. Joe Biden stayed with Barack Obama in the White House for eight years of his two terms.
Since the day he declared himself a candidate, on April 25, this lawyer specializing in constitutional law has been leading the polls. But his repeated blunders during televised debates could weaken him.
- Bernie Sanders, the popular dean
Since his heart attack last fall, Bernie Sanders has had to reassure voters several times about his state of health. But at 78, the dean of the Democratic nomination race remains very popular, especially among young people and addresses the first primary elections in good position.
Disappointed in 2016, where he failed in primary school against Hillary Clinton, the former journalist will try to take his revenge by staying on the same line: regulate finance, create a free higher education system, establish a salary minimum and health insurance for all, financed by taxes…
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A call for an openly socialist political revolution which seduces some of the democrats ... But scares the most moderate.
- Elizabeth Warren, the Hillary… from left
In the summer of 2019, Elizabeth Warren's supporters believed that she would overtake Joe Biden in the polls and become the favorite of the Democratic primary. But it was stopped in its ascent by its hesitation on the issue of health reform, essential in the United States. Since then, the Massachusetts senator has stagnated in third place.
Like her opponent Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren places herself resolutely on the left. And like him, she intends to remove the US economy from the influence of Wall Street, threatens to dismantle digital giants like Facebook and Google, wants to establish universal health insurance and tax wealth.
But like her predecessor Hillary Clinton, this former Harvard law professor also appears as a new figure in the American establishment, which could serve her well.
- Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire weather vane
The 77-year-old former mayor of New York entered the campaign very late, with an unprecedented strategy: to skip the first four votes to only run after “Super Tuesday” on March 3, where about fifteen states will vote at the same time.
A risky bet, while the first states traditionally give a decisive boost to the favorites in the nomination contest. But Michael Bloomberg remains one of the favorites, with a fourth place in the polls.
This ex-Republican then independent has a creed, rid America of Trump, and two priorities, the climate transition and the limitation of the firearms. To serve his message, he sprinkles voters with advertisements funded by his immense personal fortune.
- Pete Buttigieg, the young wolf
On paper, the former mayor of South Bend (Indiana) has many qualities to make a good Democratic presidential candidate. He is young (38), a brilliant graduate of prestigious universities, a former soldier in Afghanistan, a multilingual, devout believer, sensitive to environmental issues and the first serious homosexual candidate for the White House. A clever mixture of modernity and conservatism necessary to seduce an American electorate, therefore.
Pete Buttigieg presents himself as a moderate candidate, capable of gathering and making good scores in the Midwest, where he comes from and where Donald Trump partially snatched the victory in 2016.
But his lack of experience and his lack of a detailed political program could fail him. In polls, it does not exceed fifth place.
- Amy Klobuchar, the “Midwest” asset
At 59, the senator was one of the Democrats' greatest hopes at the start of the campaign. But it never took off in the polls.
Triumphantly re-elected to the Senate in 2018, in Minnesota, a state in the Midwest that had almost tipped in favor of Donald Trump in 2016, Amy Klobuchar highlights her heritage as a granddaughter of miners and her political experience.
Her direct tone hit home in the debates, but she will have to materialize in the votes in Iowa (where she is better placed in the polls) and New Hampshire to hope to continue the race.
- Andrew Yang, the surprise
This son of teachers of Taiwanese origin was still unknown a year ago. A 45-year-old businessman, Andrew Yang focused his campaign on a strong idea: a universal monthly income of $ 1,000 for all Americans to compensate for the damage of robotization.
His energy, his eloquent speech and his humor did the rest: his meetings were full and he was supported by a base of young and enthusiastic supporters. It is capped at just 4% in polls, but the $ 16 million raised from donors for its campaign should keep it in the running after Iowa, no matter the outcome.
- Tulsi Gabbard, the unclassifiable
Representative of Hawaii to the Congress, Tulsi Gabbard is the most iconoclastic candidate for the Democratic primary. A 37-year-old former soldier, she volunteered during a deployment to Iraq in 2005, then in 2009 in the Middle East. But today, she says she is hostile to any military intervention abroad.
In Congress since 2013, she was the first Hinduist and the first American Samoan elected to Congress. Controversial, she was widely criticized for her official visit, in 2017, to Bashar Al-Assad and his homophobic remarks.
- Tom Steyer, the green billionaire
A former owner of an investment fund, he is one of the long-standing donors to the Democrats. At 62, Tom Steyer focused his candidacy on the fight against global warming. A fierce activist for the removal of Donald Trump, he is also very critical of the influence of the elites in Washington.
- Michael Bennet, the moderate
A Colorado senator since 2009, Michael Bennet made himself known in 2013 for participating in the immigration reform bill. Aged 55, he presents himself as a moderate and intends to defend social measures, such as increased spending on education and a health insurance system supported by the state.
- Deval Patrick, the consensus candidate
Former Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick, 63, is probably the least likely candidate to reach the Democratic nomination. Having entered the campaign late, he could not register in two states, Alabama and Arkansas, and thus left with a disadvantage compared to his opponents. But this close to Obama hopes to establish himself as the figure of consensus, which will succeed in bringing together the moderates and the progressives within his party.
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