After an impassioned run, fueled by the idea of what could have been if the Democratic Party had chosen a different candidate in 2016, Bernie Sanders withdrew from the 2020 presidential race. The withdrawal of Sanders clears the way for a general election between, presumptive, Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.

In a live-streamed speech, Sanders cast his decision in the broader context of the coronavirus. The candidate stated that the resources used to fuel his campaign would be better utilized in the national effort to remediate the impacts of the, still spreading, pandemic. 

“I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour,” Sanders said, adding, “While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not.”

The Vermont senator, a democratic socialist, based his 2020 campaign on issues including a single-payer national health insurance platform – a.k.a. Medicare for All – and large-scale national energy sector reform. 

Sanders has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 2007 and, to date, has 100 percent approval ratings from Human Rights Campaign, League of Conservation Voters and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. While Sanders will not be a candidate in this year’s general election, these endorsements – and the liberal policies he proposed – made him a favorite amongst youth voters. 

Biden, the former vice president, can now pursue the Democratic nomination unopposed. However, he has struggled to present any distinct policy plans and, perhaps consequently, is still facing obstacles in regards to mobilizing a broad base of voters for the November election. 

Since Sanders left the race on April 8, reports have emerged that the Biden campaign has sought policy advice from the Vermont native’s team. This may symbolize a, somewhat unexpected, shift to the political left for the traditionally moderate Democrat. 

“I’ll be reaching out to you,’’ Biden wrote in a statement acknowledging the need to draw Sander’s base into his coalition. “You will be heard by me.”

“Together we will defeat Donald Trump. And when we do that, we’ll not only do the hard work of rebuilding this nation — we’ll transform it,” said Biden.

Still, many are skeptical of the candidate. Key criticisms against Biden include eight separate allegations of inappropriate touching, his support of the Hyde amendment which would ban federal funding for most abortions and a public statement made in 2008 where Biden called for a fence to be built along the U.S.’s southern border. 

Despite this, the list of public figures who have endorsed Biden is extensive and growing by the day. Prominent endorsements have come from former President Obama and Democratic senators who were previously in the 2020 Presidential race, including Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. 

Though the campaign cycle has been impacted by the coronavirus spread, it is expected that Biden will be named as the official Democratic nominee at the rescheduled convention during the week of Aug. 17, 2020.

Fresh off the heels of disastrous and contested Iowa caucuses, the eight candidates still in the race to become the Democratic Nominee for President of the United States wage on. 

Senator Bernie Sanders

Sanders now appears to be the front-runner after a narrow victory over former Mayor Pete Buttigeig, winning 25.7 percent  and 24.4 percent of the votes respectively. Both candidates walked away from the Granite State with nine delegates. 

Sanders also won big in Nevada with almost 50 percent of the votes, though not all precincts have reported in yet. His win should not come as a shock to most, as he has historically done well with Latinos, first time voters, and younger voters. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Silver State is 29 percent Hispanic or Latino, compared to just 6.2 percent in Iowa and 3.9 percent in New Hampshire. 

Sanders’ win in Nevada brings his delegate count up to a commanding 31 and assures his place as the candidate to beat. 

Former Mayor Pete Buttigeig

Buttigeig has done better than many predicted he would thus far in the race. He essentially tied with Sanders in Iowa but walked away with one more delegate. In New Hampshire he was just 1.3 percentage points behind the new frontrunner. 

Buttigeig faces challenges on his road to the nomination, though. He continues to see little support among minority voters, especially among black voters. He also faces criticism from his opponents for his willingness to receive campaign contributions from billionaires. 

Buttigeig placed third overall in Nevada, just behind former Vice President Joe Biden with 15.3 percent of the vote. With it came two new delegates, bringing his count up to 24.  

Former Vice President Joe Biden

Biden, the man long considered to be the one to beat, may have fallen off his pedestal. He called his fifth place performance in Iowa a “gut punch.” Additionally, during the New Hampshire debate, Biden said, “I’ll probably take a hit here.” 

Biden did better in Nevada with a second place finish. This earned him four new delegates, bringing his total to 10 and surpassing Warren and Klobuchar in the total delegate count. 

His camp still holds out hope for a win in South Carolina, where he is expected to do well with African-American voters.

Senator Elizabeth Warren

Warren currently stands in fourth place overall with eight delegates, but she’s hoping for a turn-around after a powerful debate performance in Las Vegas Feb. 19. 

“So I’d like to talk about who we’re running against, a billionaire who calls women ‘fat broads’ and ‘horse-faced lesbians,’” she said. “And, no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.” 

Offensive seemed to be her go-to for the night, taking digs at Biden and Klobuchar for their ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel, Buttigeig for his relationship with billionaries and Sanders, positioning herself as a fighter ready to take on big money and get things done. 

Her campaign seems revived, but her fourth place finish in Nevada may be a signal that she still has a long way to go if she wants to be the one to face Trump in the fall. 

Senator Amy Klobuchar

The Senator for Minnesota was the real star of the New Hampshire primary, shocking everyone with her third place finish. Klobuchar won 19.8 percent of the vote and raised her delegate count to seven. That puts her in fifth place overall. 

Klobuchar’s positive performance is partially due to her success in the Democratic debate held just four days before the primary. Her central focus seemed to be attacking Buttigeg, calling him “a political newcomer” and building the case that she – more than Buttigeig or Biden – is the right choice for moderate Democrats. 

However, her debate performance in Las Vegas left more to be desired, and she again spent most of her time aruging with Buttigeig. She placed sixth in Nevada, gaining 4.2 percent of the vote and no delegates. Styers narrowly edged her out of the top five. 

Voters should wait and see if her strong finish in New Hampshire was a stand alone moment or the sign of big things to come. 

Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg

Since entering the race late November, Bloomberg has spent $452 million of his own money on advertisements, more than any candidate has ever spent in their entire campaign, and he’s not even running in the first four states. This has drawn sharp criticism, with his opponents saying it’s an attempt to buy the election. 

Bloomberg saw a rise in polling numbers after his late entry but faces heavy backlash from the other candidates. They have cited his role in the discriminatory practice of stop and frisk while mayor of New York City – a policy he defended publicly until October 2019. 

Bloomberg was also called out for his history with sexual harassment and discrimination. Nearly forty women have sued either him or his company. Many of these women are silenced by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), something his fellow candidates have pressured him to void. 

In a press release Feb. 21, Bloomberg said that he was part of three NDAs, and that he would release any woman from them if they contacted his company. This comes after stating multiple times on the campaign trail that he would not release women from NDAs. 

During the debate, Bloomberg appeared ill-prepared for the onslaught of attacks he received, but voters will have to wait until Super Tuesday – March 3 – to see how criticisms will affect the multi-billionaire. He is not on the ballot for Nevada or South Carolina, but voters in the latter can write him in. 

Bloomberg has yet to receive any delegates, as he was not running in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. 

Who’s still running? 

Tulsi Gabbard, a congresswoman from Hawaii, and Tom Steyer, a billionaire and philanthropist, are also still running for the Democratic nomination. Both have yet to receive any delegates, and they did not qualify for the debate in Las Vegas. 

In Nevada, Steyer pulled ahead of Klobuchar, making it the first state in which he’s broken the top five. He spent $986,471 on Facebook ads alone in Nevada in the last three months. After polling at least 12 percent in two polls in South Carolina, he’s qualified for the next debate. 

Gabbard received zero percent of the vote in Nevada, less than Yang, Delaney, Bennet, and Patrick, who have all formally exited the race. 

Who dropped out? 

The Democratic field lost a polarizing figure in February, with Andrew Yang announcing the end of his run the night of the New Hampshire Primary. The businessman who ran on the idea of reorganizing the economy and universal basic income said the decision was rooted in the numbers. 

“I am the math guy, and it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race,” he told supporters.

Yang marks the 20th Democratic candidate to drop out. The once ultra-crowded Democratic field has narrowed, but there’s still a long way to go before the Democratic National Convention July 13. 

Other candidates to drop out of the race recently are Deval Patrick  Feb. 12, Michael Bennent Feb. 11, and John Delany Jan. 31.

Steinem, who became notable within the feminist movement in the 1960s and 70s, went on Bill Maher’s talk show to discuss her support of Clinton. When asked by Maher about why she thought more women seemed to be drawn towards Bernie Sanders’s campaign, Steinem responded that female Sanders’s supporters were there to attract the attention of young men.

“When you’re young, you’re thinking: ‘Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie,’” said Steinem.

After Internet backlash, Steinem issued a statement regarding what she said on Maher’s talk show. She emphasized that she was not trying to assert that women are not involved in politics.

In a similar controversy, Albright recently took the stage at a Clinton rally and encouraged the women in the audience to examine their political leanings. She blatantly said that it was every woman’s duty to support Clinton in her presidential run, ending the short speech with a now famous quote.

“There is a special place in Hell for women who don’t help other women,” Albright said.

Both women have received negative responses for their comments about the role of women in politics. Steinem’s comments seem supportive of the gendered expectation that women are not as involved in politics as men. Statements like this keep the conversation about women centered on how women are perceived to be shallow and uninterested. She issued a statement through Facebook in which she attempted to explain the actual meaning behind her quote.

This exchange brings to light the faults within the current political landscape and how women are viewed through the mass media lens. Politics, specifically presidential elections, have always focused mainly on men. Women have been seen as accessories for campaigning. Wives are shown off at campaign rallies and in television advertisements.

Albright’s opening speech for Clinton raises another important issue. She has been called a feminist icon, but she put forth a non-feminist ideal. Feminism is not simply about supporting women. Feminism is about equal rights for all sexes and not shaming women for making conscious decisions about how they want to lead their lives. There is absolutely no reason to shame women who do not support Clinton. It is no woman’s duty to support a woman simply because she is a woman. It is a woman’s duty as a citizen search for the most-qualified candidate and to make an informed decision based on the available information.

During Clinton’s time as Secretary of State, the media was notorious for focusing solely on Clinton’s appearance and clothing choices. She was once reported to look “tired and withdrawn” when she decided not to wear make up on a trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Attention like this has not only affected Clinton, but also Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann. The media is the main source of sexist remarks regarding the appearance of women on the political stage, especially when this attention is not paid to men. It becomes even more obvious when a candidate such as Clinton comes into the spotlight of the presidential election.