Amid all of  the Covid-19-craziness, Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are both still vying for the Democratic nomination. The once very-large democratic nominee field is now down to two top competitors: Biden and Sanders. Both are white males above the age of 75; however, each has different views on many prominent issues that are occurring today. Sanders, a Vermont Senator, is considerably more liberal than former Vice President Biden. Regardless of who wins the Democratic seat, President Donald Trump is expected to have a tough race ahead of him.

Both “Super Tuesdays” have passed, and the polls have placed Biden in the lead, but the race is still too close to declare an outright winner. After 24 primaries, including important states such as California, Texas, and Michigan, Biden has the advantage over Sanders. Biden has 898 pledged delegates, while Sanders is behind him with 745 pledged delegates, The New York Times (nytimes.com) reported in an article titled “Biden’s Delegate Lead Is Small, but Could Be Hard to Overcome.” CNN (cnn.com) shared a poll taken on Mar. 9 where 52% people registered as Democrats or Democratic Independents preferred Biden as the nominee, while 36% favored Sanders. 

Both candidates have a lot of support from minorities. Sanders holds a huge pull within the Latino community; comparatively, Biden is very popular with African American voters, CNN shared. CNN also explained that the Democratic party is split between liberals and moderates. Liberals back Sanders 52% to 36%, and moderates back Biden 65% to 24%. Furthermore, Independents are almost evenly split; 46% favor Sanders while 45% favor Biden, according to CNN.

Sanders is a Vermont senator who holds extremely liberal views. Sanders supports “Medicare for All,” a very progressive option that would nationalize the health industry. He believes this would lessen the total sum of money the country spends on healthcare. This plan would cost over $30 trillion per decade. Sanders wants to fight the climate change issue head-on. His goal is to have 100% renewable energy for transportation and electricity by 2030. This process, he claims, would create an immense amount of new jobs in multiple different industries. Along with this, Sanders wants to drastically alter the way the nation handles immigration. He intends to end raids by custom officials, stop construction on the wall that separates the U.S. from Mexico, and ensure that all immigrants will not be discriminated against. Sanders would also seek to create free school meals for all students and institute more summer and after school programs. His most notable objective is to create “college for all” and erase college debt. This plan would mean that all American citizens would have free tuition to all four-year community and public colleges. Finally, Sanders is a strong believer in gun control and wants to expand background checks to close loopholes in the current system. Along with this, he also would like to ban high-capacity magazines and regulate assault-style weapons. Critics’ main concern with many of Sanders’ plans is the funding; the money would be coming from taxpayers.  

Biden would keep President Obama’s “Affordable Care Act,” but he would add a “public option” to the plan. This plan, he claims, would cost $750 billion per decade and is very similar to Medicare. In efforts to fight climate change, Biden would set in motion a plan that would “eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” as he explained a public statement. His $1.7 trillion dollar plan would also include ending fossil fuel subsidies, banning new oil and gas permits on public land, and rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. Compared to Sanders, Biden would take a more conservative approach to solving the ongoing immigration struggle in the United States. His plan includes giving trillions of dollars to Central America to lower the crime and poverty rates of the area, which he believes would lower the number of immigrants coming to the United States. Biden expressed his beliefs: “I think people should have to get in line [to enter America], but if people are coming because they’re actually seeking asylum, they should have a chance to make their case,” CNN reported. Biden also wants to take two huge steps to improve education in the United States: he would add more funding for schools in areas with lower incomes and double the amount of health professionals working in schools. Biden, like Sanders, wants to multiply the efforts the United States currently has in place regarding gun control. Biden’s ideas are to make sure all firearms are registered, close loopholes in background checks, and to ban the sale of assault-style rifles and large magazines. Along with this, he would put forward $900 million to fight shootings in 40 U.S. cities with high crime and gun violence rates. Biden’s policies are intended to move the United States in a more progressive direction.

As candidates dropped out of the race, they chose which candidate they wanted to endorse. Many notable former candidates endorsed Biden. Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, recently left the presidential race and endorsed Biden because he believes Sanders is “polarizing,” Business Insider (businessinsider.com) reports. Biden has been endorsed for many reasons; however, one reason why many important people are putting their money behind him is because of his ability to unify the nation. Kamala Harris, California Senator, and Deval Patrick, the former governor of Massachusetts, are a couple of people who believe this. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker endorsed Biden because of his ongoing support for the African American community. John Delaney, a former congressman, explained to Business Insider why he endorsed Biden: “Joe is a good, decent person who cares about others and understands the struggles that so many Americans face every day.” Michael Bloomberg, former NYC mayor, dropped out of the race after spending millions of dollars to promote his campaign, and endorsed Biden. He explained to Business Insider why he did so: “I’ve known Joe for a very long time. I know his decency, his honesty, and his commitment to the issues that are so important to our country—including gun safety, health care, climate change, and good jobs.” Sanders is trailing Biden, but he is also getting endorsed by many notable former Democratic nominees. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed Sanders, “Because he stands with working families, and always has,” Business Insider reports. Self-help guru Marianne Williamson and The Working Families Party also endorsed Sanders. As the endorsements stack up for Biden, a nomination for his campaign is looking more and more likely.

Coronavirus news is sweeping the media; however, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are still competing to get their name on the ballot for president. Both are Democrats, but they each have different views on major issues. Biden is more conservative than Sanders, and many people have endorsed him because they believe he will unite the United States. On the other hand, Sanders is much more liberal, and many people have put their money behind him because they stand with his more drastic views on issues. The main goal of the Democratic Party is to defeat Donald Trump and put a Democrat in office. Therefore, the party aspires to elect a nominee that would have the greatest chance of beating the current president. Coronavirus is the major focus of most right now, but do not forget, a presidential election is on the horizon.