2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

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2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

← 2016 February 3 to July 7, 2020 2024 →
3,979 delegates to the Democratic National Convention[a] 1,991 delegates needed to win[1][b]
Candidate Joe Biden (presumptive nominee) Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren Home state Delaware Vermont Massachusetts Estimated delegate count 1,217[2] 914[2] 81[2] Contests won 19 9 0 Popular vote 10,134,669[3] 7,719,464[3] 2,486,140[3] Percentage 40.73% 31.03% 9.99%   Candidate Michael Bloomberg Pete Buttigieg Amy Klobuchar Home state New York Indiana Minnesota Estimated delegate count 55[2] 26[2] 7[2] Contests won 1 1 0 Popular vote 2,431,213[3] 832,783[3] 484,938[3] Percentage 9.77% 3.35% 1.95%   Candidate Tulsi Gabbard Home state Hawaii Estimated delegate count 2[2] Contests won 0 Popular vote 165,043[3] Percentage 0.66%
First place by national pledged delegates First place by popular vote   Joe Biden   Bernie Sanders   Pete Buttigieg   Michael Bloomberg   Winner to be declared
Previous Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden v t e

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This article is part of a series about Joe Biden
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v t e

The 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and caucuses are a series of electoral contests organized by the Democratic Party to select the approximately 3,979^[a] pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Those delegates will, by pledged votes, elect the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.^[4] If a candidate amasses at least 1,991^[5][6] pledged delegates by the DNC convention in August (formerly July),^[7] they will be the nominee. The elections are taking place from February to June 2020 in all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and among Democrats Abroad.

Independent of the result of primaries and caucuses, the Democratic Party will, from its group of party leaders and elected officials, also appoint 771^[b] unpledged delegates (superdelegates) to participate in its national convention. In contrast to all previous election cycles since superdelegates were introduced in 1984, superdelegates will no longer have the right to cast decisive votes at the convention's first ballot for the presidential nomination. They will be allowed to cast non-decisive votes if a candidate has clinched the nomination before the first ballot, or decisive votes on subsequent ballots in a contested convention.^[4][8][9]

Overall, there were 29 major Democratic presidential candidates in the 2020 election, and for six weeks around July 2019, 25 of these had active campaigns simultaneously. The debate in Westerville, Ohio, on October 15, 2019, featured twelve candidates, setting a record for the highest number of candidates in one presidential debate. On April 8, 2020, former Vice President Joe Biden became the presumptive nominee after Senator Bernie Sanders, the only other major candidate, dropped out of the race.^[10]

Background

After Hillary Clinton's loss in the previous election, many felt the Democratic Party lacked a clear leading figure.^[11] Divisions remained in the party following the 2016 primaries, which pitted Clinton against Bernie Sanders.^[12][13] Between the 2016 election and the 2018 midterm elections, Senate Democrats generally shifted to the political left in relation to college tuition, healthcare, and immigration.^[14][15] The 2018 elections saw the Democratic Party regain the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years, picking up seats in both urban and suburban districts.^[16][17]

The 2020 field of Democratic presidential candidates peaked at more than two dozen major candidates.^[18] According to Politifact, this field is believed to be the largest field of presidential candidates for any American political party since 1972;^[c] it exceeds the field of 17 major candidates who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.^[20] In May 2019, CBS News referred to the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates as "the largest and most diverse Democratic primary field in modern history", including six major female presidential candidates and seven major candidates of African, Hispanic, Asian, or Pacific Islander ancestry.^[21]

Reforms since 2016

On August 25, 2018, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) members passed reforms to the Democratic Party's primary process in order to increase participation^[22] and ensure transparency.^[23] State parties are encouraged to use a government-run primary whenever available and increase the accessibility of their primary through same-day or automatic registration and same-day party switching. Caucuses are required to have absentee voting, or to otherwise allow those who cannot participate in person to be included.^[22]

The reforms mandate that automatic delegates ("superdelegates") refrain from voting on the first presidential nominating ballot, unless a candidate via the outcome of primaries and caucuses already has gained a majority of all delegates, including superedelegates.^[24] In a contested convention where no majority of minimum pledged delegate votes is found for a single candidate on the first ballot, all superdelegates will then regain their right to vote on any subsequent ballot necessary in order for a presidential candidate to be nominated, wherein the number of votes required shall increase to a majority of pledged and superdelegates combined.^[4] Superdelegates are not precluded from publicly endorsing a candidate of their choosing before the convention.

There were also a number of changes to the process of nomination at the state level. A decline in the number of caucuses occurred after 2016, with Democrats in Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Washington all switching from various forms of caucuses to primaries (with Hawaii, Kansas, and North Dakota switching to party-run "firehouse primaries"). This has resulted in the lowest number of caucuses in the Democratic Party's recent history, with only three states (Iowa, Nevada, and Wyoming) and four territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas, and U.S. Virgin Islands) using them. In addition, six states were approved in 2019 by the DNC to use ranked-choice voting in the primaries: Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, and Wyoming for all voters; Iowa and Nevada for absentee voters.^[25] Rather than eliminating candidates until a single winner is chosen, voters' choices would be reallocated until all remaining candidates have at least 15%, the threshold to receive delegates to the convention.^[26]

Several states which did not use paper ballots widely in 2016 and 2018, adopted them for the 2020 primary and general elections,^[27] to minimize potential interference in vote tallies, a concern raised by intelligence officials,^[28] election officials^[29] and the public.^[30] The move to paper ballots enabled audits to start where they had not been possible before, and in 2020 about half the states audit samples of primary ballots to measure accuracy of the reported results.^[31] Audits of caucus results depend on party rules, and the Iowa Democratic party investigated inaccuracies in precinct reports, resolved enough to be sure the delegate allocations were correct, and decided it did not have authority or time to correct all errors.^[32][33][34]

Rules for number of delegates

Number of pledged delegates per state

The number of pledged delegates from each state is proportional to the state's share of the electoral college, and to the state's past Democratic votes for President.^[35][36] Thus less weight is given to swing states and Republican states, while more weight is given to strongly Democratic states, in choosing a nominee.

Six pledged delegates are assigned to each territory, 44 to Puerto Rico, and 12 to Democrats Abroad. Each jurisdiction can also earn bonus delegates by holding primaries after March or in clusters of 3 or more neighboring states.^[35]

Within states, a quarter of pledged delegates are allocated to candidates based on statewide vote totals, and the rest based on votes in each Congressional District, though some states use divisions other than congressional districts. For example, Texas uses state Senate districts.^[37][35] Districts which have voted Democratic in the past get more delegates, and fewer delegates are allocated for swing districts and Republican districts.^[35] For example, House Speaker Pelosi's strongly Democratic district 12 has 7 delegates, or one per 109,000 people, and a swing district, CA-10, which became Democratic in 2018, has 4 delegates, or one per 190,000 people.^[38][39][40]

Candidate threshold

Candidates who get under 15% of the votes in a state or district get no delegates from that area. Candidates who get 15% or more of the votes divide delegates in proportion to their votes.^[38][41] These rules apply at the state level to state delegates and within each district for those delegates. The 15% threshold was established in 1992^[42] to limit "fringe" candidates.^[43] The threshold now means that any sector of the party (moderate, progressive, etc.) which produces many candidates, thus dividing supporters' votes, may win few delegates, even if it wins a majority of votes.^[43][44][42]

Schedule and results

Election day postponements

February   March 3 (Super Tuesday)   March 10   March 14–17   March 24–29   April 4–7   April 28   May   June Calendar as of March 12, 2020   February   March 3 (Super Tuesday)   March 10   March 14–17   April 7–17   April 26–28   May   June Current calendar

Due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States, a number of presidential primaries were rescheduled. Some have also canceled in-person voting entirely.

In addition, the DNC elected to delay the 2020 Democratic National Convention from July 13–16 to August 17–20.^[71]

Candidates

Major candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries have either: (a) served as vice president, a member of the cabinet, a U.S. senator, a U.S. representative, or a governor, (b) been included in a minimum of five independent national polls, or (c) received substantial media coverage. As of April 8, 2020, one major candidate is still in the race.

Nearly 300 candidates who did not meet the criteria to be deemed "major" also filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president in the Democratic Party primary.^[72]

Presumptive nominee

Candidate		Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Pledged delegates[73]	Popular vote[74]	Contests won	Article	Ref.
Joe Biden		November 20, 1942 (age 77) Scranton, Pennsylvania	Vice President of the United States (2009–2017) U.S. senator from Delaware (1973–2009) Candidate for President in 1988 and 2008	Delaware	April 25, 2019	1,225	10,134,588 (40.73%)	19 (AL, AZ, AR, FL, ID, IL, ME, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA)	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[75]

Withdrew during the primaries

Candidate		Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Campaign suspended	Delegates won[73]	Popular vote	Contests won	Article	Ref.
Bernie Sanders		September 8, 1941 (age 78) Brooklyn, New York	U.S. senator from Vermont (2007–present) U.S. representative from VT-AL (1991–2007) Candidate for President in 2016	Vermont	February 19, 2019	April 8, 2020	914	7,719,341 (31.03%)	9 (CA, CO, DA, NV, NH, ND, MP, UT, VT)	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[76][77]
Tulsi Gabbard		April 12, 1981 (age 38) Leloaloa, American Samoa	U.S. representative from HI-02 (2013–present)	Hawaii	January 11, 2019	March 19, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[78]	2	164,895 (0.66%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[79][80]
Elizabeth Warren		June 22, 1949 (age 70) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	U.S. senator from Massachusetts (2013–present)	Massachusetts	February 9, 2019 Exploratory committee: December 31, 2018	March 5, 2020	81	2,482,350[74] (9.99%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[81][82]
Michael Bloomberg		February 14, 1942 (age 78) Boston, Massachusetts	Mayor of New York City, New York (2002–2013) CEO of Bloomberg L.P.	New York	November 24, 2019 Exploratory committee: November 21, 2019	March 4, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[83]	55	2,427,609[74] (9.77%)	1 (AS)	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[84][85]
Amy Klobuchar		May 25, 1960 (age 59) Plymouth, Minnesota	U.S. senator from Minnesota (2007–present)	Minnesota	February 10, 2019	March 2, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[86]	7	484,558[74] (1.95%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[87][86]
Pete Buttigieg		January 19, 1982 (age 38) South Bend, Indiana	Mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012–2020)	Indiana	April 14, 2019 Exploratory committee: January 23, 2019	March 1, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[88]	26	831,939[74] (3.35%)	1 (IA)	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[89][90]
Tom Steyer		June 27, 1957 (age 62) Manhattan, New York	Hedge fund manager Founder of Farallon Capital and Beneficial State Bank	California	July 9, 2019	February 29, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[91]	0	245,439[74] (0.99%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[92][93]
Deval Patrick		July 31, 1956 (age 63) Chicago, Illinois	Governor of Massachusetts (2007–2015)	Massachusetts	November 14, 2019	February 12, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[94]	0	18,527 (0.07%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[95][96]
Michael Bennet		November 28, 1964 (age 55) New Delhi, India	U.S. senator from Colorado (2009–present)	Colorado	May 2, 2019	February 11, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[97]	0	40,073 (0.16%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[98][99]
Andrew Yang		January 13, 1975 (age 45) Schenectady, New York	Entrepreneur Founder of Venture for America	New York	November 6, 2017	February 11, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[100]	0	104,356 (0.42%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[101][102]

Other notable individuals who did not meet the criteria to become major candidates also terminated their campaigns during the primaries:

• Robby Wells, former college football coach; Independent candidate for president in 2016^[103][104]
• Sam Sloan, chess player and publisher^{[105][failed verification]}

Other notable individuals who did not meet the criteria to become major candidates but still have active campaigns include:

• Henry Hewes, real estate developer; Right to Life nominee for Mayor of New York City in 1989 and U.S. Senate from New York in 1994^[106][105]

Withdrew before the primaries

Candidate	Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Campaign suspended	Popular vote	Article	Ref.
John Delaney	April 16, 1963 (age 56) Wood-Ridge, New Jersey	U.S. representative from MD-06 (2013–2019)	Maryland	July 28, 2017	January 31, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[107]	15,682	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[108][109]
Cory Booker	April 27, 1969 (age 50) Washington, D.C.	U.S. senator from New Jersey (2013–present) Mayor of Newark, New Jersey (2006–2013)	New Jersey	February 1, 2019	January 13, 2020 (running for re-election)[110] (endorsed Biden)[111]	29,190	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[112][113]
Marianne Williamson	July 8, 1952 (age 67) Houston, Texas	Author Founder of Project Angel Food Independent candidate for U.S. House from CA-33 in 2014	California	January 28, 2019 Exploratory committee: November 15, 2018	January 10, 2020 (endorsed Sanders)[114]	21,395	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[115][116]
Julián Castro	September 16, 1974 (age 45) San Antonio, Texas	Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2014–2017) Mayor of San Antonio, Texas (2009–2014)	Texas	January 12, 2019 Exploratory committee: December 12, 2018	January 2, 2020 (endorsed Warren, then Biden)[117][118]	36,304	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[119][120]
Kamala Harris	October 20, 1964 (age 55) Oakland, California	U.S. senator from California (2017–present) Attorney General of California (2011–2017)	California	January 21, 2019	December 3, 2019 (endorsed Biden)[121]	844	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[122][123]
Steve Bullock	April 11, 1966 (age 53) Missoula, Montana	Governor of Montana (2013–present) Attorney General of Montana (2009–2013)	Montana	May 14, 2019	December 2, 2019 (running for U.S. Senate)[124]	549	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[125][126]
Joe Sestak	December 12, 1951 (age 68) Secane, Pennsylvania	U.S. representative from PA-07 (2007–2011) Former Vice Admiral of the United States Navy	Pennsylvania	June 23, 2019	December 1, 2019 (endorsed Klobuchar)[127]	5,226	Campaign FEC filing	[128][129]
Wayne Messam	June 7, 1974 (age 45) South Bay, Florida	Mayor of Miramar, Florida (2015–present)	Florida	March 28, 2019 Exploratory committee: March 13, 2019	November 19, 2019	0[q]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[130][131]
Beto O'Rourke	September 26, 1972 (age 47) El Paso, Texas	U.S. representative from TX-16 (2013–2019)	Texas	March 14, 2019	November 1, 2019 (endorsed Biden)[132]	1[q][133]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[134][135]
Tim Ryan	July 16, 1973 (age 46) Niles, Ohio	U.S. representative from OH-13 (2013–present) U.S. representative from OH-17 (2003–2013)	Ohio	April 4, 2019	October 24, 2019 (running for re-election)[136] (endorsed Biden)[137]	0[q]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[138][139]
Bill de Blasio	May 8, 1961 (age 58) Manhattan, New York	Mayor of New York City, New York (2014–present)	New York	May 16, 2019	September 20, 2019 (endorsed Sanders)[140]	0[q]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[141][142]
Kirsten Gillibrand	December 9, 1966 (age 53) Albany, New York	U.S. senator from New York (2009–present) U.S. representative from NY-20 (2007–2009)	New York	March 17, 2019 Exploratory committee: January 15, 2019	August 28, 2019 (endorsed Biden)[143]	0[q]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[144][145]
Seth Moulton	October 24, 1978 (age 41) Salem, Massachusetts	U.S. representative from MA-06 (2015–present)	Massachusetts	April 22, 2019	August 23, 2019 (running for re-election)[146] (endorsed Biden)[147]	0[q]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[148][149]
Jay Inslee	February 9, 1951 (age 69) Seattle, Washington	Governor of Washington (2013–present) U.S. representative from WA-01 (1999–2012) U.S. representative from WA-04 (1993–1995)	Washington	March 1, 2019	August 21, 2019 (running for re-election)[150]	1[q][151]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[152][153]
John Hickenlooper	February 7, 1952 (age 68) Narberth, Pennsylvania	Governor of Colorado (2011–2019) Mayor of Denver, Colorado (2003–2011)	Colorado	March 4, 2019	August 15, 2019 (running for U.S. Senate)[154] (endorsed Bennet)[155]	1[q][151]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[156][157]
Mike Gravel	May 13, 1930 (age 89) Springfield, Massachusetts	U.S. senator from Alaska (1969–1981) Candidate for President in 2008 Candidate for Vice President in 1972	California	April 2, 2019 Exploratory committee: March 19, 2019	August 6, 2019 (endorsed Gabbard and Sanders)[158]	0[q]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[159][158]
Eric Swalwell	November 16, 1980 (age 39) Sac City, Iowa	U.S. representative from CA-15 (2013–present)	California	April 8, 2019	July 8, 2019 (running for re-election)[160]	0[q]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[161][162]
Richard Ojeda	September 25, 1970 (age 49) Rochester, Minnesota	West Virginia state senator from WV-SD07 (2016–2019)	West Virginia	November 11, 2018	January 25, 2019 (running for U.S. Senate)[163]	0[q]	Campaign FEC filing	[164][165]

The following notable individuals who did not meet the criteria to become major candidates also terminated their campaigns before the primaries:

• Ben Gleib, actor, comedian, satirist, and writer^{[166][167][168]}
• Ami Horowitz, conservative activist and documentary filmmaker (endorsed Donald Trump)^{[169][170][171]}
• Brian Moore, activist; Green nominee for U.S. Senate from Florida in 2006; Socialist and Liberty Union nominee for president in 2008^[105]
• Ken Nwadike Jr., documentary filmmaker, motivational speaker, and peace activist^{[172][173][failed verification]}

Political positions

Debates and forums

In December 2018, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced the preliminary schedule for 12 official DNC-sanctioned debates, set to begin in June 2019, with six debates in 2019 and the remaining six during the first four months of 2020. Candidates are allowed to participate in forums featuring multiple other candidates as long as only one candidate appears on stage at a time; if candidates participate in any unsanctioned debate with other presidential candidates, they will lose their invitation to the next DNC-sanctioned debate.^[174][175]

The DNC also announced that it would not partner with Fox News as a media sponsor for any debates.^[176][177] Fox News had last held a Democratic debate in 2003.^[178] All media sponsors selected to host a debate will as a new rule be required to appoint at least one female moderator for each debate, to ensure there will not be a gender-skewed treatment of the candidates and debate topics.^[179]

Primary election polling

The following graph depicts the standing of each candidate in the poll aggregators from December 2018 to April 2020.

Timeline

Active campaign Exploratory committee Suspended campaign Midterm elections Iowa caucuses New Hampshire primary Super Tuesday National emergency declared due to coronavirus Wisconsin primary General election

2017

Rep. John Delaney was the first major candidate to announce his campaign, two and a half years before the 2020 Iowa caucus.

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang was the second major Democratic candidate to announce his campaign.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard became the first major female candidate to announce her candidacy on January 11, 2019.

Sen. Kamala Harris launched her bid on January 21, 2019.

Sen. Cory Booker launched his bid on February 1, 2019.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren launched her bid on February 9, 2019.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar launched her bid on February 10, 2019.

Sen. Bernie Sanders launched his second campaign on February 19, 2019.

Governor Jay Inslee launched his presidential bid on March 1, 2019, becoming the first incumbent governor to do so.

Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke launched his bid on March 14, 2019.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg launched his bid on April 14, 2019.

In the weeks following the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 election, media speculation regarding potential candidates for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries began to circulate. As the Senate began confirmation hearings for members of the cabinet, speculation centered on the prospects of the "hell-no caucus", six senators who went on to vote against the majority of Trump's nominees. According to Politico, the members of the "hell-no caucus" were Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Jeff Merkley, and Elizabeth Warren.^[221][222] Other speculation centered on then-Vice-President Joe Biden making a third presidential bid following failed attempts in 1988 and 2008.^[223]

• July 28: Representative John Delaney of Maryland announced his candidacy in an op-ed in The Washington Post,^[108] which broke the record for earliest major candidacy declaration in history.^[224]
• November 6: Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang of New York announced his candidacy.^[225]

2018

In August 2018, Democratic Party officials and television networks began discussions as to the nature and scheduling of the following year's debates and the nomination process.^[226] Changes were made to the role of superdelegates, deciding to allow them to vote on the first ballot only if the nomination is uncontested.^[227] The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced the preliminary schedule for the 12 official DNC-sanctioned debates, set to begin in June 2019, with six debates in 2019 and the remaining six during the first four months of 2020.

November 2018

• November 6: The 2018 midterm elections were held. The election was widely characterized as a "blue wave" election. Mass canvassing, voter registration drives and deep engagement techniques drove turnout high. Despite this, eventual presidential candidates U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas and State Senator Richard Ojeda of West Virginia both lost their respective races.^[228]
• November 11: Former state senator Richard Ojeda of West Virginia announced his candidacy.^[229]

December 2018

• December 31: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announced the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president.^[230]

2019

Former Vice President Joe Biden launched his third campaign on April 25, 2019.

Rep. Eric Swalwell became the first representative to suspend their campaign following the first debate on July 8, 2019.

Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer launched his campaign on July 9, 2019.

Former Governor John Hickenlooper suspended his campaign on August 15, 2019 and subsequently launched a bid for the United States Senate. He later endorsed Michael Bennet.

Kirsten Gillibrand became the first incumbent Senator and first female major candidate to suspend her campaign on August 28, 2019.

Mayor Bill de Blasio suspended his campaign on September 20, 2019 and endorsed Bernie Sanders after the New Hampshire primary.

Rep. Tim Ryan suspended his campaign on October 24, 2019 and subsequently endorsed Joe Biden.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched his campaign via video on November 24, 2019.

Governor Steve Bullock suspended his campaign and declined to run for the United States Senate on December 2, 2019. He later reversed his decision and challenged Senator Steve Daines after meeting with Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer.

Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro suspended his campaign on January 2, 2020 and subsequently endorsed Elizabeth Warren.

Spiritual author Marianne Williamson suspended her campaign on January 10, 2020 and subsequently endorsed Bernie Sanders.

Sen. Michael Bennet suspended his campaign on February 11, 2020, after the polls closed in the New Hampshire primary.

Former Governor Deval Patrick suspended his campaign on February 12, 2020, prior to the Nevada caucus.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg suspended his campaign on March 4, 2020 after a distant third place finish on Super Tuesday.

January 2019

• January 11: U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii announced her candidacy during an interview on The Van Jones Show.^[231]
• January 12: Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro officially announced his candidacy at a rally in San Antonio, Texas.^[232]
• January 15: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York announced the formation of an exploratory committee during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.^[233]
• January 21: Senator Kamala Harris of California announced her candidacy during an interview on Good Morning America.^[234]
• January 23: Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, formed an exploratory committee.^[235]
• January 25: Richard Ojeda dropped out of the race.^[236]
• January 28: Williamson announced her candidacy at a rally in Los Angeles, California.^[115]

February 2019

• February 1: Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey announced his candidacy.^[112]
• February 9: Warren formally announced her candidacy at a rally in Lawrence, Massachusetts.^[237]
• February 10: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota announced her candidacy at a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota.^[87]
• February 19: Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced his candidacy via an email to supporters and appeared on Vermont Public Radio as well as CBS This Morning as part of his campaign launch.^[238]

March 2019

• March 1: Governor Jay Inslee of Washington announced his candidacy.^[239]
• March 4: Former governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado announced his candidacy.^[240]
• March 11: The DNC announced Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the site of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.^[241]
• March 13: Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, Florida, formed an exploratory committee.^[130]
• March 14: Former Representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas announced his candidacy.^[134]
• March 17: Gillibrand formally announced her candidacy via an online video.^[242]
• March 19: An exploratory committee was formed on behalf of former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska.^[243]
• March 28: Messam formally announced his candidacy in an online video.^[130]

April 2019

• April 1: The We the People Membership Summit was held in Warner Theatre, Washington, D.C. by the Center for Popular Democracy Action, Communications Workers of America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Service Employees International Union, SEIU 32BJ, Sierra Club. Issues like democracy reform were discussed.^[244][245]
• April 4: Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio announced his candidacy and appeared on The View as part of a campaign launch.^[246]
• April 8:
  • Mike Gravel formally announced his candidacy in an online video.^[247]
  • Representative Eric Swalwell of California announced his candidacy during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.^[161]
• April 14: Pete Buttigieg announced his candidacy at a rally in South Bend, Indiana.^[89]
• April 22: Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts announced his candidacy in an online video.^[148]
• April 24: The She the People Presidential Forum was held at Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas by She the People. Issues affecting women of color were discussed.^[248][249]
• April 25: Former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware announced his candidacy in an online video.^[75] Biden holds kickoff fundraiser at home of Comcast executive David Cohen.^[250]
• April 27: The National Forum on Wages and Working People: Creating an Economy that Works for All was held at Enclave, Las Vegas, Nevada by the Service Employees International Union and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Economic issues affecting low-income Americans were discussed.^[251][252]

May 2019

• May 2: Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado announced his candidacy during an interview on CBS This Morning.^[98]
• May 14: Governor Steve Bullock of Montana announced his candidacy in an online video.^[125][253]
• May 16: Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City announced his candidacy in an online video^[254][255] and appeared on Good Morning America as part of a campaign launch.^[141]

June 2019

• June 1: The Big Ideas Forum was held at Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, California by MoveOn. Ideas that could inspire voters and transform the country were discussed.^[256][257]
• May 31 – June 2: The California State Democratic Convention, a major "cattle call" event attended by most major candidates, took place in San Francisco.^[258][259]
• June 9: Iowa Democrats' Hall of Fame Dinner, a "cattle call" event featuring 19 candidates, took place at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel and Convention Center in Cedar Rapids, IA.^[260]
• June 13: The Democratic National Committee announced that 20 candidates will participate in the first official debate on June 26–27.^[261]
• June 17: The Poor People's Campaign Presidential Forum was held at Trinity Washington University, Washington, D.C. by Poor People's Campaign. Issues affecting low-income Americans were discussed.^[262][263]
• June 21: The NALEO Presidential Candidate Forum was held at Telemundo Center, Miami, Florida by the NALEO. Issues affecting Hispanic and Latino Americans were discussed.^[264][265]
• June 22:
  • Former Representative Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania announced his candidacy with a midnight campaign website launch.^[266]
  • The South Carolina Democratic Party Convention was held at the Columbia Convention Center, Columbia, South Carolina by the South Carolina Democratic Party.^[267][268]
  • The We Decide: 2020 Election Membership Forum was held at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Reproductive health care and reproductive rights were discussed.^[269][270]
• June 26: The first part of the first official debate was held in Miami, Florida.^[271]
• June 27: The second part of the first official debate was held in Miami, Florida.^[271]

July 2019

• July 5: The Strong Public Schools Presidential Forum was held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas by the National Education Association. Issues affecting education and public schools were discussed.^[272][273]
• July 8: Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race^[162] and announced he would run for re-election to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.^[274]
• July 9: Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer announced his candidacy in an online video.^[92]
• July 15–17 and 19–20, 2019: The Iowa Presidential Candidate Forums were held in Des Moines, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, and Council Bluffs by AARP and The Des Moines Register. Issues affecting older voters in Iowa were discussed.^[275]
• July 24: The NAACP 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum was held in Detroit, Michigan.^[276]
• July 30: The first part of the second official debate was held in Detroit, Michigan.^[277]
• July 31: The second part of the second official debate was held in Detroit, Michigan.^[278]

August 2019

• August 3: The Public Service Forum was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, by AFSCME and the HuffPost. Public service, trade unions, labor rights, and the economy were discussed.^[279]
• August 6: Mike Gravel dropped out of the race.^[158]
• August 10: The Gun Sense Forum was held in Des Moines, Iowa by Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action. Gun violence was discussed.^[280]
• August 15: John Hickenlooper dropped out of the race, later announcing a campaign for Colorado's Class 2 United States Senate seat up for election in 2020.^[281]
• August 8–11, August 13, and August 17, 2019: The Des Moines Register Political Soapbox was held at the Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, Iowa by the Des Moines Register. Attending candidates provided 20-minute speeches on their political platforms.^[282]
• August 19–20, 2019: The Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum was held at Orpheum Theater, Sioux City, Iowa by Four Directions, Native Organizers Alliance, National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, Coalition of Large Tribes, and Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association.^[283]
• August 21: Jay Inslee dropped out of the race and announced a campaign for re-election as Governor of Washington in 2020.^[153]
• August 23: Seth Moulton dropped out of the race^[149] and announced he would run for re-election to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.^[274]
• August 28: Kirsten Gillibrand dropped out of the race.^[145]

September 2019

• September 4: A Climate Crisis Town Hall was held by CNN at New York City, New York. Global warming was discussed.^[284]
• September 7: The New Hampshire Democratic Party State Convention was held at Southern New Hampshire University Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. 19 candidates were in attendance and addressed the delegates and voters.^[285]
• September 12: The third official debate took place in Houston, Texas at Texas Southern University,^[286] aired on ABC and Univision.^[287]
• September 17: The Workers' Presidential Summit was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA by the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO. Issues affecting labor unions and union workers were discussed.^[288]
• September 19–20: A Climate Forum was held at Gaston Hall, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., sponsored by MSNBC, Georgetown University, and Our Daily Planet.^[289]
• September 20:
  • Bill de Blasio dropped out of the race.^[142]
  • An LGBTQ forum was held in the Sinclair Auditorium at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA by One Iowa, The Advocate, and GLAAD. LGBTQ rights were discussed.^[290]
• September 21: The Iowa People's Presidential Forum was held at the Iowa Events Centre in Des Moines, Iowa by Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund and People's Action. Healthcare, green energy and education were discussed.^[291]
• September 22: A Youth Forum was held in Des Moines, Iowa by Des Moines Public Schools and the Des Moines Register. Students and youth issues were discussed.^[292]

October 2019

• October 2: A Gun Safety Forum was held in Las Vegas, Nevada by Giffords and March for Our Lives. Gun violence was discussed.^[293]
• October 10: An LGBTQ Forum was held at The Novo in Los Angeles, California by the Human Rights Campaign and UCLA. LGBTQ rights were discussed.^[294][295]
• October 15: The fourth official debate took place at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio,^[296][297] aired on CNN. The debate featured 12 candidates, setting a record for the highest number of candidates in one presidential debate.^[298][299]
• October 24: Tim Ryan dropped out of the race^[300] and announced he would run for re-election to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.^[136]
• October 26–27: The Collegiate Bipartisan Presidential forum was held at Benedict College in Columbia, SC by Mayor Steve Benjamin and Benedict College. Students' interests, criminal justice reform and racial justice were discussed.^[301]

November 2019

• November 1:
  • Beto O'Rourke dropped out of the race.^[135]
  • The Liberty and Justice Celebration was held at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA by the Iowa Democratic Party. Candidates performed 12-minute speeches covering their political platforms.^[302][303]
• November 8: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg prepared to enter the race by filing for ballot access in Alabama.^[304]
• November 14: Former Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick entered the race by announcing his candidacy.^[95]
• November 16: The California Democratic Party Fall Endorsing Convention Forum was held at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California by the California Democratic Party/Univision. Latino issues were discussed.^[305]
• November 17: The Nevada State Democratic Party's First In The West "cattle call" event was held at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.^[306]
• November 19: Wayne Messam dropped out of the race.^[307]
• November 20: The fifth Democratic debate took place in Atlanta, Georgia at Tyler Perry Studios, co-hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post.^[308]
• November 21: Michael Bloomberg formed an exploratory committee.^[309]
• November 24: Michael Bloomberg announced his candidacy with a website launch.^[310]

December 2019

• December 1: Joe Sestak dropped out of the race.^[129]
• December 2: Steve Bullock dropped out of the race.^[126]
• December 3: Kamala Harris dropped out of the race.^[123]
• December 7: The Teamsters Union Forum was held by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Storm Lake Times and The Guardian at the Veteran's Auditorium in Cedar Rapids, IA. Workers' rights and the Teamsters three-point pledge were discussed.^[311]
• December 14: The Public Education Forum 2020 was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Educational Association and the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools. Education was discussed.^[312]
• December 19: The sixth Democratic debate took place in Los Angeles, California, at Loyola Marymount University.^[313]

2020

January 2020

• January 2: Julián Castro dropped out of the race.^[314] He later endorsed Elizabeth Warren's campaign.^[117]
• January 10: Marianne Williamson dropped out of the race.^[116] She later endorsed Bernie Sanders' campaign.^[114]
• January 13: Cory Booker dropped out of the race.^[315]
• January 14: The seventh Democratic debate took place in Des Moines, Iowa, at Drake University.^[205]
• January 17: The first votes were cast as no-excuse, in-person absentee voting in the Minnesota primary began.^[316]
• January 31: John Delaney dropped out of the race.^[317]

February 2020

• February 3: The Iowa caucuses took place, but inconsistencies reported in the caucus results delay reporting of the outcome.^[318][319]
• February 4–7: Results were released in the Iowa caucuses. The reporting delays, errors, and inconsistencies surrounding the caucuses prompted DNC Chairman Tom Perez to call for a recanvass. As of February 18, 2020^[update], Sanders won a plurality of first-instance and final votes, while the lead in state delegate equivalents was disputed between Sanders and Buttigieg.^[320] Warren came in third, and Biden fourth.
• February 7: The eighth Democratic debate took place in Goffstown, New Hampshire at St. Anselm College.^[205]
• February 11: New Hampshire primary
  • Bernie Sanders was announced as the winner of the New Hampshire primary, with 26% of the vote.^[321] Buttigieg (24%, 2nd) and Klobuchar (20%, 3rd) were the only other candidates to receive delegates; Warren (9%, 4th) and Biden (8%, 5th) finished below the delegate threshold.^[322]
  • Michael Bennet and Andrew Yang dropped out of the race.^[323][324]
• February 12: Deval Patrick dropped out of the race.^[96]
• February 14: Bill de Blasio endorsed Bernie Sanders.^[325]
• February 15–17: The Moving America Forward Infrastructure Forum was held at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, by the IUOE, ASCE, TWUA, ARTBA, APTA, AEM, and other groups. Infrastructure policy was discussed, with a focus on transportation, water, and broadband issues.^[326]
• February 19: The ninth Democratic debate took place in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[205]
• February 21: Voting in the Washington primary began.^[327]
• February 22: Nevada caucuses
  • With almost 47% of the county convention delegates, Bernie Sanders was announced as the winner of the Nevada caucuses.^[328] Joe Biden finished second (20%), Pete Buttigieg finished third (14%), Elizabeth Warren finished fourth (10%), and Tom Steyer finished fifth (5%).^[329]
• February 24: Voting in the Colorado primary began.^[330]
  • Marianne Williamson endorsed Bernie Sanders.^[331]
• February 25: The tenth Democratic debate took place in Charleston, South Carolina at the Gaillard Center.^[205]
• February 29: South Carolina primary
  • With 48% of the popular vote, Joe Biden was announced as the winner of the South Carolina primary.^[332] Bernie Sanders came in second (20%), with Tom Steyer (3rd, 11%), Pete Buttigieg (4th, 8%), and Elizabeth Warren (5th, 7%) rounding out the top five.^[333]
  • Tom Steyer dropped out of the race.^[334]

March 2020

• March 1: Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race.^[335]
• March 2: Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race.^[336]
  • That evening, Biden received the endorsements of Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Beto O'Rourke during a rally in Texas.^[337]
• March 3: Super Tuesday: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia primaries; American Samoa caucus.
  • Biden won Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
  • Bloomberg won American Samoa.
  • Sanders won California, Colorado, Utah, and Vermont.
  • Voting in the Democrats Abroad primary began.^[338]
• March 4: Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the race, endorsing Biden.^[339]
• March 5: Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the race.^[340]
• March 6: John Delaney endorsed Joe Biden.^[341]
• March 8: Kamala Harris endorsed Joe Biden.^[342]
• March 9: Cory Booker endorsed Joe Biden.^[343]
• March 10: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington primaries; North Dakota caucus.
  • Biden won Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, and Washington.
  • Sanders won North Dakota.
  • Andrew Yang endorsed Joe Biden.^[344]
• March 13: A national emergency was declared due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following this, several presidential primaries were rescheduled (including Kentucky^[345] and Louisiana^[346]), and candidates limited in-person events.
• March 14: Sanders won the Northern Mariana Islands caucuses.^[347]
• March 15: The eleventh Democratic debate, originally scheduled to take place in Phoenix, Arizona,^[348] took place in Washington, D.C. due to coronavirus concerns.^[349][350]
• March 16: Ohio announced that it intended to postpone its presidential primary, a plan that was struck down by a judge that same day.^[351] Following the judge's decision, Governor DeWine announced that polls would be closed by order of Ohio Health Director Amy Acton due to a "health emergency." State officials will seek to extend the voting process.^[352]
• March 17: Arizona, Florida, and Illinois primaries.^[352]
  • Biden won Arizona, Florida,^[353] and Illinois.^[354]
• March 19: Tulsi Gabbard dropped out of the race, endorsing Biden.^[355]
• March 23: Sanders won the Democrats Abroad primary.^[356]
• March 28: The New York primary was rescheduled from April 28 to June 23 due to coronavirus concerns.^[357]

April 2020

• April 7:

• • Wisconsin primary
  • The New Jersey primary was moved from June 2 to July 7 due to coronavirus concerns.^[358]
• April 8: Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race^[359] Joe Biden became the presumptive presidential nominee.
• April 10: mail-in voting period ends for Alaska party-run primary
• April 17: mail-in voting period ends for Wyoming caucus
• April 28: mail-in voting period ends for Ohio primary
• April 29: Voting for the Oregon primary begins.^[360]

May 2020

• May 2: Guam caucus; Kansas party-run primary
• May 12: Nebraska primary
• May 19: Georgia and Oregon primaries
• May 22: mail-in voting period ends for Hawaii primary

June 2020

• June 2: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Dakota primaries
• June 6: Virgin Islands caucuses
• June 9: West Virginia primary
• June 20: Louisiana primary
• June 23: Kentucky and New York primaries

July 2020

• July 7: New Jersey primary

August 2020

• August 17–20: Democratic National Convention, in which delegates of the Democratic Party will choose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the general election^[361]

Ballot access

Filing for the primaries began in October 2019.^[362][363] indicates that the candidate is on the ballot for the primary contest, indicates that the candidate is a recognized write-in candidate, and indicates that the candidate will not appear on the ballot in that state's contest. indicates that a candidate withdrew before the election but is still listed on the ballot. Blanks indicate that a candidate is not yet known to be on the ballot but a final list of candidates eligible to appear on the ballot is not yet available. States that have not yet announced any candidates who are on the ballot are not included.

Primaries and caucuses

State/ Territory	Date	Biden	Sanders	Gabbard	Warren	Bloomberg	Klobuchar	Buttigieg	Steyer	Patrick	Bennet	Yang	Other	Ref
IA[i]	Feb 3	Ballot access not required												[364]
NH	Feb 11												[A]	[105][365]
NV[i]	Feb 22												[B]	[366]
SC	Feb 29												[C]	[367]
AL	Mar 3												[D]	[368]
AR	Mar 3												[E]	[369]
AS[i]	Mar 3												[F]	[370]
CA	Mar 3												[G]	[371]
CO	Mar 3												[H]	[372][373]
ME	Mar 3												[I]	[374]
MA	Mar 3												[D]	[375]
MN	Mar 3												[D]	[376]
NC	Mar 3												[D]	[377]
OK	Mar 3												[J]	[378]
TN	Mar 3												[K]	[379][380]
TX	Mar 3												[L]	[381]
UT	Mar 3												[M]	[382]
VT	Mar 3												[N]	[383]
VA	Mar 3												[J]	[384]
DA	Mar 10													[385]
ID	Mar 10												[O]	[386]
MI	Mar 10												[P]	[387]
MS	Mar 10													[388]
MO	Mar 10												[Q]	[389]
ND	Mar 10												[B]	[390]
WA	Mar 10												[C]	[391]
MP[i]	Mar 14													[392][393]
AZ	Mar 17												[R]	[394]
FL	Mar 17												[P]	[395]
IL	Mar 17												[C]	[396]
WI	Apr 7												[B]	[397]
AK	Apr 10													[398][399]
WY[i]	Apr 17												[B]	[400]
PR	Apr 26													[401]
OH	Apr 28													[402][403]
GU[i]	May 2	Ballot access not required												[404]
KS	May 2													[405]
NE	May 12													[406]
GA	May 19												[B]	[407]
OR	May 19													[408]
HI	May 22												[B]	[409]
CT	Jun 2													[410]
DE	Jun 2													[411]
DC	Jun 2													[412]
IN	Jun 2													[413]
MD	Jun 2												[J]	[414]
MT	Jun 2													[415]
NM	Jun 2													[416]
PA	Jun 2													[417]
RI	Jun 2													[418]
SD	Jun 2													[419]
VI[i]	Jun 6	Ballot access not required												[420]
WV	Jun 9												[S]	[421]
LA	Jun 20												[T]	[422]
KY	Jun 23													[423]
NY	Jun 23													[424]
NJ	Jul 7													[425]

Candidates listed in italics have suspended their campaigns.