Tonight marks the second night of the July debates among Democratic candidates with last night's kicking off the second overall debates of familiar candidates like Bernie Sanders and Beto O' Rourke, as well as slightly less familiar candidates like Marianne Williamson. With candidates like Kamala Harris and Joe Biden leading the Democratic conversation, it's easy to forget that there are more people vying for the nomination alongside the 2020 Republican nominee.
To prep you for night 2, we've compiled a second list of Democratic candidates that features all of the candidates that will be debating tonight for your viewing pleasure. Similar to yesterday's list, here you will learn the names of the candidates, what they stand for, if they have a chance at the nomination, and ultimately whether or not they deserve your black vote*. Enjoy.
*Detailed explanations of "do they deserve your black vote" only goes towards candidates polling more than 5 percent from the Black Democratic Primary voter's poll.
July 31 Debate (Night 2)
Cory Booker, Senator From New Jersey; Former Mayor Newark (50)
What He Said:
"I believe that we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind…where we see the faces of our leaders on television and feel pride, not shame."
The Rundown:
- Running on the politics to uplift the American people.
- Enjoys a vast fundraising base, thanks to long-standing connections to donors around the country.
- Signature Issues: Has been one of the leaders in the Senate on criminal justice reform, but his appeal would most likely center on his call to unify the country.
Can he win the nomination? Possibly. Then again, his close connection to Mark Zuckerberg and Wall Street might make the Democratic party think otherwise.
Does He Deserve Your Black Vote?
*Booker introduced H.R. 40 Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African American Act. In addition, he supports establishing a savings account with $1000 in it for every baby born in the U.S. Depending on family income, up to another $2000 a year would be added to the account, which could be accessed for high education payment. Since announcing his campaign, he has introduced the Next Step Act, which would tackle law enforcement practices by prohibiting racial and religious profiling and require implicit bias training. If elected, he plans to grant clemency to nonviolent drug offenders to reform the criminal justice system and scale back the war on drugs. He believes in making Election Day a national holiday and expanding the Voting Rights Act. He joined 14 of his Senate colleagues in introducing the Medicare for All Act of 2019 and he created the Environmental Justice Act to strengthen legal protections against environmental injustice for communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities. Booker has 4 percent of black Democratic primary voters, according to the latest Morning Consult weekly tracking poll.
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