Here’s The Latest on the 2020 Presidential Race

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The 2020 presidential race has already set records. The number of Democrats campaigning to be the party’s 2020 presidential candidate is larger than during any year prior, as is the number of Democratic candidates who aren’t white, cisgender, straight men (only one president to date has been nonwhite, and all presidents have been cisgender, straight men).

Since 24 Democrats and two Republicans (one of whom is, of course, President Donald J. Trump) have already confirmed their plans to run for office a full half-year before 2020 even begins, keeping track of the next presidential election cycle has seemed challenging, to say the least, to many voters. To keep everything organized, here’s a breakdown of everything that’s happened in the race since early last month.

May 14: Steve Bullock announces Democratic candidacy

Last month, Steve Bullock, Montana’s Democratic governor, became the 23rd candidate to announce a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bullock announced his campaign with a video that leans into his Montana lineage to appeal to the state’s voters, who often lean Republican instead of Democrat. Similarly, in this video, Bullock stressed the work that he’s done with politicians from both parties during his time as governor. U.S. Senator Jon Tester, D-MT, recently endorsed Bullock, but the Montana governor’s campaign has thus far been otherwise uneventful.

May 16: Bill DeBlasio announces Democratic candidacy

Pete Buttigieg won’t be the only mayor running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bill DeBlasio isn’t the mayor of any ordinary town, though: He’s the controversial mayor of New York City, a leader against whom NYPD officers have publicly turned their backs more than once. Rumors swirled that DeBlasio would announce a campaign in the weeks before he did so, and New Yorkers seemed generally unenthused by the idea. After he announced his campaign, reactions were mostly negative both within and outside New York. However, DeBlasio did draw tons of headlines following a CNN interview for, of all things, publicly claiming his love for ska.

June 1: Larry Hogan announces no Republican candidacy

In recent months, many people across the country encouraged Maryland’s Republican governor, Larry Hogan, to challenge Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. However, on June 1, Hogan announced he would not do so. Though Hogan expressed his gratitude for the encouragement and support, he insisted his time is better spent governing Maryland and preparing for his upcoming new role as the chair of the National Governors Association. Hogan also noted that President Trump is likely too popular among Republicans to lose his nomination to any primary challengers.

Nevertheless, a new poll shows Americans think Trump will win

Despite the crowded Democratic candidate field, a recent CNN poll indicated that the majority of Americans think Trump will win the presidential election. In a poll conducted via phone, 54 percent of Americans think Trump will have a second term, as compared to just 40 percent who thought so in December 2018. This poll did not ask respondents for whom they plan to vote, but merely whom they expect will win, so some Democratic voters might be heading to the polls feeling powerless, as they have often felt following Trump’s win.