2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

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 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. If a candidate amasses at least 1,991 pledged delegates by the DNC convention in July, 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 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.

Overall, there were 29 major Democratic presidential candidates in the 2020 election, and for six weeks around July 2019 twenty-five of these had active campaigns simultaneously. The debate in Westerville, Ohio, on October 15, 2019, featured 12 candidates, setting a record for the highest number of candidates in one presidential debate. As of March 5, 2020, 26 candidates have dropped out of the race, and three major candidates are still seeking the nomination: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Tulsi Gabbard.

Background

After Hillary Clinton's loss in the previous election, many felt the Democratic Party lacked a clear leading figure. Divisions remained in the party following the 2016 primaries, which pitted Clinton against Bernie Sanders. 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. 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.

The 2020 field of Democratic presidential candidates peaked at more than two dozen major candidates. According to Politifact, this field is believed to be the largest field of presidential candidates for any American political party since 1972; it exceeds the field of 17 major candidates who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. 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 at least six female presidential candidates and six candidates of African, Hispanic, or Asian ancestry.

Reforms since 2016

See also: Superdelegate § DNC Unity Reform Commission and superdelegate reform, 2016–2018

On August 25, 2018, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) members passed reforms to the Democratic Party's primary process in order to increase participation and ensure transparency. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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.

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. Districts which have voted Democratic in the past get more delegates, and fewer delegates are allocated for swing districts and Republican districts. 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.

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. These rules apply at the state level to state delegates and within each district for those delegates. The 15% threshold was established in 1992 to limit "fringe" candidates. The threshold now means that any sector of the party (moderate, radical, centrist, etc.) which produces many candidates, thus dividing supporters' votes, may win few delegates, even if it wins a majority of votes.

Contest schedule and results

Main article: Results of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Candidates

See also: 2020 Democratic Party presidential 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 March 5, 2020, three major candidates are 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. Of these, about two dozen successfully endeavored to get their names placed on state ballots.

Active candidates

Candidate		Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Pledged delegates	Popular vote	Contests won	Article	Ref.
Joe Biden		November 20, 1942 (age 82) 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	905	7,523,847 (37.89%)	15 (AL, AR, ID, ME, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA)	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Bernie Sanders		September 8, 1941 (age 83) 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	741	6,058,760 (30.51%)	7 (CA, CO, NV, NH, ND, UT, VT)	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Tulsi Gabbard		April 12, 1981 (age 43) Leloaloa, American Samoa	U.S. representative from HI-02 (2013–present)	Hawaii	January 11, 2019	2	138,326 (0.70%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing

Other notable individuals with active campaigns after the start of the primaries, but who did not meet the criteria to become major candidates and are only on the ballot in a small number of states, 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
• Robby Wells, former college football coach; Independent candidate for President in 2016

Withdrew during the primaries

Candidate		Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Campaign suspended	Delegates won	Popular vote	Contests won	Article	Ref
Elizabeth Warren		June 22, 1949 (age 75) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	U.S. senator from Massachusetts (2013–present)	Massachusetts	February 9, 2019 Exploratory committee: December 31, 2018	March 5, 2020	70	2,226,165 (11.53%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Michael Bloomberg		February 14, 1942 (age 82) 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)	61	2,099,070 (10.87%)	1 (AS)	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Amy Klobuchar		May 25, 1960 (age 64) Plymouth, Minnesota	U.S. senator from Minnesota (2007–present)	Minnesota	February 10, 2019	March 2, 2020 (endorsed Biden)	7	446,715 (2.31%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Pete Buttigieg		January 19, 1982 (age 42) South Bend, Indiana	Mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012–2020)	Indiana	April 14, 2019 Exploratory committee: January 23, 2019	March 1, 2020 (endorsed Biden)	26	736,978 (3.82%)	1 (IA)	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Tom Steyer		June 27, 1957 (age 67) Manhattan, New York	Hedge fund manager Founder of Farallon Capital and Beneficial State Bank	California	July 9, 2019	February 29, 2020	0	229,849 (1.19%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Deval Patrick		July 31, 1956 (age 68) Chicago, Illinois	Governor of Massachusetts (2007–2015)	Massachusetts	November 14, 2019	February 12, 2020 (endorsed Biden)	0	15,704 (0.08%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Michael Bennet		November 28, 1964 (age 60) New Delhi, India	U.S. senator from Colorado (2009–present)	Colorado	May 2, 2019	February 11, 2020	0	32,988 (0.17%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Andrew Yang		January 13, 1975 (age 49) Schenectady, New York	Entrepreneur Founder of Venture for America	New York	November 6, 2017	February 11, 2020 (endorsed Biden)	0	86,707 (0.45%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing

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

• Sam Sloan, chess player and publisher

Withdrew before the primaries

Candidates who withdrew before the primaries

Candidate	Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Campaign suspended	Popular vote	Article	Ref.
John Delaney	April 16, 1963 (age 61) Wood-Ridge, New Jersey	U.S. representative from MD-06 (2013–2019)	Maryland	July 28, 2017	January 31, 2020 (endorsed Biden)	12,356	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Cory Booker	April 27, 1969 (age 55) 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) (endorsed Biden)	23,663	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Marianne Williamson	July 8, 1952 (age 72) 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)	18,227	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Julián Castro	September 16, 1974 (age 50) 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)	32,812	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Kamala Harris	October 20, 1964 (age 60) Oakland, California	U.S. senator from California (2017–present) Attorney General of California (2011–2017)	California	January 21, 2019	December 3, 2019 (endorsed Biden)	862	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Steve Bullock	April 11, 1966 (age 58) 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)	601	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Joe Sestak	December 12, 1951 (age 73) 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)	4,219	Campaign FEC filing
Wayne Messam	June 7, 1974 (age 50) South Bay, Florida	Mayor of Miramar, Florida (2015–present)	Florida	March 28, 2019 Exploratory committee: March 13, 2019	November 19, 2019	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Beto O'Rourke	September 26, 1972 (age 52) El Paso, Texas	U.S. representative from TX-16 (2013–2019)	Texas	March 14, 2019	November 1, 2019 (endorsed Biden)	1	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Tim Ryan	July 16, 1973 (age 51) 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) (endorsed Biden)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Bill de Blasio	May 8, 1961 (age 63) Manhattan, New York	Mayor of New York City, New York (2014–present)	New York	May 16, 2019	September 20, 2019 (endorsed Sanders)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Kirsten Gillibrand	December 9, 1966 (age 58) 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	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Seth Moulton	October 24, 1978 (age 46) Salem, Massachusetts	U.S. representative from MA-06 (2015–present)	Massachusetts	April 22, 2019	August 23, 2019 (running for re-election) (endorsed Biden)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Jay Inslee	February 9, 1951 (age 73) 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)	1	__________ Campaign FEC filing
John Hickenlooper	February 7, 1952 (age 72) 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) (endorsed Bennet)	1	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Mike Gravel	May 13, 1930 (age 94) 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)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Eric Swalwell	November 16, 1980 (age 44) Sac City, Iowa	U.S. representative from CA-15 (2013–present)	California	April 8, 2019	July 8, 2019 (running for re-election)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing
Richard Ojeda	September 25, 1970 (age 54) Rochester, Minnesota	West Virginia state senator from WV-SD07 (2016–2019)	West Virginia	November 11, 2018	January 25, 2019 (running for U.S. Senate)	0	Campaign FEC filing

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
• Ami Horowitz, conservative activist and documentary filmmaker (endorsed Donald Trump)
• Brian Moore, activist; Green nominee for U.S. Senate from Florida in 2006; Socialist and Liberty Union nominee for president in 2008
• Ken Nwadike Jr., documentary filmmaker, motivational speaker, and peace activist

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary candidates

Debates and forums

Main articles: 2020 Democratic Party presidential debates and 2020 Democratic Party presidential forums

In December 2018, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced the 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 were allowed to participate in forums featuring multiple other candidates as long as only one candidate appeared on stage at a time. Any presidential candidates who participated in unsanctioned debates with each other would have lost their invitations to the next DNC-sanctioned debate. No unsanctioned debates took place during the 2019—2020 debate season.

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

Debate schedule

Debate	Date	Time (ET)	Viewers	Location	Sponsor(s)	Moderator(s)
1A	June 26, 2019	9–11 p.m.	~24.3 million (15.3m live TV; 9m streaming)	Arsht Center, Miami, Florida	NBC News MSNBC Telemundo	José Díaz-Balart Savannah Guthrie Lester Holt Rachel Maddow Chuck Todd
1B	June 27, 2019	9–11 p.m.	~27.1 million (18.1m live TV; 9m streaming)
2A	July 30, 2019	8–10:30 p.m.	~11.5 million (8.7m live TV; 2.8m streaming)	Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan	CNN	Dana Bash Don Lemon Jake Tapper
2B	July 31, 2019	8–10:30 p.m.	~13.8 million (10.7m live TV; 3.1m streaming)
3	September 12, 2019	8–11 p.m.	14.04 million live TV	Health and Physical Education Arena, Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas	ABC News Univision	Linsey Davis David Muir Jorge Ramos George Stephanopoulos
4	October 15, 2019	8–11 p.m.	~8.8 million (8.34m live TV; 0.45m streaming)	Rike Physical Education Center, Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio	CNN The New York Times	Erin Burnett Anderson Cooper Marc Lacey
5	November 20, 2019	9–11 p.m.	~7.9 million (6.6m live TV; 1.3m streaming)	Oprah Winfrey sound stage, Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta, Georgia	MSNBC The Washington Post	Rachel Maddow Andrea Mitchell Ashley Parker Kristen Welker
6	December 19, 2019	8–11 p.m.	~14.6 million (6.17m live TV; 8.4m streaming)	Gersten Pavilion, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California	PBS Politico	Tim Alberta Yamiche Alcindor Amna Nawaz Judy Woodruff
7	January 14, 2020	9–11:15 p.m.	~11.3 million (7.3m live TV; 4.0m streaming)	Sheslow Auditorium, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa	CNN The Des Moines Register	Wolf Blitzer Brianne Pfannenstiel Abby Phillip
8	February 7, 2020	8–10:30 p.m.	~11.0 million (7.8m live TV; 3.2m streaming)	Thomas F. Sullivan Arena, Saint Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire	ABC News WMUR-TV Apple News	Linsey Davis Monica Hernandez David Muir Adam Sexton George Stephanopoulos
9	February 19, 2020	9–11 p.m.	~33.16 million (19.66m live TV; 13.5m streaming)	Le Théâtre des Arts, Paris Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada	NBC News MSNBC Telemundo The Nevada Independent	Vanessa Hauc Lester Holt Hallie Jackson Jon Ralston Chuck Todd
10	February 25, 2020	8–10 p.m.	~30.4 million (15.3m live TV; 15.1m streaming)	Gaillard Center, Charleston, South Carolina	CBS News BET Twitter Congressional Black Caucus Institute	Margaret Brennan Major Garrett Gayle King Norah O'Donnell Bill Whitaker
11	March 15, 2020	8–10 p.m.	~11.4 million (10.8m live TV; 0.6m streaming)	CNN studio Washington, D.C.	CNN Univision Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD	Dana Bash Ilia Calderón Jake Tapper

Primary election polling

Main articles: Nationwide opinion polling for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and Statewide opinion polling for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

The following graph depicts the standing of each candidate in the poll aggregators from January 2019 to August 2020.

  Joe Biden

  Bernie Sanders

  Elizabeth Warren

  Kamala Harris

  Beto O'Rourke

  Cory Booker

  Amy Klobuchar

  Tulsi Gabbard

  Pete Buttigieg

  Andrew Yang

  Tom Steyer

  Michael Bloomberg

Timeline

Active campaign Exploratory committee Suspended campaign Midterm elections Iowa caucuses New Hampshire primary Super Tuesday Final primaries Democratic convention 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. Other speculation centered on then-Vice-President Joe Biden making a third presidential bid following failed attempts in 1988 and 2008.

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

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. Changes were made to the role of superdelegates, deciding to allow them to vote on the first ballot only if the nomination is uncontested. 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.

On November 6, 2018, 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.

• November 11: Former state senator Richard Ojeda of West Virginia announced his candidacy.

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.
• January 12: Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro officially announced his candidacy at a rally in San Antonio, Texas.
• 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.
• January 21: Senator Kamala Harris of California announced her candidacy during an interview on Good Morning America.
• January 23: Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, formed an exploratory committee.
• January 25: Richard Ojeda dropped out of the race.
• January 28: Williamson announced her candidacy at a rally in Los Angeles, California.

February 2019

• February 1: Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey announced his candidacy.
• February 9: Warren announced her candidacy at a rally in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
• February 10: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota announced her candidacy at a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• 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.

March 2019

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

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.
• April 4: Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio announced his candidacy and appeared on The View as part of a campaign launch.
• April 8:
  • Mike Gravel formally announced his candidacy in an online video.
  • Representative Eric Swalwell of California announced his candidacy during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
• April 14: Pete Buttigieg announced his candidacy at a rally in South Bend, Indiana.
• April 22: Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts announced his candidacy in an online video.
• 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.
• April 25: Former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware announced his candidacy in an online video.
• 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.

May 2019

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

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.
• May 31 – June 2: The California State Democratic Convention, a major "cattle call" event attended by most major candidates, took place in San Francisco.
• 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.
• June 13: The Democratic National Committee announced that 20 candidates will participate in the first official debate on June 26–27.
• 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.
• 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.
• June 22:
  • Former Representative Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania announced his candidacy with a midnight campaign website launch.
  • The South Carolina Democratic Party Convention was held at the Columbia Convention Center, Columbia, South Carolina by the South Carolina Democratic Party.
  • 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.
• June 26: The first part of the first official debate was held in Miami, Florida.
• June 27: The second part of the first official debate was held in Miami, Florida.

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.
• July 8: Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race and announced he would run for re-election to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.
• July 9: Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer announced his candidacy in an online video.
• 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.
• July 24: The NAACP 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum was held in Detroit, Michigan.
• July 30: The first part of the second official debate was held in Detroit, Michigan.
• July 31: The second part of the second official debate was held in Detroit, Michigan.

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.
• August 6: Mike Gravel dropped out of the race.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• August 21: Jay Inslee dropped out of the race and announced a campaign for re-election as Governor of Washington in 2020.
• August 23: Seth Moulton dropped out of the race and announced he would run for re-election to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.
• August 28: Kirsten Gillibrand dropped out of the race.

September 2019

• September 4: A Climate Crisis Town Hall was held by CNN at New York City, New York. Global warming was discussed.
• 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.
• September 12: The third official debate took place in Houston, Texas at Texas Southern University, aired on ABC and Univision.
• 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.
• 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.
• September 20:
  • Bill de Blasio dropped out of the race.
  • 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.
• October 15: The fourth official debate took place at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, aired on CNN. The debate featured 12 candidates, setting a record for the highest number of candidates in one presidential debate.
• October 24: Tim Ryan dropped out of the race and announced he would run for re-election to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.
• 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.

November 2019

• November 1:
  • Beto O'Rourke dropped out of the race.
  • 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.
• November 8: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg prepared to enter the race by filing for ballot access in Alabama.
• November 14: Former Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick entered the race by announcing his candidacy.
• 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.
• 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.
• November 19: Wayne Messam dropped out of the race.
• November 20: The fifth Democratic debate took place in Atlanta, Georgia at Tyler Perry Studios, co-hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post.
• November 21: Michael Bloomberg formed an exploratory committee.
• November 24: Michael Bloomberg announced his candidacy with a website launch.

December 2019

• December 1: Joe Sestak dropped out of the race.
• December 2: Steve Bullock dropped out of the race.
• December 3: Kamala Harris dropped out of the race.
• 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.
• 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.
• December 19: The sixth Democratic debate took place in Los Angeles, California, at Loyola Marymount University.

2020

January 2020

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

February 2020

• February 3: The Iowa caucuses took place, but inconsistencies reported in the caucus results delay reporting of the outcome.
• 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, Sanders won a plurality of first-instance and final votes, while the lead in state delegate equivalents was disputed between Sanders and Buttigieg. Warren came in third, and Biden fourth.
• February 7: The eighth Democratic debate took place in Goffstown, New Hampshire at St. Anselm College.
• February 11: New Hampshire primary
  • Bernie Sanders was announced as the winner of the New Hampshire primary, with 26% of the vote. 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.
  • Michael Bennet and Andrew Yang dropped out of the race.
• February 12: Deval Patrick dropped out of the race.
• 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.
• February 19: The ninth Democratic debate took place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• February 21: Voting in the Washington primary began.
• February 22: Nevada caucuses
  • With almost 47% of the county convention delegates, Bernie Sanders was announced as the winner of the Nevada caucuses. Joe Biden finished second (20%), Pete Buttigieg finished third (14%), Elizabeth Warren finished fourth (10%), and Tom Steyer finished fifth (5%).
• February 24: Voting in the Colorado primary began.
  • Marianne Williamson endorsed Bernie Sanders.
• February 25: The tenth Democratic debate took place in Charleston, South Carolina at the Gaillard Center.
• February 29: South Carolina primary
  • With 48% of the popular vote, Joe Biden was announced as the winner of the South Carolina primary. 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.
  • Tom Steyer dropped out of the race.

March 2020

• March 1: Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race.
• March 2:
  • Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race.
  • That evening, Biden received the endorsements of Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Beto O'Rourke during a rally in Texas.
• 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, Virginia
  • Bloomberg won: American Samoa
  • Sanders won: California, Colorado, Utah, Vermont
  • Voting in the Democrats Abroad primary began.
• March 4: Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the race, endorsing Biden.
• March 5: Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the race.
• March 6: John Delaney endorsed Joe Biden.
• March 8: Kamala Harris endorsed Joe Biden.
• March 9: Cory Booker endorsed Joe Biden.
• March 10: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington primaries; North Dakota caucus.
  • Biden won: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri
  • Sanders won: North Dakota
  • Andrew Yang endorsed Joe Biden.
• March 14: Northern Mariana Islands caucuses
• March 15: The eleventh Democratic debate will take place in Phoenix, Arizona.
• March 17: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio primaries
• March 24: Georgia primary
• March 29: Puerto Rico primary

April 2020

• April 4: Alaska and Hawaii party-run primaries; Louisiana primary; Wyoming caucus
• April 7: Wisconsin primary
• April 28: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island primaries
• April 29: Voting in the Oregon primary begins.

May 2020

• May 2: Guam caucus; Kansas party-run primary
• May 5: Indiana primary
• May 12: Nebraska and West Virginia primaries
• May 19: Kentucky and Oregon primaries

June 2020

• June 2: District of Columbia, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota primaries
• June 6: Virgin Islands caucuses

July 2020

• July 13–16: 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

Ballot access

Filing for the primaries began in October 2019. 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 ballot 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	Gabbard	Sanders	Warren	Bloomberg	Klobuchar	Buttigieg	Steyer	Patrick	Bennet	Yang	Other	Ref
IA	Feb 3	Ballot access not required
NH	Feb 11
NV	Feb 22
SC	Feb 29
AL	Mar 3
AR	Mar 3
AS	Mar 3
CA	Mar 3
CO	Mar 3
ME	Mar 3
MA	Mar 3
MN	Mar 3
NC	Mar 3
OK	Mar 3
TN	Mar 3
TX	Mar 3
UT	Mar 3
VT	Mar 3
VA	Mar 3
DA	Mar 10
ID	Mar 10
MI	Mar 10
MS	Mar 10
MO	Mar 10
ND	Mar 10
WA	Mar 10
MP	Mar 14
AZ	Mar 17
FL	Mar 17
IL	Mar 17
OH	Mar 17
GA	Mar 24
PR	Mar 29
AK	Apr 4
HI	Apr 4
LA	Apr 4
WY	Apr 4
WI	Apr 7
CT	Apr 28
DE	Apr 28
MD	Apr 28
NY	Apr 28
PA	Apr 28
RI	Apr 28
GU	May 2	Ballot access not required
KS	May 2
IN	May 5
WV	May 12
KY	May 19
OR	May 19
DC	Jun 2
MT	Jun 2
NM	Jun 2
SD	Jun 2
VI	Jun 6	Ballot access not required

Candidates listed in italics have suspended their campaigns.

National convention

Main article: 2020 Democratic National Convention

The 2020 Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 13–16, 2020.

In addition to Milwaukee, the DNC also considered bids from three other cities: Houston, Texas; Miami Beach, Florida; and Denver, Colorado. Denver, though, was immediately withdrawn from consideration by representatives for the city, who cited scheduling conflicts.

Endorsements

Main article: Endorsements in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Campaign finance

This is an overview of the money being raised and spent by each campaign for the entire period running from January 1, 2017, to January 31, 2020, as it was reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Total raised is the sum of all individual contributions (large and small), loans from the candidate, and transfers from other campaign committees. The last column, Cash On Hand (COH), has been calculated by subtracting the "spent" amount from the "raised" amount, thereby showing the remaining cash each campaign had available for its future spending as of January 31, 2020. As of January 31, 2020, the major candidates have raised $989,234,992.08.

  Candidate who has withdrawn

Campaign finances by candidate

Candidate	Total raised	Individual contributions			Debt	Spent	COH
		Total	Unitemized	Pct
Joe Biden	$69,947,289	$69,717,230	$25,279,259	36.26%	$0	$62,840,790	$7,106,499
Tulsi Gabbard	$13,705,808	$11,105,804	$6,557,690	59.05%	$604,695	$11,695,759	$2,010,048
Bernie Sanders	$134,108,148	$120,953,025	$73,944,100	61.13%	$0	$117,272,653	$16,835,495
Michael Bennet	$7,314,141	$6,597,792	$2,243,458	34.00%	$0	$6,901,994	$412,147
Michael Bloomberg	$464,145,124	$0	$0	N/A	$47,933,276	$409,006,814	$55,138,310
Cory Booker	$25,773,192	$22,775,586	$7,705,102	33.83%	$999,464	$23,408,711	$2,364,481
Steve Bullock	$5,507,473	$5,489,527	$1,754,316	31.96%	$0	$5,384,711	$122,762
Pete Buttigieg	$82,998,033	$82,387,908	$35,791,546	43.44%	$0	$76,366,742	$6,631,290
Julian Castro	$10,302,020	$10,264,194	$6,620,621	64.50%	$0	$9,740,367	$561,654
Bill de Blasio	$1,423,262	$1,423,223	$141,984	9.98%	$30,351	$1,415,240	$8,022
John Delaney	$29,096,044	$2,582,552	$346,526	13.42%	$11,408,250	$29,005,275	$112,812
Kirsten Gillibrand	$15,951,180	$6,278,790	$1,979,345	31.52%	$0	$14,489,189	$1,461,991
Mike Gravel	$330,059	$330,059	$322,076	97.58%	$0	$239,833	$6,290
Kamala Harris	$40,844,081	$39,239,581	$15,734,549	40.10%	$1,073,365	$39,464,670	$1,419,411
John Hickenlooper	$3,509,464	$3,352,659	$562,301	16.77%	$75,000	$3,504,779	$4,686
Amy Klobuchar	$34,478,549	$30,843,861	$13,127,196	42.56%	$0	$31,615,426	$2,863,124
Jay Inslee	$6,936,980	$6,911,292	$3,455,790	50.00%	$0	$6,886,750	$50,231
Wayne Messam	$126,918	$124,318	$38,835	31.24%	$81,876	$126,918	$0
Seth Moulton	$2,288,715	$1,497,825	$342,499	22.87%	$182,328	$2,187,344	$59,433
Richard Ojeda	$119,478	$77,476	$48,742	62.91%	$44,373	$117,507	$1,971
Beto O'Rourke	$18,469,516	$18,447,981	$9,436,271	51.15%	$10,825	$18,108,263	$361,253
Deval Patrick	$2,277,907	$1,877,907	$202,953	10.81%	$400,000	$871,301	$1,406,606
Tim Ryan	$1,341,246	$1,285,074	$435,024	33.85%	$0	$1,340,948	$304
Joe Sestak	$449,345	$440,127	$107,002	24.31%	$0	$445,768	$3,577
Tom Steyer	$271,575,679	$3,555,597	$2,434,938	68.48%	$24,000	$253,718,074	$17,857,605
Eric Swalwell	$2,604,856	$892,373	$340,385	38.14%	$0	$2,604,856	$0
Elizabeth Warren	$93,028,095	$81,494,833	$48,480,591	59.49%	$400,000	$90,728,115	$2,299,980
Marianne Williamson	$7,982,761	$7,976,999	$4,593,985	57.59%	$249,741	$7,656,371	$326,390
Andrew Yang	$31,734,224	$31,644,175	$16,635,560	52.57%	$2,010	$28,013,997	$3,720,227

Maps

Democratic primary and caucus calendar by currently scheduled date
  February
  March 3 (Super Tuesday)
  March 10
  March 14–17
  March 24–29
  April 4–7
  April 28
  May
  June

Map legend

Joe Biden

Michael Bloomberg

Pete Buttigieg

Amy Klobuchar

Bernie Sanders

Tom Steyer

Elizabeth Warren

Tie

Other

Winner not yet declared

• 
  Results by county according to first determining step relevant for delegate allocation. In Iowa, this is State Delegate Equivalents (SDEs) elected at precinct caucuses; in Nevada, this is County Convention Delegates (CCDs). In other states, this is the popular vote for each candidate.
• 
  Results by delegate district (usually congressional district) by first preference vote. Darker colors denote greater support for the leading candidate.

See also

• 2020 Democratic National Convention
• 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries
• 2020 Libertarian Party presidential primaries
• 2020 Green Party presidential primaries
• 2020 Constitution Party presidential primaries
• 2020 United States presidential election