2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

← 2016 February 3 to August 11, 2020 2024 →
3,979 delegates to the Democratic National Convention[a] 1,991 delegates needed to win[1][b]
Candidate Joe Biden Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren Home state Delaware Vermont Massachusetts Delegate count 2,687[2] 1,073[2] 63[2] Contests won 46 9 0 Popular vote 19,076,052[3] 9,679,213[3] 2,831,472[3] Percentage 51.8% 26.3% 7.7%   Candidate Michael Bloomberg Pete Buttigieg Amy Klobuchar Home state New York Indiana Minnesota Delegate count 59[2] 21[2] 7[2] Contests won 1 1 0 Popular vote 2,493,409[3] 924,237[3] 529,713[3] Percentage 6.8% 2.5% 1.4%   Candidate Tulsi Gabbard Home state Hawaii Delegate count 2[2] Contests won 0 Popular vote 273,940[3] Percentage 0.7%
First place by initial pledged delegate allocation First place by popular vote First place by convention roll call   Joe Biden   Bernie Sanders   Pete Buttigieg   Michael Bloomberg
Previous Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Democratic nominee Joe Biden v t e

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v t e

The 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and caucuses were a series of electoral contests organized by the Democratic Party to select the 3,979^[a] pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nominee for president of the United States in the 59th U.S. presidential election. The elections took place in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad, and occurred between February 3 and August 11.

A total of 29 major candidates declared their candidacies for the primaries,^[4] the largest field of presidential candidates for any American political party since 1972, exceeding the field of 17 major candidates in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries.^[5] Former Vice President Joe Biden led polls throughout 2019, with the exception of a brief period in October when Senator Elizabeth Warren experienced a surge in support.^[6] The formal beginning of the primary season was marred by controversy, as technical issues with vote reporting resulted in a three-day delay in vote counting in the Iowa caucus, as well as subsequent recounts. The certified results of the caucus eventually showed Mayor Pete Buttigieg winning the most delegates, while Senator Bernie Sanders won the popular vote in the state. Sanders then went on to win the New Hampshire primary in a narrow victory over Buttigieg before handily winning the Nevada caucus, cementing his status as the front-runner for the nomination.^[7][8]

Biden, whose campaign fortunes had suffered as a result of poor performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, made a comeback by overwhelmingly winning the South Carolina primary, motivated by strong support from African-American voters, an endorsement from South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, and Democratic establishment concerns about nominating Sanders.^[9] Following Biden's victory in South Carolina, several candidates dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden in what was viewed as a consolidation of the party's moderate wing.^[10] Biden then went on to win 10 out of 15 contests on Super Tuesday, beating back challenges from Sanders, Warren, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, solidifying his lead.^[10]

On April 8, Biden became the presumptive nominee after Sanders, the only other candidate remaining, withdrew from the race.^[11] In early June, Biden passed the threshold of 1,991 delegates to win the nomination.^[12][13] In total, seven candidates received pledged delegates: Biden, Sanders, Warren, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Senator Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard.^[14] On August 11, Biden announced that former presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris would be his running mate.^[15] Biden and Harris were officially nominated for president and vice president by delegates at the Democratic National Convention on August 18 and 19.^[16][17] Biden and Harris went on to win the presidency and vice presidency in the general election on November 3, defeating the incumbents President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

Background

After Hillary Clinton's loss in the previous election, many felt the Democratic Party lacked a clear leading figure.^[18] Divisions remained in the party following the 2016 primaries, which pitted Clinton against Bernie Sanders.^[19][20] 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.^[21][22] 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.^[23][24]

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^[25] and ensure transparency.^[26] 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.^[25]

Independent of the results of the primaries and caucuses, the Democratic Party, from its group of party leaders and elected officials, also appointed 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 on 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.^[27][28] In that case, the number of votes required shall increase to a majority of pledged and superdelegates combined. Superdelegates are not precluded from publicly endorsing a candidate 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.^[29] 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.^[30]

Several states which did not use paper ballots widely in 2016 and 2018, adopted them for the 2020 primary and general elections,^[31] to minimize potential interference in vote tallies, a concern raised by intelligence officials,^[32] election officials^[33] and the public.^[34] 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.^[35] 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.^[36][37][38]

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.^[39][40] 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.^[39]

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.^[41][39] Districts which have voted Democratic in the past get more delegates, and fewer delegates are allocated for swing districts and Republican districts.^[39] 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.^[42][43][44]

Candidate threshold

Candidates who received under 15% of the votes in a state or district got no delegates from that area. Candidates who got 15% or more of the votes divided delegates in proportion to their votes.^[42][45] These rules apply at the state level to state delegates and within each district for those delegates. The 15% threshold was established in 1992^[46] to limit "fringe" candidates.^[47] 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.^[47][48][46]

Schedule and results

Date (daily totals)	Total pledged delegates	Contest and total popular vote	Delegates won and popular vote
			Joe Biden	Bernie Sanders	Elizabeth Warren	Michael Bloomberg	Pete Buttigieg	Amy Klobuchar	Tulsi Gabbard	Other
February 3	41	Iowa 172,300[c]	14[d] 23,605 (13.7%)	9 45,652 (26.5%)	5 34,909 (20.3%)	16 (0.0%)	12 43,209 (25.1%)	1 21,100 (12.2%)	16 (0.0%)	3,793 (2.2%)
February 11	24	New Hampshire 298,377	24,944 (8.4%)	9 76,384 (25.6%)	27,429 (9.2%)	4,675 (1.6%)	9 72,454 (24.3%)	6 58,714 (19.7%)	9,755 (3.3%)	24,022 (8.1%)
February 22	36	Nevada 101,543[e]	9 19,179 (18.9%)	24 41,075 (40.5%)	11,703 (11.5%)		3 17,598 (17.3%)	7,376 (7.3%)	32 (0.0%)	4,580 (4.5%)
February 29	54	South Carolina 539,263	39 262,336 (48.7%)	15 106,605 (19.8%)	38,120 (7.1%)		44,217 (8.2%)	16,900 (3.1%)	6,813 (1.3%)	64,272 (11.9%)
March 3 (Super Tuesday) (1,344)	52	Alabama 452,093	44 286,065 (63.3%)	8 74,755 (16.5%)	25,847 (5.7%)	52,750 (11.7%)	1,416 (0.3%)	907 (0.2%)	1,038 (0.2%)	9,315 (2.1%)
	6	American Samoa 351	31 (8.8%)	37 (10.5%)	5 (1.4%)	4 175 (49.9%)			2 103 (29.3%)
	31	Arkansas 229,122	19[f] 93,012 (40.6%)	9 51,413 (22.4%)	22,971 (10.0%)	3 38,312 (16.7%)	7,649 (3.3%)	7,009 (3.1%)	1,593 (0.7%)	7,163 (3.1%)
	415	California 5,784,364	172 1,613,854 (27.9%)	225 2,080,846 (36.0%)	11 762,555 (13.2%)	7 701,803 (12.1%)	249,256 (4.3%)	126,961 (2.2%)	33,769 (0.6%)	215,320 (3.7%)
	67	Colorado 960,128	21 236,565 (24.6%)	29 355,293 (37.0%)	8 168,695 (17.6%)	9 177,727 (18.5%)			10,037 (1.1%)	11,811 (1.2%)
	24	Maine 205,937	11 68,729 (33.4%)	9 66,826 (32.5%)	4 32,055 (15.6%)	24,294 (11.8%)	4,364 (2.1%)	2,826 (1.4%)	1,815 (0.9%)	5,028 (2.4%)
	91	Massachusetts 1,418,180	45[g] 473,861 (33.4%)	30 376,990 (26.6%)	16 303,864 (21.4%)	166,200 (11.7%)	38,400 (2.7%)	17,297 (1.2%)	10,548 (0.7%)	31,020 (2.2%)
	75	Minnesota 744,198	38 287,553 (38.6%)	27 222,431 (29.9%)	10 114,674 (15.4%)	61,882 (8.3%)	7,616 (1.0%)	41,530 (5.6%)	2,504 (0.3%)	6,008 (0.8%)
	110	North Carolina 1,332,382	68 572,271 (43.0%)	37 322,645 (24.2%)	2 139,912 (10.5%)	3 172,558 (13.0%)	43,632 (3.3%)	30,742 (2.3%)	6,622 (0.5%)	44,000 (3.3%)
	37	Oklahoma 304,281	21 117,633 (38.7%)	13 77,425 (25.5%)	1 40,732 (13.4%)	2 42,270 (13.9%)	5,115 (1.7%)	6,733 (2.2%)	5,109 (1.7%)	9,264 (3.0%)
	64	Tennessee 516,250	36 215,390 (41.7%)	22 129,168 (25.0%)	1 53,732 (10.4%)	5 79,789 (15.5%)	17,102 (3.3%)	10,671 (2.1%)	2,278 (0.4%)	8,120 (1.6%)
	228	Texas 2,094,428	113 725,562 (34.6%)	99 626,339 (29.9%)	5 239,237 (11.4%)	11 300,608 (14.4%)	82,671 (4.0%)	43,291 (2.1%)	8,688 (0.4%)	68,032 (3.2%)
	29	Utah 220,582	7 40,674 (18.4%)	16 79,728 (36.1%)	3 35,727 (16.2%)	3 33,991 (15.4%)	18,734 (8.5%)	7,603 (3.5%)	1,704 (0.8%)	2,421 (1.1%)
	16	Vermont 158,032	5 34,669 (21.9%)	11 79,921 (50.6%)	19,785 (12.5%)	14,828 (9.4%)	3,709 (2.4%)	1,991 (1.3%)	1,303 (0.8%)	1,826 (1.2%)
	99	Virginia 1,323,693	67 705,501 (53.3%)	31 306,388 (23.2%)	1 142,546 (10.8%)	128,030 (9.7%)	11,199 (0.9%)	8,414 (0.6%)	11,288 (0.9%)	10,327 (0.8%)
March 3–10	13	Democrats Abroad 39,984	4 9,059 (22.7%)	9 23,139 (57.9%)	5,730 (14.3%)[h]	892 (2.2%)[i]	616 (1.5%)	224 (0.6%)	146 (0.4%)	178 (0.4%)
March 10 (352)	20	Idaho 108,649	12 53,151 (48.9%)	8 46,114 (42.4%)	2,878 (2.7%)	2,612 (2.4%)	1,426 (1.3%)	774 (0.7%)	876 (0.8%)	818 (0.8%)
	125	Michigan 1,587,679	73 840,360 (52.9%)	52 576,926 (36.3%)	26,148 (1.7%)	73,464 (4.6%)	22,462 (1.4%)	11,018 (0.7%)	9,461 (0.6%)	27,840 (1.8%)
	36	Mississippi 274,391	34 222,160 (81.0%)	2 40,657 (14.8%)	1,550 (0.6%)	6,933 (2.5%)	562 (0.2%)	440 (0.2%)	1,003 (0.4%)	1,086 (0.4%)
	68	Missouri 666,112	44 400,347 (60.1%)	24 230,374 (34.6%)	8,156 (1.2%)	9,866 (1.5%)	3,309 (0.5%)	2,682 (0.4%)	4,887 (0.7%)	6,491 (1.0%)
	14	North Dakota 14,413	6 5,742 (39.8%)	8 7,682 (53.3%)	366 (2.5%)	113 (0.8%)	164 (1.1%)	223 (1.5%)	89 (0.6%)	34 (0.2%)
	89	Washington 1,558,776	46 591,403 (37.9%)	43 570,039 (36.6%)	142,652 (9.2%)	122,530 (7.9%)	63,344 (4.1%)	33,383 (2.1%)	13,199 (0.9%)	22,226 (1.4%)
March 14	6	Northern Mariana Islands 134	2 48 (36.4%)	4 84 (63.6%)						2 (1.5%)
March 17 (441)	67	Arizona 613,355	38 268,029 (43.7%)	29 200,456 (32.7%)	35,537 (5.8%)	[j]	24,868 (4.1%)	[j]	3,014 (0.5%)	81,451 (13.3%)[j]
	219	Florida 1,739,214	162 1,077,375 (62.0%)	57 397,311 (22.8%)	32,875 (1.9%)	146,544 (8.4%)	39,886 (2.3%)	17,276 (1.0%)	8,712 (0.5%)	19,235 (1.1%)
	155	Illinois 1,674,133	95 986,661 (59.0%)	60 605,701 (36.2%)	24,413 (1.5%)	25,500 (1.5%)	9,729 (0.6%)		9,642 (0.6%)	12,487 (0.7%)
April 7	84	Wisconsin 925,065	56 581,463 (62.9%)	28 293,441 (31.7%)	14,060 (1.5%)	8,846 (1.0%)	4,946 (0.5%)	6,079 (0.7%)	5,565 (0.6%)	10,665 (1.2%)
April 10	15	Alaska 19,589[k]	8 10,834 (55.3%)	7 8,755 (44.7%)
April 17	14	Wyoming 15,118[k]	10 10,912 (72.2%)	4 4,206 (27.8%)
April 28	136	Ohio 894,383	115 647,284 (72.4%)	21 149,683 (16.7%)	30,985 (3.5%)	28,704 (3.2%)	15,113 (1.7%)	11,899 (1.3%)	4,560 (0.5%)	6,155 (0.7%)
May 2	39	Kansas 143,183[k]	29 110,041 (76.9%)	10 33,142 (23.1%)
May 12	29	Nebraska 164,582	29 126,444 (76.8%)	23,214 (14.1%)	10,401 (6.3%)				4,523 (2.8%)
May 19	61	Oregon 618,711	46 408,315 (66.0%)	15 127,345 (20.6%)	59,355 (9.6%)				10,717 (1.7%)	12,979 (2.1%)
May 22	24	Hawaii 33,552[l]	16 21,215 (63.2%)	8 12,337 (36.8%)
June 2 (479)	20	District of Columbia 110,688	20 84,093 (76.0%)	11,116 (10.0%)	14,228 (12.9%)				442 (0.4%)	809 (0.7%)
	82	Indiana 497,927	81 380,836 (76.5%)	1 67,688 (13.6%)	14,344 (2.9%)	4,783 (1.0%)	17,957 (3.6%)	3,860 (0.8%)	2,657 (0.5%)	5,802 (1.2%)
	96	Maryland 1,050,773	96 879,753 (83.7%)	81,939 (7.8%)	27,134 (2.6%)	6,773 (0.6%)	7,180 (0.7%)	5,685 (0.5%)	4,226 (0.4%)	38,083 (3.6%)
	19	Montana 149,973	18 111,706 (74.5%)	1 22,033 (14.7%)	11,984 (8.0%)					4,250 (2.8%)
	34	New Mexico 247,880	30 181,700 (73.3%)	4 37,435 (15.1%)	14,552 (5.9%)				2,735 (1.1%)	11,458 (4.6%)
	186	Pennsylvania 1,595,508	151 1,264,624 (79.3%)	35 287,834 (18.0%)					43,050 (2.7%)
	26	Rhode Island 103,982	25 79,728 (76.7%)	1 15,525 (14.9%)	4,479 (4.3%)				651 (0.6%)	3,599 (3.5%)
	16	South Dakota 52,661	13 40,800 (77.5%)	3 11,861 (22.5%)
June 6 (14)	7	Guam 388	5 270 (69.6%)	2 118 (30.4%)
	7	U.S. Virgin Islands 550	7 502 (91.3%)	28 (5.1%)						20 (3.6%)
June 9 (133)	105	Georgia 1,086,729[m]	105 922,177 (84.9%)	101,668 (9.4%)	21,906 (2.0%)	7,657 (0.7%)	6,346 (0.6%)	4,317 (0.4%)	4,117 (0.4%)	18,541 (1.7%)
	28	West Virginia 187,482	28 122,518 (65.3%)	22,793 (12.2%)	5,741 (3.1%)	3,759 (2.0%)	3,455 (1.8%)	3,011 (1.6%)	4,163 (2.2%)	22,042 (11.8%)
June 23 (328)	54	Kentucky 537,905	52 365,284 (67.9%)	65,055 (12.1%)	15,300 (2.8%)		9,127 (1.7%)	5,296 (1.0%)	5,859 (1.1%)	2[n] 71,984 (13.4%)
	274	New York 1,759,039	231 1,136,679 (64.6%)	43 285,908 (16.3%)	82,917 (4.7%)	39,433 (2.2%)	22,927 (1.3%)	11,028 (0.6%)	9,083 (0.5%)	171,064 (9.7%)
July 7 (147)	21	Delaware 91,682	21 81,954 (89.4%)	6,878 (7.5%)	2,850 (3.1%)
	126	New Jersey 958,762	121 814,188 (84.9%)	5 140,412 (14.7%)						4,162 (0.4%)
July 11	54	Louisiana 267,286	54 212,555 (79.5%)	19,859 (7.4%)	6,426 (2.4%)	4,312 (1.6%)	2,363 (0.9%)	2,431 (0.9%)	1,962 (0.7%)	17,378 (6.5%)
July 12	51	Puerto Rico 7,022	44 3,930 (56.0%)	5 932 (13.3%)	101 (1.4%)	2 894 (12.7%)	158 (2.3%)	31 (0.4%)	194 (2.8%)	782 (11.1%)
August 11	60	Connecticut 264,416	60 224,500 (84.9%)	30,512 (11.5%)					3,429 (1.3%)	5,975 (2.3%)
Total 3,979 pledged delegates 36,917,180 votes			2,716 19,080,153 (51.68%)	1,112 9,680,042 (26.22%)	67 2,831,566 (7.67%)	49 2,493,523 (6.75%)[j]	24 924,279 (2.50%)	7 529,722 (1.43%)[j]	2 273,977 (0.74%)	2 1,103,918 (2.99%)[j]

Election day postponements and cancellations

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 28   May   June   July–August Final calendar

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, a number of presidential primaries were rescheduled. On April 27, New York cancelled its primary altogether on the grounds that there was only one candidate left with an active campaign. Andrew Yang responded with a lawsuit, arguing that the decision infringes on voting rights,^[54] and in early May, the judge ruled in favor of Yang.^[55]

2020 Democratic primaries altered due to COVID-19.

Primary	Original schedule	Altered schedule	Vote in person?	Last changed	Ref.
Ohio	March 17	April 28[o]	Cancelled	March 25	[56][57]
Georgia	March 24	June 9	Held	April 9	[58][59]
Puerto Rico	March 29	July 12	Held	May 21	[60][61][62]
Alaska	April 4	April 10[p]	Cancelled	March 23	[63]
Wyoming	April 4	April 17[q]	Cancelled	March 22	[64]
Hawaii	April 4	May 22[r]	Cancelled	March 27	[65][66][67]
Louisiana	April 4	July 11[s]	Held	April 14	[68][69]
Maryland	April 28	June 2	Held	March 17	[70]
Pennsylvania	April 28	June 2	Held	March 27	[71]
Rhode Island	April 28	June 2	Held	March 23	[72]
New York	April 28	June 23	Held	April 27	[73][74][75]
Delaware	April 28	July 7	Held	May 7	[76][77]
Connecticut	April 28	August 11	Held	April 17	[78]
Kansas	May 2	May 2[t]	Cancelled	March 30	[79]
Guam	May 2	June 6	Held	June 4	[80]
Indiana	May 5	June 2	Held	March 20	[81]
West Virginia	May 12	June 9	Held	April 1	[82]
Kentucky	May 19	June 23	Held	March 16	[83]
New Jersey	June 2	July 7[u]	Held	April 8	[84]

In addition, the DNC elected to delay the 2020 Democratic National Convention from July 13–16 to August 17–20.^[85]

Candidates

Major candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries had held significant elective office or received substantial media coverage.

Nearly 300 candidates who did not receive significant media coverage also filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president in the primary.^[86]

Nominee

Candidate		Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Pledged delegates[87]	Popular vote[88]	Contests won	Article	Ref.
Joe Biden		November 20, 1942 (age 78) 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	2,687	18,431,136 (51.48%)	46 (AL, AK, AZ, AR, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, GU, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VI, WA, WV, WI, WY)	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[89]

Withdrew during the primaries

Candidate		Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Campaign suspended	Delegates won[87]	Popular vote[88]	Contests won	Article	Ref.
Bernie Sanders		September 8, 1941 (age 79) 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 (endorsed Biden as presumptive nominee)[90]	1,073	9,531,092 (26.63%)	9 (CA, CO, DA, NV, NH, ND, MP, UT, VT)	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[91][92]
Tulsi Gabbard		April 12, 1981 (age 40) Leloaloa, American Samoa	U.S. representative from HI-02 (2013–2021)	Hawaii	January 11, 2019	March 19, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[93]	2	270,620 (0.76%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[94][95]
Elizabeth Warren		June 22, 1949 (age 71) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	U.S. senator from Massachusetts (2013–present)	Massachusetts	February 9, 2019 Exploratory committee: December 31, 2018	March 5, 2020 (endorsed Biden as presumptive nominee)[96]	63	2,780,873 (7.77%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[97][98]
Michael Bloomberg		February 14, 1942 (age 79) 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)[99]	59	2,475,130 (6.92%)	1 (AS)	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[100][101]
Amy Klobuchar		May 25, 1960 (age 61) Plymouth, Minnesota	U.S. senator from Minnesota (2007–present)	Minnesota	February 10, 2019	March 2, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[102]	7	524,400 (1.47%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[103][102]
Pete Buttigieg		January 19, 1982 (age 39) South Bend, Indiana	Mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012–2020)	Indiana	April 14, 2019 Exploratory committee: January 23, 2019	March 1, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[104]	21	912,214 (2.55%)	1 (IA; lost popular vote)	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[105][106]
Tom Steyer		June 27, 1957 (age 63) Manhattan, New York	Hedge fund manager Founder of Farallon Capital and Beneficial State Bank	California	July 9, 2019	February 29, 2020 (endorsed Biden as presumptive nominee)[107]	0	258,848 (0.72%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[108][109]
Deval Patrick		July 31, 1956 (age 64) Chicago, Illinois	Governor of Massachusetts (2007–2015)	Massachusetts	November 14, 2019	February 12, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[110]	0	27,116 (0.08%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[111][112]
Michael Bennet		November 28, 1964 (age 56) New Delhi, India	U.S. senator from Colorado (2009–present)	Colorado	May 2, 2019	February 11, 2020 (endorsed Biden as presumptive nominee)[113]	0	62,260 (0.17%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[114][115]
Andrew Yang		January 13, 1975 (age 46) Schenectady, New York	Entrepreneur Founder of Venture for America	New York	November 6, 2017	February 11, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[116]	0	160,231 (0.45%)	0	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[117][118]

Other notable individuals who were not major candidates terminated their campaigns during the primaries:

• 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^[119][120]
• Sam Sloan, chess player and publisher^[121] (Ran for Congress in NY-14)^[122]
• Robby Wells, former college football coach; Independent candidate for president in 2016^[123][124]

Withdrew before the primaries

Candidate	Born	Experience	State	Campaign announced	Campaign suspended	Popular vote	Article	Ref.
John Delaney	April 16, 1963 (age 58) Wood-Ridge, New Jersey	U.S. representative from MD-06 (2013–2019)	Maryland	July 28, 2017	January 31, 2020 (endorsed Biden)[125]	19,342	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[126][127]
Cory Booker	April 27, 1969 (age 52) 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 (ran successfully for reelection)[128] (endorsed Biden)[129]	31,575	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[130][131]
Marianne Williamson	July 8, 1952 (age 68) 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, then Biden as nominee)[132][133]	22,334	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[134][135]
Julián Castro	September 16, 1974 (age 46) 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 as presumptive nominee)[136][137]	37,037	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[138][139]
Kamala Harris	October 20, 1964 (age 56) Oakland, California	U.S. senator from California (2017–2021) Attorney General of California (2011–2017)	California	January 21, 2019	December 3, 2019 (endorsed Biden[140] who later chose her as vice presidential running-mate)	844	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[141][142]
Steve Bullock	April 11, 1966 (age 55) Missoula, Montana	Governor of Montana (2013–2021) Attorney General of Montana (2009–2013)	Montana	May 14, 2019	December 2, 2019 (ran for U.S. Senate; lost election, endorsed Biden as nominee)[143]	549	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[144][145]
Joe Sestak	December 12, 1951 (age 69) 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, then Biden as nominee)[146][147]	5,251	Campaign FEC filing	[148][149]
Wayne Messam	June 7, 1974 (age 47) South Bay, Florida	Mayor of Miramar, Florida (2015–present)	Florida	March 28, 2019 Exploratory committee: March 13, 2019	November 19, 2019	0[v]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[150][151]
Beto O'Rourke	September 26, 1972 (age 48) El Paso, Texas	U.S. representative from TX-16 (2013–2019)	Texas	March 14, 2019	November 1, 2019 (endorsed Biden)[152]	1[v][153]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[154][155]
Tim Ryan	July 16, 1973 (age 47) 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 (ran successfully for reelection)[156] (endorsed Biden)[157]	0[v]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[158][159]
Bill de Blasio	May 8, 1961 (age 60) Manhattan, New York	Mayor of New York City, New York (2014–present)	New York	May 16, 2019	September 20, 2019 (endorsed Sanders, then Biden as presumptive nominee)[160][161]	0[v]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[162][163]
Kirsten Gillibrand	December 9, 1966 (age 54) 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)[164]	0[v]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[165][166]
Seth Moulton	October 24, 1978 (age 42) Salem, Massachusetts	U.S. representative from MA-06 (2015–present)	Massachusetts	April 22, 2019	August 23, 2019 (ran successfully for reelection)[167] (endorsed Biden)[168]	0[v]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[169][170]
Jay Inslee	February 9, 1951 (age 70) 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 (ran successfully for reelection)[171] (endorsed Biden as presumptive nominee)[172]	1[v][173]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[174][175]
John Hickenlooper	February 7, 1952 (age 69) Narberth, Pennsylvania	Governor of Colorado (2011–2019) Mayor of Denver, Colorado (2003–2011)	Colorado	March 4, 2019	August 15, 2019 (ran successfully for U.S. Senate)[176] (endorsed Bennet, then Biden as presumptive nominee)[177][178]	1[v][173]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[179][180]
Mike Gravel	May 13, 1930 (age 91) 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 (co-endorsed Gabbard and Sanders)[181]	0[v]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[182][181]
Eric Swalwell	November 16, 1980 (age 40) Sac City, Iowa	U.S. representative from CA-15 (2013–present)	California	April 8, 2019	July 8, 2019[183] (ran successfully for reelection) (endorsed Biden)[184][185]	0[v]	__________ Campaign FEC filing	[186][187]
Richard Ojeda	September 25, 1970 (age 50) Rochester, Minnesota	West Virginia state senator from WV-SD07 (2016–2019)	West Virginia	November 11, 2018	January 25, 2019 (ran for U.S. Senate; lost primary)[188] (endorsed Biden)[189]	0[v]	Campaign FEC filing	[190][191]

Other notable individuals who were not major candidates terminated their campaigns before the primaries:

• Ben Gleib, actor, comedian, satirist, and writer^{[192][193][194]}
• Ami Horowitz, conservative activist and documentary filmmaker (endorsed Donald Trump)^{[195][196][197]}
• Brian Moore, activist; Green nominee for U.S. Senate from Florida in 2006; Socialist and Liberty Union nominee for president in 2008^[120]
• Ken Nwadike Jr., documentary filmmaker, motivational speaker, and peace activist^{[198][199][failed verification]}

Political positions

Debates and 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 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.^[200][201]

The DNC also announced that it would not partner with Fox News as a media sponsor for any debates.^[202][203] Fox News had last held a Democratic debate in 2003.^[204] 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.^[205]

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)[206]	Arsht Center, Miami, Florida[207]	NBC News MSNBC Telemundo	José Díaz-Balart Savannah Guthrie Lester Holt Rachel Maddow Chuck Todd[208]
1B	June 27, 2019	9–11 p.m.	~27.1 million (18.1m live TV; 9m streaming)[209]
2A	July 30, 2019	8–10:30 p.m.	~11.5 million (8.7m live TV; 2.8m streaming)	Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan[210]	CNN	Dana Bash Don Lemon Jake Tapper[211]
2B	July 31, 2019[212]	8–10:30 p.m.	~13.8 million (10.7m live TV; 3.1m streaming)[213]
3	September 12, 2019	8–11 p.m.	14.04 million live TV[214]	Health and Physical Education Arena, Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas[215]	ABC News Univision	Linsey Davis David Muir Jorge Ramos George Stephanopoulos[216]
4	October 15, 2019[217]	8–11 p.m.	~8.8 million (8.34m live TV; 0.45m streaming)[218]	Rike Physical Education Center, Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio	CNN The New York Times[219]	Erin Burnett Anderson Cooper Marc Lacey[220]
5	November 20, 2019[221]	9–11 p.m.	~7.9 million (6.6m live TV; 1.3m streaming)[222]	Oprah Winfrey sound stage, Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta, Georgia[223]	MSNBC The Washington Post	Rachel Maddow Andrea Mitchell Ashley Parker Kristen Welker[224]
6	December 19, 2019	8–11 p.m.[225]	~14.6 million (6.17m live TV; 8.4m streaming)[226]	Gersten Pavilion, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California[227]	PBS Politico	Tim Alberta Yamiche Alcindor Amna Nawaz Judy Woodruff[228]
7	January 14, 2020	9–11:15 p.m.[229]	~11.3 million (7.3m live TV; 4.0m streaming)[230]	Sheslow Auditorium, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa[231][232]	CNN The Des Moines Register	Wolf Blitzer Brianne Pfannenstiel Abby Phillip[233]
8	February 7, 2020	8–10:30 p.m.[234]	~11.0 million (7.8m live TV; 3.2m streaming)[235]	Thomas F. Sullivan Arena, Saint Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire[231][236]	ABC News WMUR-TV Apple News	Linsey Davis Monica Hernandez David Muir Adam Sexton George Stephanopoulos[234]
9	February 19, 2020	9–11 p.m.[237]	~33.16 million (19.66m live TV; 13.5m streaming)[238][239][240]	Le Théâtre des Arts, Paris Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada[237]	NBC News MSNBC Telemundo The Nevada Independent	Vanessa Hauc Lester Holt Hallie Jackson Jon Ralston Chuck Todd[237]
10	February 25, 2020	8–10 p.m.[241]	~30.4 million (15.3m live TV; 15.1m streaming)[242]	Gaillard Center, Charleston, South Carolina[231]	CBS News BET Twitter Congressional Black Caucus Institute[243]	Margaret Brennan Major Garrett Gayle King Norah O'Donnell Bill Whitaker[243]
11	March 15, 2020	8–10 p.m.[244]	~11.4 million (10.8m live TV; 0.6m streaming)[245]	CNN studio Washington, D.C.[246]	CNN Univision Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD	Dana Bash Ilia Calderón Jake Tapper[246]

Primary election polling

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

Polling aggregates

Active candidates

Joe Biden

Others/Undecided

Withdrawn candidates

Bernie Sanders

Tulsi Gabbard

Elizabeth Warren

Michael Bloomberg

Amy Klobuchar

Pete Buttigieg

Andrew Yang

Cory Booker

Kamala Harris

Beto O'Rourke

Events

Debates

Caucuses and primaries

COVID-19 pandemic national emergency declaration

Timeline

Nominee Exploratory committee Suspended campaign Midterm elections Iowa caucuses New Hampshire primary South Carolina primary Super Tuesday National emergency declared due to coronavirus Wisconsin primary Democratic convention General election

2017

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.^[247][248] Other speculation centered on then-Vice-President Joe Biden making a third presidential bid following failed attempts in 1988 and 2008.^[249]

July 2017

• July 28: Representative John Delaney of Maryland announced his candidacy in an op-ed in The Washington Post,^[126] which broke the record for earliest major candidacy declaration in history.^[250]

November 2017

• November 6: Entrepreneur Andrew Yang of New York announced his candidacy.^[251]

2018

March 2018

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) made changes to the role of superdelegates, deciding to allow them to vote on the first ballot only if the nomination is uncontested.^[252]

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.^[253]

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.^[254]
• November 11: Former state senator Richard Ojeda of West Virginia announced his candidacy.^[255]

December 2018

• December 20: The 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.^[256]
• December 31: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announced the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president.^[257]

2019

January 2019

• January 11: U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii announced her candidacy during an interview on The Van Jones Show.^[258]
• January 12: Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro officially announced his candidacy at a rally in San Antonio, Texas.^[259]
• 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.^[260]
• January 21: Senator Kamala Harris of California announced her candidacy during an interview on Good Morning America.^[261]
• January 23: Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, formed an exploratory committee.^[262]
• January 25: Ojeda dropped out of the race.^[263]
• January 28: Author, activist, and spiritual leader Marianne Williamson announced her candidacy at a rally in Los Angeles, California.^[134]

February 2019

• February 1: Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey announced his candidacy.^[130]
• February 9: Warren formally announced her candidacy at a rally in Lawrence, Massachusetts.^[264]
• February 10: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota announced her candidacy at a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota.^[103]
• 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.^[265]

March 2019

• March 1: Governor Jay Inslee of Washington announced his candidacy.^[266]
• March 4: Former governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado announced his candidacy.^[267]
• March 11: The DNC announced Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the site of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.^[268]
• March 13: Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, Florida, formed an exploratory committee.^[150]
• March 14: Former Representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas announced his candidacy.^[154]
• March 17: Gillibrand formally announced her candidacy via an online video.^[269]
• March 19: An exploratory committee was formed on behalf of former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska.^[270]
• March 28: Messam formally announced his candidacy in an online video.^[150]

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.^[271][272]
• April 4: Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio announced his candidacy and appeared on The View as part of a campaign launch.^[273]
• April 8:
  • Gravel formally announced his candidacy in an online video.^[274]
  • Representative Eric Swalwell of California announced his candidacy during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.^[186]
• April 14: Pete Buttigieg announced his candidacy at a rally in South Bend, Indiana.^[105]
• April 22: Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts announced his candidacy in an online video.^[169]
• 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.^[275][276]
• April 25: Former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware announced his candidacy in an online video^[89][277]
• 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.^[278][279]

May 2019

• May 2: Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado announced his candidacy during an interview on CBS This Morning.^[114]
• May 14: Governor Steve Bullock of Montana announced his candidacy in an online video.^[144][280]
• May 16: Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City announced his candidacy in an online video^[281][282] and appeared on Good Morning America as part of a campaign launch.^[162]

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.^[283][284]
• May 31 – June 2: The California State Democratic Convention, a major "cattle call" event attended by most major candidates, took place in San Francisco.^[285][286]
• 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.^[287]
• June 13: The Democratic National Committee announced that 20 candidates will participate in the first official debate on June 26–27.^[288]
• 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.^[289][290]
• 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.^[291][292]
• June 22:
  • Former Representative Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania announced his candidacy with a midnight campaign website launch.^[293]
  • The South Carolina Democratic Party Convention was held at the Columbia Convention Center, Columbia, South Carolina by the South Carolina Democratic Party.^[294][295]
  • 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.^[296][297]
• June 26: The first part of the first Democratic debate took place in Miami, Florida at the Arsht Center.^[298]
• June 27: The second part of the first Democratic debate took place in Miami, Florida at the Arsht Center.^[298]

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.^[299][300]
• July 8: Swalwell dropped out of the race^[187] and announced he would run for reelection to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.^[301]
• July 9: Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer announced his candidacy in an online video.^[108]
• July 15–17, 19–20: 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.^[302]
• July 24: The NAACP 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum was held in Detroit, Michigan.^[303]
• July 30: The first part of the second Democratic debate took place in Detroit, Michigan at the Fox Theatre.^[304]
• July 31: The second part of the second Democratic debate took place in Detroit, Michigan at the Fox Theatre.^[305]

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.^[306]
• August 6: Gravel dropped out of the race.^[181]
• 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.^[307]
• August 15: Hickenlooper dropped out of the race, later announcing a campaign for Colorado's Class 2 United States Senate seat up for election in 2020.^[308]
• August 8–11, 13, 17: 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.^[309]
• August 19–20: 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.^[310]
• August 21: Inslee dropped out of the race and announced a campaign for reelection as Governor of Washington in 2020.^[175]
• August 23: Moulton dropped out of the race^[170] and announced he would run for reelection to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.^[301]
• August 28: Gillibrand dropped out of the race.^[166]

September 2019

• September 4: A Climate Crisis Town Hall was held by CNN at New York City, New York. Global warming was discussed.^[311]
• September 7: The New Hampshire Democratic Party State Convention was held at Southern New Hampshire University Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. Nineteen candidates were in attendance and addressed the delegates and voters.^[312]
• September 12: The third Democratic debate took place in Houston, Texas at Texas Southern University.^[313][314]
• 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.^[315]
• 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.^[316]
• September 20:
  • De Blasio dropped out of the race.^[163]
  • 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.^[317]
• 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.^[318]
• 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.^[319]

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.^[320]
• 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.^[321][322]
• October 15: The fourth Democratic debate took place in Westerville, Ohio at Otterbein University.^[323][324] The debate featured 12 candidates, setting a record for the highest number of candidates in one presidential debate.^[325][326]
• October 24: Ryan dropped out of the race^[327] and announced he would run for reelection to his seat in the House of Representatives in 2020.^[156]
• 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.^[328]

November 2019

• November 1:
  • O'Rourke dropped out of the race.^[155]
  • 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.^[329][330]
• November 8: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg prepared to enter the race by filing for ballot access in Alabama.^[331]
• November 14: Former Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick announced his candidacy.^[111]
• 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.^[332]
• 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.^[333]
• November 19: Messam dropped out of the race.^[334]
• November 20: The fifth Democratic debate took place in Atlanta, Georgia at Tyler Perry Studios.^[335]
• November 21: Bloomberg formed an exploratory committee.^[336]
• November 24: Bloomberg announced his candidacy with a website launch.^[337]

December 2019

• December 1: Sestak dropped out of the race.^[149]
• December 2: Bullock dropped out of the race.^[145]
• December 3: Harris dropped out of the race.^[142]
• 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.^[338]
• 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.^[339]
• December 19: The sixth Democratic debate took place in Los Angeles, California, at Loyola Marymount University.^[340]

2020

January 2020

• January 2: Castro dropped out of the race.^[341]
• January 6: Castro endorsed Warren.^[136]
• January 10: Williamson dropped out of the race.^[135]
• January 13: Booker dropped out of the race.^[342]
• January 14: The seventh Democratic debate took place in Des Moines, Iowa at Drake University.^[231]
• January 17: Voting in the Minnesota primary began.^[343]
• January 31: Delaney dropped out of the race.^[344]

February 2020

• February 3–7: The Iowa caucuses took place, but inconsistencies reported in the caucus results delayed reporting of the outcome. Results were released that showed Buttigieg leading in-state delegate equivalents and Sanders winning a plurality of first-alignment and final-alignment votes. The reporting delays, errors, and inconsistencies surrounding the caucuses prompted DNC Chairman Tom Perez and both campaigns to call for a recanvass.^[345][346]
• February 7: The eighth Democratic debate took place in Goffstown, New Hampshire at St. Anselm College.^[231]
• February 11:
  • Sanders won New Hampshire with 26% of the vote, but Buttigieg, who came in second with 24%, received the same number of delegates (9).^[347][348]
  • Bennet dropped out of the race.^[349]
  • Yang dropped out of the race.^[350]
• February 12: Patrick dropped out of the race.^[112]
• February 14: De Blasio endorsed Sanders.^[351]
• 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.^[352]
• February 19: The ninth Democratic debate took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at Le Théâtre des Arts in the Paris Las Vegas.^[231]
• February 21: Voting in the Washington primary began.^[353]
• February 22: Sanders won Nevada.^[354][355]
• February 23: Williamson endorsed Sanders.^[132]
• February 24: Voting in the Colorado primary began.^[356]
• February 25: The tenth Democratic debate took place in Charleston, South Carolina at the Gaillard Center.^[231]
• February 26: House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn endorses Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary.^[357]
• February 27: Buttigieg won Iowa. Following several recounts and a recanvass, Buttigieg retained his lead in state delegate equivalents, and the Iowa Democratic Party declared him the official winner, making him the first openly gay candidate of a major political party to win a presidential primary. Sanders won a plurality of first-alignment and final-alignment votes.^[358]
• February 29:
  • Biden won South Carolina.^[359][360]
  • Steyer dropped out of the race.^[361]

March 2020

• March 1: Buttigieg dropped out of the race.^[362]
• March 2:
  • Klobuchar dropped out of the race.^[363]
  • Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and O'Rourke endorsed Biden during an evening rally in Texas.^[364]
• March 3:
  • Super Tuesday was held.^[365]
  • 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.^[366]
• March 4: Bloomberg dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden.^[367]
• March 5: Warren dropped out of the race.^[368]
• March 6: Delaney endorsed Biden.^[369]
• March 8: Harris endorsed Biden.^[370]
• March 9: Booker endorsed Biden.^[371]
• March 10:
  • Biden won Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, and Washington.^[372][373]
  • Sanders won North Dakota.^[374]
  • Yang endorsed Biden.^[375]
• March 13:
  • A national emergency was declared due to the coronavirus pandemic.^[376] Several presidential primaries were soon rescheduled, and candidates limited in-person events.
  • The Louisiana primary was rescheduled from April 4 to June 20 due to coronavirus concerns.^[377]
• March 14:
  • Sanders won Northern Mariana Islands.^[378]
  • The Georgia primary was rescheduled from March 24 to May 19 due to coronavirus concerns.^[58]
• March 15: The eleventh Democratic debate, originally scheduled to take place in Phoenix, Arizona at Arizona Federal Theatre,^[379] took place in Washington, D.C. at the CNN studio due to coronavirus concerns.^[380][381]
• March 16:
  • The Kentucky primary was rescheduled from May 19 to June 23 due to coronavirus concerns.^[382]
  • Ohio announced that it intended to postpone its primary, a plan a judge struck down the same day.^[383] Following the judge's decision, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that polls would be closed by order of Ohio Health Director Amy Acton due to a "health emergency." State officials sought to extend the voting process.^[384]
• March 17:
  • Biden won Arizona, Florida, and Illinois.^{[385][386][387]}
  • The Ohio primary was postponed as DeWine requested when the Ohio Supreme Court denied the challenge to the state.^[388]
  • The Maryland primary was rescheduled from April 28 to June 2 due to coronavirus concerns.^[70]
• March 19:
  • Gabbard dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden.^[389]
  • The Connecticut primary was rescheduled from April 28 to June 2 due to coronavirus concerns.^[390]
• March 20: The Indiana primary was rescheduled from May 5 to June 2 due to coronavirus concerns.^[81]
• March 21: The Puerto Rico primary was rescheduled from March 29 to April 26 due to coronavirus concerns.^[60]
• March 22: The Wyoming caucuses were rescheduled from April 4 to an all-mail caucus with voting through April 17 due to coronavirus concerns.^[64]
• March 23:
  • Sanders won Democrats Abroad.^[391]
  • The Rhode Island primary was rescheduled from April 28 to June 2 due to coronavirus concerns.^[392]
  • The Alaska primary was rescheduled from April 4 to an all-mail primary with voting through April 10 due to coronavirus concerns.^[63]
• March 24: The Delaware primary was rescheduled from April 28 to June 2 due to coronavirus concerns.^[76]
• March 25: The Ohio primary was rescheduled as an all-mail primary with voting through April 28 due to coronavirus concerns.^[393]
• March 27:
  • The Pennsylvania primary was rescheduled from April 28 to June 2 due to coronavirus concerns.^[394]
  • The Hawaii primary was rescheduled from April 4 to an all-mail primary with voting through May 22 due to coronavirus concerns.^{[65][66][395]}
• March 28: The New York primary was rescheduled from April 28 to June 23 due to coronavirus concerns.^[396]
• March 30: The Kansas primary was rescheduled from May 2 to an all-mail primary with voting through April 24 due to coronavirus concerns.^[79]

April 2020

• April 1: The West Virginia primary was rescheduled from May 12 to June 9 due to coronavirus concerns.^[82]
• April 2: The Puerto Rico primary was postponed with no rescheduled date due to coronavirus concerns.^[61]
• April 7: Voting in the Wisconsin primary took place with the results delayed until April 13 in accordance with a district court ruling.^[397]
• April 8:
  • Sanders suspended his campaign, and Biden became the presumptive presidential nominee.^[398]
  • The New Jersey primary was rescheduled from June 2 to July 7 due to coronavirus concerns.^[84]
• April 9: The Georgia primary was rescheduled from May 19 to June 9 due to coronavirus concerns.^[59]
• April 10: The mail-in voting period ended for the Alaska primary.
• April 11: Biden won Alaska.^[399]
• April 13:
  • Sanders endorsed Biden.^[400]
  • Biden won Wisconsin.^[401]
• April 14:
  • Former President Barack Obama endorsed Biden.^[402]
  • The Louisiana primary was rescheduled from June 20 to July 11 due to coronavirus concerns.^[69]
• April 15: Warren endorsed Biden.^[403]
• April 17:
  • The mail-in voting period ended for the Wyoming caucuses.
  • The Connecticut primary was rescheduled from June 2 to August 11 due to coronavirus concerns.^[78]
• April 19: Biden won Wyoming.^[404]
• April 22: Inslee endorsed Biden.^[405]
• April 24: The mail-in voting period ended for the Kansas primary.
• April 27:
  • Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi endorsed Biden.^[406]
  • The New York State Board of Elections canceled its primary. Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs said it was unknown how New York would count delegates to the Democratic Convention.^[74][407]
• April 28:
  • The mail-in voting period ended for the Ohio primary.
  • Yang sued the New York State Board of Elections over its decision to cancel the New York primary.^[408]
  • Hillary Clinton endorsed Biden.^[409]
  • Biden won Ohio.^[410]
• April 29: Voting in the Oregon primary began.^[411]
• April 30: Biden announced his vice-presidential selection committee.^[412]

May 2020

• May 2: Biden won Kansas.^[413]
• May 4: Oral arguments were held in the New York primary cancellation suit.^[414]
• May 5:
  • A federal judge ruled that the New York primary must proceed on June 23 as previously scheduled.^[75]
  • The Guam caucuses were postponed due to coronavirus concerns.^[415]
• May 7: The Delaware primary was rescheduled from June 2 to July 7 due to coronavirus concerns.^[77]
• May 12: Biden won Nebraska.^[416]
• May 17: The New York State Board of Elections appealed the federal judge's decision to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.^[417]
• May 19:
  • The New York State Board of Elections lost the appeal and did not appeal further. The New York primary would proceed on June 23 as previously scheduled.^[418]
  • Biden won Oregon.^[419]
• May 21: The Puerto Rico primary was rescheduled for July 12 due to coronavirus concerns.^[420]
• May 22:
  • The mail-in voting period ended for the Hawaii primary.
  • Biden won Hawaii.^[421]

June 2020

• June 2: Biden won the District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Dakota.^{[422][423][424][425][426][427][428][429]}
• June 4: The Guam caucuses were rescheduled for June 6 due to coronavirus concerns.^[430]
• June 5: As votes continued to be counted in the June 2 races, the Associated Press estimated that Biden had passed the 1,991 delegate threshold to secure the nomination.^[12]
• June 6
  • Biden won Guam.^[13]
  • Biden officially passed the 1,991-delegate threshold to secure the nomination.^[13]
• June 8: Biden won the U.S. Virgin Islands.^[431]
• June 9: Biden won Georgia and West Virginia.^[432][433]
• June 23: Biden won New York and Kentucky.^[434][435]

July 2020

• July 7: Biden won Delaware and New Jersey.^[436][437]
• July 11: Biden won Louisiana.^[438]
• July 12: Biden won Puerto Rico.^[439]

August 2020

• August 11:
  • Biden announced U.S. Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate.^[440]
  • Biden won Connecticut.^[441]
• August 17–20: The Democratic National Convention was held. Delegates nominated Biden for president and Harris for vice president in the 2020 United States presidential election.^[442]

Ballot access

Filing for the primaries began in October 2019.^[443][444] indicates that the candidate was on the ballot for the primary contest, indicates that the candidate was a recognized write-in candidate, and indicates that the candidate did not appear on the ballot in that state's contest. indicates that a candidate withdrew before the election but was still listed on the ballot.

Primaries and caucuses

State/ Territory	Date	Biden	Sanders	Gabbard	Warren	Bloomberg	Klobuchar	Buttigieg	Steyer	Patrick	Bennet	Yang	Other	Ref
IA[w]	Feb 3	Ballot access not required												[445]
NH	Feb 11												[A]	[120][446]
NV[w]	Feb 22												[B]	[447]
SC	Feb 29												[C]	[448]
AL	Mar 3												[D]	[449]
AR	Mar 3												[E]	[450]
AS[w]	Mar 3												[F]	[451]
CA	Mar 3												[G]	[452]
CO	Mar 3												[H]	[453][454]
ME	Mar 3												[I]	[455]
MA	Mar 3												[D]	[456]
MN	Mar 3												[D]	[457]
NC	Mar 3												[D]	[458]
OK	Mar 3												[J]	[459]
TN	Mar 3												[K]	[460][461]
TX	Mar 3												[L]	[462]
UT	Mar 3												[M]	[463]
VT	Mar 3												[N]	[464]
VA	Mar 3												[J]	[465]
DA	Mar 10													[466]
ID	Mar 10												[O]	[467]
MI	Mar 10												[P]	[468]
MS	Mar 10													[469]
MO	Mar 10												[Q]	[470]
ND[w]	Mar 10												[B]	[471]
WA	Mar 10												[C]	[472]
MP[w]	Mar 14													[473][474]
AZ	Mar 17												[R]	[475]
FL	Mar 17												[P]	[476]
IL	Mar 17												[C]	[477]
WI	Apr 7												[B]	[478]
AK	Apr 10													[479][480]
WY[w]	Apr 17													[481]
OH	Apr 28													[482][483]
KS	May 2													[484]
NE	May 12													[485]
OR	May 19													[486]
HI	May 22												[B]	[487]
DC	Jun 2													[488]
IN	Jun 2													[489]
MD	Jun 2												[J]	[490]
MT	Jun 2													[491]
NM	Jun 2													[492]
PA	Jun 2													[493]
RI	Jun 2													[494]
SD	Jun 2													[495]
GU[w]	Jun 6	Ballot access not required												[496]
VI[w]	Jun 6													[497]
GA	Jun 9												[B]	[498]
WV	Jun 9												[S]	[499]
KY	Jun 23													[500]
NY	Jun 23													[501]
DE	Jul 7													[502]
NJ	Jul 7													[503]
LA	Jul 11												[T]	[504]
PR	Jul 12													[505][506]
CT	Aug 11													[507]

Candidates listed in italics have suspended their campaigns.

National convention

The 2020 Democratic National Convention was scheduled to take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 13–16, 2020,^{[508][509][510]} but was postponed and rescheduled to take place on August 17–20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[511]

The event became a virtual "Convention Across America" with voting held online before the opening gavel, and the non-televised events held remotely over ZOOM.

Endorsements

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 March 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 February 29, 2020.^[update] As of February 29, 2020, the major candidates have raised $989,234,992.08.

Campaign finances by candidate

Candidate	Total raised	Individual contributions			Debt	Spent	COH
		Total	Unitemized	Pct
Joe Biden[512]	$134,790,836	$134,425,574	$53,187,451	39.57%	$0	$108,403,972	$26,386,865
Michael Bennet[513]	$7,514,313	$6,795,438	$2,336,988	34.39%	$0	$7,343,017	$171,295
Michael Bloomberg[514]	$1,062,963,445	$916,332	$847,932	92.54%	$14,789,537	$1,051,783,859	$11,179,585
Cory Booker[515]	$26,022,021	$22,780,231	$7,706,938	33.83%	$848,391	$25,697,926	$324,095
Steve Bullock[516]	$5,513,606	$5,489,635	$1,753,850	31.95%	$0	$5,426,704	$86,902
Pete Buttigieg[517]	$102,739,747	$101,397,049	$43,744,949