American Presidential Election 2020 (New Reboot Era)

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The US presidential election of 2020 was the 59th election of the American President. Democratic nominees Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren defeated incumbent President Donald Trump and Mike Pence, despite a strong independent campaign from Kanye West.

Sanders/Warren won 262 electoral votes, Trump/Pence 185 and West/Swift received 91. Nine members of the electoral college, who were pledged to West, voted for Sanders instead. This gave the Democrats 271 votes, winning the presidency. Sanders took office as the 46th President, and Warren became the 49th Vice President.

Republican Primary
The Republican primaries were one to watch with Donald Trump's unpopularity among the GOP and the deep divisions within the party's Moderate and Pro-Trump factions. Trump said that if he were to lose the nomination, he would run an independent campaign.

The candidates were Donald Trump of New York, Rand Paul of Kentucky, John Kasich of Ohio and Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Sessions after the first vote endorsed Trump. Donald Trump became the nominee, defeating John Kasich and Rand Paul. Jeff Sessions was critised for withdrawal by Alabama Republicans, and they voted for him anyway. The rest of his supporters went to Trump, but Paul also took a fair share.

Democratic Primary
The Democratic primary was also highly anticipated as the Democrats were clear favourites to win the election. The fractured field was compared to the Republican primaries in 2016. A rule change was also implented to introduce Instant Runoff Voting.

The candidates were Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, 9/11 Conspiracy Theorist Jeff Boss of New Jersey, Comedian Stephen Colbert of D.C, Representative John Delaney of Maryland and Rocky De La Fuente of Florida. Fuente dropped out and Boss was suspended from the Democratic Party in the middle of the race. Bernie Sanders became the Democratic nominee, but with massive opposition from the Democratic Establishment.

General Election
The election campaign was almost as bitter as four years before. Trump's platform was populist and American nationalist, Sander's was Social Democratic. Throughout the campaign, both sides threw insults at each other. Trump called Sanders as an "idiotic economist" and Sanders described Trump as fascist.

The main issues were related to foreign policy. The wall which Trump had promised to build had not been built and this angered a lot of his base. Tensions with North Korea were at an all time high, with Washington and Pyongyang barely avoiding nuclear war. Sanders was seen as very weak in responding to threats. Co-operation with the United Kingdom, who had just left the E.U, was also very important. Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn said that he would work with whoever was elected to "get the best deal for the workers in the UK and US".

Though initially perceived as a joke candidate, Kanye West ran a powerful campaign which surged after moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats refused to support their candidates and went to West instead. He selected Taylor Swift as his running mate which helped him win the young female demographic. West's rallies were the largest however he did not qualify for the televised debates.

Polling
Trump vs Sanders (Pre-Primary)

Trump VS Jones
Kasich VS Sanders Kasich VS Jones Post - Primary Kanye West gains momentum, Donald Trump gains a lead due to Democratic infighting.

Post First Debate Sanders defeats Trump, West loses support as he is not included.

General Election
Bernie Sanders managed to flip a lot of Trump's 2016 states, notable Florida (due to Trump's anti-environment policies) the Rust Belt (attributed to Sanders support for the working-class) and Utah (as there was a split vote between Trump, West and Evan McMullan). Meanwhile Trump won New Mexico as he was preferred by Gary Johnson's supporters.

Both candidates were unable to reach the needed 270 electoral votes due to Kanye West and Taylor Swift. West made history as the first independent to win a state since George Washington.

Bernie Sanders took office as the 46th President and Warren 49th Vice President and the first female to hold the office.