| ‹ 2016 American Presidential Election 2020 (New Reboot Era) 2024 › | ||||
| US Presidential Election 2020 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2020 | ||||
| Turnout | 65% | |||
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| Nominee | Bernie Sanders | Donald Trump | Kanye West | |
| Party | Democratic | Republican | Independent | |
| Home state | Vermont | New York | California | |
| Running mate | Elizabeth Warren | Mike Pence | Taylor Swift | |
| Electoral vote | 251 | 196 | 91 | |
| Popular vote | 38% | 36% | 20% | |
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| Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Sanders/Warren, red denotes those won by Trump/Pence and yellow denotes those won by West/Swift. Numbers indicate electoral votes allotted to the winner of each state. | ||||
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.
| Candidate | Vote Share |
|---|---|
| John Kasich | 42% |
| Donald Trump | 35% |
| Rand Paul | 12% |
| Jeff Sessions | 11% |
| Candidate | Vote Share |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump | 41% |
| John Kasich | 40% |
| Rand Paul | 18% |
| Jeff Sessions (Write-In) | 1% |
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.
| Candidate | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| Doug Jones | 21% |
| Elizabeth Warren | 20% |
| Bernie Sanders | 19% |
| John Delaney | 15% |
| Stephen Colbert | 10% |
| Rocky De La Fuente | 10% |
| Jeff Boss | 5% |
| Candidates | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| Bernie Sanders | 35% |
| Doug Jones | 31% |
| Stephen Colbert | 20% |
| Elizabeth Warren | 9% |
| John Delaney | 5% |
| Candidate | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| Bernie Sanders | 64% |
| Doug Jones | 36% |
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)
| Candidate | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| Bernie Sanders | 48% |
| Donald Trump | 44% |
Trump VS Jones[]
| Candidates | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump | 42% |
| Doug Jones | 41% |
Kasich VS Sanders
| Candidates | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| John Kasich | 45% |
| Bernie Sanders | 41% |
Kasich VS Jones
| Candidate | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| John Kaisch | 47% |
| Doug Jones | 43% |
Post - Primary
| Candidates | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump | 44% |
| Bernie Sanders | 38% |
| Kanye West | 10% |
Kanye West gains momentum, Donald Trump gains a lead due to Democratic infighting.
Post First Debate
| Candidates | Voteshare |
|---|---|
| Bernie Sanders | 48% |
| Donald Trump | 39% |
| Kanye West | 5% |
Sanders defeats Trump, West loses support as he is not included.
Exit Poll[]
| Candidate | Voteshare | Electoral Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Bernie Sanders | 45% | 305 |
| Donald Trump | 42% | 191 |
| Kanye West | 7% | 42 |
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.