Ranking a crowded field as 15 contenders jockey to confront Trump

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But if the field is in flux, the contours of the Democratic presidential race have come into focus: Joe Biden has coasted on his familiarity with Democratic voters and Rolodex of deep-pocketed donors, while eschewing nuanced policy plans for a singular focus on dislodging Trump and bringing sanity back to the presidency. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, in contrast, have put forward sweeping visions for how they would counteract three decades of failed trickle-down economics and disastrous foreign wars. They support a re-imagining of American government, calling for Medicare for all, an end to student debt, and universal childcare — paid for with new taxes on the very wealthiest Americans.

For the moment, restoration is beating out revolution. The momentum that swept Warren to the top of our rankings in the early fall has stalled out. She has lost the edge in early-state polling as Pete Buttigieg has gathered steam in Iowa and New Hampshire. The prime beneficiary of this dynamic is Biden, who has steadied his campaign, reestablished a significant edge in national polling, and now looks strong in state polls from South Carolina to California. The uncompromising Sanders is drafting behind Biden, and has now passed Warren for second place on our leaderboard.

The rest of the field is churning. Once a top contender, Harris exited the race in early December, amid bitter campaign infighting. Former Montana governor Steve Bullock and retired admiral Joe Sestak have also abandoned their longshot bids. Yet the candidate ranks are hardly shrinking. Bloomberg, the billionaire former Republican, launched his 2020 campaign with a historic television ad blitz, while former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick has also, belatedly, joined the contest. Below we rank the 15 Democrats now running for the nomination in 2020.

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https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/2020-democrat-candidates-771735/