The United States presidential election of 2020 was the 59th quadrennial American presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Democratic Party nominees former Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro defeated Republican Party nominees incumbent President Donald Trump and incumbent Vice President Mike Pence. Joe Biden became the first Roman Catholic since John F. Kennedy to be elected president, and Julián Castro became the first Hispanic to ever be elected vice president.
As an unpopular incumbent, Donald Trump faced multiple primary challengers, but managed to gain enough delegates to win the Republican nomination. In the Democratic field, there were several contenders, with Joe Biden eventually becoming the frontrunner and winning the Democratic nomination. The campaigns focused largely on domestic issues, such as healthcare, gun control, tuition-free college, and economic regulations. Foreign policy was also discussed, such as the rise of Russia, unrest in China, tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and Iran becoming a nuclear weapons state following the termination of the Iran nuclear deal.
Biden defeated Trump in a landslide victory. With 385 electoral votes to Trump's 153, he recieved the largest percentage of the popular vote for a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Biden's total vote count of 73.4 million votes was the largest number of votes ever won by a presidential candidate at the time. Biden became the second Roman Catholic ever elected president in the history of the United States, and Castro became the first Hispanic ever elected vice president of the United States.
Background[]
Nominations[]
Democratic Party[]
Candidates[]
- Joe Biden, former Vice President of the United States from Delaware for President
- Julián Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from Texas for Vice President
Withdrawn candidates[]
- Julián Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (lost nomination, became vice presidential nominee)
- Cory Booker, U.S. Senator from New Jersey (lost nomination, endorsed Joe Biden)
- John Delaney, U.S. Representative from Maryland (withdrew March 27, 2020, endorsed Joe Biden)
- Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland (withdrew March 8, 2020, endorsed Joe Biden)
- Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana (withdrew February 17, 2020, endorsed Joe Biden)
- Lincoln Chafee, former Governor of Rhode Island (withdrew November 3, 2019, endorsed Joe Biden)
Republican Party[]
Candidates[]
- Donald Trump, incumbent President of the United States from New York for President
- Mike Pence, incumbent Vice President of the United States from Indiana for Vice President
Withdrawn candidates[]
- John Kasich, Governor of Ohio (lost nomination)
- Bob Corker, former U.S. Senator from Tennessee (lost nomination, endorsed Joe Biden)
- Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard from Virginia (withdrew January 27, 2020)
Libertarian Party[]
Candidates[]
- Mary Ruwart, political activist from Texas for President
- Jim Babka, chair of the Libertarian Party in Ohio for Vice President
Withdrawn candidates[]
- Adam Kokesh, political activist from New Mexico (lost nomination, endorsed Mary Ruwart)
- Bill Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts (lost nomination, endorsed Mary Ruwart)
- Justin Amash, U.S. Representative from Michigan (lost nomination, endorsed Mary Ruwart)
Green Party[]
Candidates[]
- Jill Stein, Town Meeting Member from Massachusetts for President
- William Kreml, political activist from South Carolina for Vice President
Withdrawn candidates[]
- Dona Spring, City Councillor from California (lost nomination, endorsed Jill Stein)
- Ajamu Baraka, political activist from Washington, D.C. (lost nomination, endorsed Jill Stein)
- David Cobb, political activist from Texas (lost nomination, endorsed Jill Stein)
Constitution Party[]
Candidates[]
- Patrick Anthony Ockander, political activist from Texas for President
- J.R. Myers, political activist from Alaska for Vice President
Withdrawn candidates[]
- Darrel Castle, lawyer from Tennessee (lost nomination, endorsed Patrick Anthony Ockander)
- Scott Bradley, businessman from Utah (lost nomination, endorsed Patrick Anthony Ockander)