With the presidential race for the Democratic nomination in full swing, it is important to see what candidates are flourishing and who is not gaining momentum.
As of right now, former Vice President Joe Biden is in the lead with a national polling average of 27 percent according to The New York Times.
Biden faced backlash back in August when he said that “poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids” during a campaign speech in Iowa.
However, he is now controlling both state and national polls.
Senator Bernie Sanders has been on the rise and is continuing to gain exposure across the United States. In recent weeks he has had exceptional polls and is now tailing Biden polling at 24 percent nationwide.
Sanders has the ability to capture people with his words. Sanders has pushed for Medicare for all and college tuition debtforgiveness, but he’s faced criticism for his socialist policies.
In third is Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has a national polling average of 14 percent, which is quite a step back from where she was polling previously. Her polls continue to remain average but she will need a push to surpass any of the other candidates.
Warren’s policies are very similar to Sanders’, but left-wing Democrats criticize her past, as she has previously identified as Native American, despite having very minimal Native American lineage.
Although he did not qualify for the Feb. 7 debate, Michael Bloomberg is currently in fourth polling at 8 percent nationally. He is a billionaire businessman and previously served as mayor of New York City who is willing to spend money on his campaign.
Bloomberg faced criticism for spending his own money on his campaign, as opposed to candidates that rely on grassroots donations like Sanders.
Pete Buttigieg is currently fifth polling at 7 percent nationally. Buttigieg won the Iowa Caucus in number of delegates and the popular vote. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is hoping to do well in the Nevada and South Carolina polls to increase his shot of becoming the nominee.
Buttigieg previously served in the military in Afghanistan and publicly come out as gay in 2015. He uses both of these aspects of his life to leverage liberal voters.
Polling at sixth nationally is Senator Amy Klobuchar with a national polling average of 5 percent. Early on her campaign she continued to stay at the bottom half of the polls. However, she recently rose up due to her promising fundraising efforts and convincing debate performances.
Like many other members of the Democratic party, Klobuchar is pro-choice, supports LGBT rights, and was critical of the Iraq War. She continues to rise in the polls.
When asked about the current rankings of the Democratic race, 19-year-old business major, Jason Horvath, was disappointed to see Democratic candidate Yang was not doing well in the polls.
“I like Andrew Yang and think he has so many great ideas. To see he isn’t polling as high as other candidates is a bummer” he said.
Although he isn’t widely known, Yang has gained huge popularity on social media and is currently ranked seventh in national polls. His bright ideas are almost guaranteed to shake up the race and draw attention from voters.
Yang is best known for his ideal implementation of universal basic income, which he calls the Freedom Dividend. His plans would ensure that every American over the age of 18 would receive $1,000 monthly, regardless of employment status.
As the month of February progresses it will be interesting to see how the polls change and if any candidates change positions.