Candidate Who Now? Get to know the first-night Democratic debaters fast via their campaign ads
Unless you’re a total political junkie, you probably have little to no idea who many of the Democratic presidential hopefuls are. Sure, you’re probably familiar (or semi-familiar) with the likes of Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke and Elizabeth Warren, but tonight and tomorrow night’s televised Democratic debates will be dominated, numerically at least, by relative unknowns.
How can you keep all these wannabes straight? We decided to let the candidates speak for themselves in the form of one campaign ad each—while also offering links to the candidates’ websites and social media accounts in case you want to dig deeper.
Note: Not all the campaigns have their acts together enough to have actually released ads. (Will you, dear marketing professional, judge them for this? We won’t blame you if you do.) In the interest of objectivity, the first 10 candidates taking the stage for tonight’s NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo telecast are listed below in alphabetical order; we’ll do the same for the second-night debate in a separate post tomorrow.
Cory Booker
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Cory Booker is a senator from New Jersey who previously served as the mayor of Newark, the state’s largest city, and has a large network of high-powered donors, unlike many of his fellow candidates who are relying primarily on small, individual contributions.
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A key ad line: “The only way we can make change is when people come together.”
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corybooker/
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Instagram: @corybooker
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Twitter: @CoryBooker
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0rt6GK1jP3gCtPVRtt4EPQ
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Website: https://corybooker.com/
Julián Castro
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Julián Castro began his political career on San Antonio’s city council before becoming its mayor, and in 2014, he was appointed to the position of U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by Barack Obama.
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A key ad line: “America is a place where dreams can become real.”
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Instagram: @juliancastrotx
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Twitter: @JulianCastro
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWy3FMoClFZYFRTW80PIntQ
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Website: https://www.julianforthefuture.com/
Bill de Blasio
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Serving as mayor of New York City since 2014, Bill de Blasio won his first mayoral race in a landslide with nearly three-fourths of the vote and also won a second term with 66.5% of the vote but has since become deeply unpopular, even among members of his own party in his home state.
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A key ad line: “I’ve known Trump’s a bully for a long time, and I know how to take him on.”
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.deblasio/
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Instagram: @billdeblasio
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Twitter: @BilldeBlasio
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsgVp5vhRdYaXgvHSkGnemw
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Website: https://billdeblasio.com/
John Delaney
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Former U.S. representative John Delaney of Maryland decided not to seek re-election to Congress last year, instead opting to focus on his presidential bid. In July 2017, Delaney was the first Democrat to declare his intent to run in 2020.
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A key ad line: “I have a real plan for our future and I promise to always tell you the truth.”
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Instagram: @johndelaney
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Twitter: @JohnDelaney
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc7fDpVPrm9B9e-ChkXdVtA
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Website: https://www.johndelaney.com/
Tulsi Gabbard
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Tulsi Gabbard is a House representative from Hawaii who served in the Army National Guard and her state’s legislature before her election to Congress in 2013. She is the first Hindu member of Congress in U.S. history.
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A key ad line: “Where is the conversation about peace?”
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TulsiGabbard/
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Instagram: @tulsigabbard
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Twitter: @TulsiGabbard
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTNyrZoiTweJ1PZsJgdWTA
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Website: https://www.tulsi2020.com/
Jay Inslee
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Jay Inslee is the governor of Washington and a former U.S. representative who has made climate change the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, even calling for the Democratic National Committee to host a debate specifically on the topic.
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A key ad line: “We need to defeat climate change. That’s what I believe."
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayinslee/
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Instagram: @jayinslee
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Twitter: @JayInslee
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJhWBqWVdVnPro7tx2t7j3w
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Website: https://www.jayinslee.com/
Amy Klobuchar
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Beginning her career in law and serving as an attorney for Hennepin County, Minnesota’s most populous county, Amy Klobuchar successfully ran for the Senate in 2006 and has served her state in Congress for three terms.
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Popular campaign ad: None (yet)
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A key ad line: None (yet)
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyklobuchar/
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Instagram: @amyklobuchar
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Twitter: @amyklobuchar
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YouTube: None (yet)
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Website: https://amyklobuchar.com/
Beto O’Rourke
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Beto O’Rourke served as a Democratic U.S. representative for three terms in deep-red Texas and rose to national prominence during his popular but ultimately unsuccessful 2018 campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
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A key ad line: “No PACs, just people.”
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betoorourke/
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Instagram: @betoorourke
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Twitter: @BetoORourke
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk225-LnAoNFimiHBrm4OEw
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Website: https://betoorourke.com/
Tim Ryan
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Serving as a U.S. representative since 2003 for Ohio—a state which President Trump carried in the 2016 election—Tim Ryan is a moderate Democrat who was known to have a pro-life voting record early in his political career.
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A key ad line: “We’ve got to start acting like the United States of America again.”
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Instagram: @timryanforamerica
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Twitter: @TimRyan
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Website: https://timryanforamerica.com/
Elizabeth Warren
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Former Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren is a senator from Massachusetts whose clashes with President Trump have helped earn her national attention. Warren is known for her extensive knowledge of policy-—so much so that an unofficial slogan of her campaign has become “I have a plan for that.”
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A key ad line: “This is our grassroots movement.”
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Instagram: @elizabethwarren
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Twitter: @ewarren
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj-0FxK19tgUR2EbHkBBGg
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Website: https://elizabethwarren.com/