As Florida voters begin to line up at polling stations in November, here are the candidates they can expect to see on their ballots and what policies they represent.
The Democratic National Convention, where the nominee is officially picked, is not until August. However, current President Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee with 3,886 pledged delegates, and Biden’s expected running mate is current Vice President Kamala Harris.
Some of Biden’s main campaign promises include protecting abortion rights and combating climate change.
The Republican National Convention is next month, but as of now, former President Donald Trump is the expected Republican candidate. According to the Associated Press, Trump has 2,231 pledged delegates. He has yet to declare a vice president.
Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump has pushed the issues of border security, a “war on drugs” and cutting back on corporate taxes.
Biden and Trump are currently slated to debate each other on June 27. It will be aired on CNN with no live audience.
Jill Stein is the likely Green Party nominee but has not declared a running mate yet. If the party nominates Stein at its annual meeting next month, it would be the third election she has represented the party. The party has ballot access in 18 states so far, including Florida.
Stein has said the U.S. must take “decisive action” on climate change policies. She also supports wiping student loan debt for college students, opposes a federal abortion ban and supports the legalization of marijuana.
Chase Oliver was officially nominated by the Libertarian Party at its convention last month. Oliver and Independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West still do not have ballot access in Florida yet.
Oliver is a politician from Atlanta, Georgia, who has already run for the state’s U.S. Senate and House seats.
He has said he supports significant federal budget cuts, abolishing the death penalty and ending military support for Israel and Ukraine.
Kennedy said he would be “the greatest environmental president in American history” if elected.
According to the New York Times, he wants to eliminate subsidies for fossil fuels and reallocate the funds spent on the war in Ukraine for a plan that will “dramatically reduce abortions” in the U.S.
Cornel West is also a climate activist and supports declaring a climate emergency. He also wants to put police funding into communities, abolish the death penalty and establish free higher education and healthcare.
Michael Binder, a political science professor at the University of North Florida, expects the election to be a close race between Trump and Biden.
“It’s going to be an exceptionally close race … and I don’t think it’s going to be a circumstance where we necessarily know who’s going to win the race that Tuesday night,” Binder said.
Floridians can register to vote and find their county’s polling locations online.
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