Which of these 2020 Democrats
agrees with you most?
Which of these 2020 Democrats
Now, it’s your turn to answer. Below are 20 questions we found particularly interesting, mostly because they reveal big differences between the remaining major candidates. We haven’t asked the campaigns about every topic, but this selection tries to cover a variety of issues. Answer as many as you like.
Since we first published this guide in November, new candidates have joined the race and several others have dropped out. We have included everyone polling at least 1 percent in The Post’s national polling average. This new version adds questions on such topics as gun control and the criminal justice system.
Of course, policy stances are just one reason to pick a candidate. But if you haven’t been paying close attention to the campaign yet (and even if you have), this quiz can help clarify: What do you think? And which Democrats — if any — agree with you?
QUESTION 1 OF 20
Some gun control advocates have called for a federal registry of guns. If someone buys a gun, they should have to register it.
should have to register itshould have to register it, if it’s an assault weaponshould not have to register it
Advocates say such a database would hold gun owners accountable by more closely tying a gun to its owner. Opponents say such a registry would provide the federal government with too much information about gun owners and possibly lead to confiscation of their firearms. Six states and the District have instituted some version of gun registries, but eight states ban them, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A few types of guns, such as machine guns, are currently subject to federal registration requirements.
QUESTION 2 OF 20
Recreational marijuana should be decriminalized and left up to states to legalize.
be legalized federallybe decriminalized and left up to states to legalizeremain illegal federally
Since the 1990s, dozens of states have legalized medical marijuana, with some going further in the last decade by legalizing recreational marijuana. This has put state laws in opposition to federal ones, which count marijuana among the most dangerous drugs. President Barack Obama expressed a desire to regulate recreational marijuana like cigarettes or alcohol in late 2016, but his administration was generally reluctant to shift federal marijuana policy, frustrating activists.
As a candidate, Hillary Clinton backed moving marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug, acknowledging the medical uses and allowing states to pursue recreational legalization. Following her loss, most Democratic candidates have rapidly embraced marijuana legalization, emphasizing the racial inequity in marijuana prosecutions.
QUESTION 3 OF 20
Fracking has contributed to a boom in U.S. oil and gas production in the past decade, but it can affect the environment through groundwater contamination and continued reliance on fossil fuels. The U.S. should ban all fracking.
ban alllimit or better regulatemaintain current policy on
The candidates are split on how to handle hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Some said they would support an across-the-board ban on it, while others preferred a more modest approach to limit its effects. Other concerns related to fracking are earthquakes induced by wastewater disposal wells and leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
QUESTION 4 OF 20
All Democratic candidates support increasing income tax on the wealthy, but some are also proposing a tax on the net worth of extremely wealthy individuals, rather than just on their income. The United States should enact a wealth tax.
shouldshould not
To combat a concentration of wealth at the top, some Democrats are proposing a tax on the net worth of extremely wealthy individuals, rather than just on income. Corporate celebrities from Silicon Valley and Wall Street have piled on against the wealth tax. But conservatives and even many Democrats have raised a number of objections to the wealth tax, arguing it could be easily skirted and may have limited political appeal. Twelve member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development had some form of wealth tax in 1990, but that number had fallen to just four by 2017.
QUESTION 5 OF 20
Some Americans currently get their health insurance through federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Government-run health insurance should be an option for everyone.
should cover everyoneshould be an option for everyoneshould not be available to everyone
Some Democrats have called for the United States to achieve Medicare-for-all through a single-payer system, in which all Americans would be enrolled automatically on a government plan. Other candidates believe other measures, such as offering a public health-care option, to expand health insurance, believing Medicare-for-all could trigger a political backlash.
QUESTION 6 OF 20
The U.S. should consider setting a price on carbon emissions, such as with a carbon tax or cap-and-trade.
shouldshould not
Through a price on carbon, polluters would pay for the carbon emissions released into the air. Policies to price carbon include direct taxes on emissions and cap-and-trade markets, where polluters purchase credits for emissions. Many economists view this strategy as a cost-effective way for countries to reduce emissions, although it would increase energy prices for consumers, with poorer households being disproportionately affected. Only about 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions faced a carbon price in 2017, according to a study by the World Bank.
Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Steyer and Yang said they support setting a price on carbon, while Warren said she is open to it.
QUESTION 7 OF 20
Two states allow all individuals to vote from prison, and many states restrict voting for convicted felons after release. Only after release, all prisoners should be able to vote.
All prisonersSome prisonersOnly after release, all prisonersOnly after release, some prisoners
Democratic candidates broadly support voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals, but only a few support allowing people to vote while incarcerated.
QUESTION 8 OF 20
Current law prohibits the use of federal funding for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when the health of the mother is at risk. Federal funding for abortions should be restricted.
shouldshould not
Alan:
Although i support legalized abortion, I am against federal funding for all abortions because blanket coverage is too divisive politically. and, furthermore,i understand the conscionable position that citizens should not be obliged to pay for abortions that contradict their moral sense.
Having said That, i also insist on a quid pro quo so that people of conscience who disagree with some measurable component of defense spending --- most specifically when an individual opposes a particular war or military occupation --- that these people-of-conscience be exempt from paying the corresponding portion of their tax bill.
CANDIDATES WHO AGREE WITH YOU
None of the top Democrats agree with you
Passed in 1976, the Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion services on Medicaid, except in cases of rape, incest or when the health of the mother is at risk. A Politico-Harvard Public Health poll ahead of the 2016 election found that 58 percent of likely voters — including 37 percent of Democratic voters — opposed changing the current policy to allow Medicaid funding for abortions.
QUESTION 9 OF 20
A universal basic income would give every adult a monthly payment from the federal government. The U.S. should consider a universal basic income.
shouldshould not
Some candidates have embraced a “universal basic income,” the idea that every American adult should get a check from the federal government regardless of work status, in part to offset job losses from automation. The proposal has been the foundation of the campaign of tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who proposes $1,000 per month for every American adult with no strings attached.
Gabbard and Yang said they support a universal basic income, while Warren said she is open to it.
QUESTION 10 OF 20
Under an employment guarantee, every American would be entitled to a government job, if they want it. The U.S. should consider enacting a jobs guarantee.
shouldshould not
An employment guarantee would offer a job to every American on a project throughout the United States aimed at addressing priorities such as infrastructure or the environment. Economists, including some Democrats, say there would be large logistical and practical challenges in ensuring millions of new federal jobs serve productive ends.
QUESTION 11 OF 20
The Obama administration focused its deportation efforts on three groups: recent border crossers, convicted criminals and national security threats. The U.S. should focus on convicted criminals and threats only.
halt deportationsfocus on convicted criminals and threats onlyfocus on all three groupsaim to deport anyone in the country illegally
President Barack Obama’s approach to deportation became a major point of division within the Democratic Party after his reelection in 2012. At the end of 2014, Obama responded to the concerns by imposing new guidelines that prioritized the deportation of recent border crossers, convicted criminals and those posing national security threats. But in the 2016 election, both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders argued for even more lenient guidelines that would focus on violent or dangerous criminals.
QUESTION 12 OF 20
Health care for many Americans is provided by private insurance plans paid through their employers. In an overhaul of the American health-care system, private insurance should continue to exist.
be eliminatedcontinue to exist
All of the candidates support using government health-care programs to expand coverage in the U.S. Some Medicare-for-all proposals, including those from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) virtually eliminate private insurance by providing basic coverage for medical, vision, dental, prescriptions and mental-health care. Other candidates would prefer that private insurance continues to be available alongside a government-based “public option.”
QUESTION 13 OF 20
The United States currently requires employers to provide 12 weeks of unpaid family leave, but no paid leave. The United States should guarantee 12 weeks of paid family leave for workers.
more than 12 weeks12 weeksfewer than 12 weeks
alan:
although I favor a much longer period of paid family leave than i approved in this quiz,, i believe it is criticially important to get "a foot in the door" without inflaming the opposition.
let us not forget that american conservatives become most animated when they consolidate around negativity.
Given widespread stupidity and ignorance on the "right side of the Aisle," it is striking how much political solidarity these dimwitted addlepates can muster as evidenced by the election of Malignant Messiah.
Do not ever underestimate the benightedness of these people.
CANDIDATES WHO AGREE WITH YOU
The Family And Medical Insurance Leave Act — introduced by former presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) — would create a fund to guarantee up to 12 weeks of partial income for workers to care for newborn children or family members with serious illnesses. Most 2020 candidates have backed the legislation, with some calling for a longer span of leave. Republicans have proposed their own paid leave legislation that would allow workers to receive Social Security benefits early to offset time away from work.
QUESTION 14 OF 20
In the past year, the U.S. government spent nearly a trillion dollars more than it raised, but some argue that urgent policy initiatives should take priority over limiting the national debt. The president should not commit to stabilizing or lowering the national debt.
shouldshould not
In 2010, the Obama administration created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform — otherwise known as the Simpson-Bowles Commission — to look for ways to slow the growth of government debt. But the 2017 GOP tax law dealt a significant blow to government revenue, and efforts to rein in budget deficits have fallen away. Candidates have proposed major new health-care and climate initiatives that come with price tags in the trillions, which some experts suggest will require raising taxes on the middle class to stay deficit-neutral.
QUESTION 15 OF 20
The Supreme Court has had nine justices since 1869. The president should consider adding more justices to the Supreme Court to change its ideological balance.
shouldshould not
Liberals have increasingly called for the next Democratic president to increase the number of Supreme Court justices. The calls to do so grew after Senate Republicans successfully blocked Merrick Garland’s nomination to the bench in 2016, under President Barack Obama. President Franklin D. Roosevelt planned to pack the high court after its conservative members struck down parts of his popular legislative accomplishments, such as minimum wage increases. Roosevelt backed down from the plan after the court reversed its ruling on the minimum wage issue.
QUESTION 16 OF 20
Nuclear power is the nation’s largest carbon-neutral energy source, but high-profile accidents and the question of where to store nuclear waste complicate its future. The government should phase out nuclear power.
expandpause the expansion ofphase out
Accidents at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima have caused concern about the safety of nuclear power and halted new construction in many countries. The 96 active U.S. commercial nuclear reactors generate roughly one-fifth of the nation’s power, but 11 are scheduled for retirement by 2025. Only one U.S. reactor began operating in the past 20 years. Two new reactors are under construction in Georgia, with loan guarantees received from both the Obama and Trump administrations. Nuclear power is one of the most divisive climate change policies in this Democratic primary.
QUESTION 17 OF 20
The government should make four years of college affordable for all families, including the wealthy.
freedebt-freeaffordable
In the 2016 Democratic primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton sparred over how best to subsidize the rising cost of college. Clinton’s plan would have ensured that students did not have to take out loans, but it would have still required contributions from families that could afford it. Sanders’s plan was free tuition for all. Since then, some have proposed even bigger plans — making not just tuition but also other fees free at public schools. There remains a divide as to whether the benefits should depend on students’ financial need.
QUESTION 18 OF 20
Americans owe a record $1.6 trillion in student debt, with 2 in 10 borrowers behind on their payments, according to the Federal Reserve. Student loan debt should be canceled for lower incomes.
canceled for everyonecanceled for lower incomesreduced, but not outright canceledleft alone
In past elections, Democrats’ focus has been on helping future students afford college, but that does nothing for those who already have student debt. New proposals seek to wipe out existing loans, a controversial notion given that some Americans who owe large sums attended graduate schools for law, medicine or business and have or likely will go on to earn large salaries.
QUESTION 19 OF 20
In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton received more votes than Donald Trump but lost the election. The U.S. should consider eliminating the existing electoral college system in favor of the popular vote.
should considershould not consider
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) has introduced legislation that would replace the electoral college with a national popular vote. Several states have instead pushed an “interstate compact” in which states would agree to allocate their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote, regardless of the winner in their state. If enough states joined the compact so that they made up more than half of electoral votes, it would effectively end the electoral college. Harris and Klobuchar said they are open to the change, while others explicitly support it.
QUESTION 20 OF 20
As president, Barack Obama spent years negotiating a free trade pact with countries bordering the Pacific Ocean to counterbalance China’s economic might in the region. Hillary Clinton opposed it in 2016, and President Trump withdrew from the agreement. The United States should consider joining the latest version of that agreement.
should considershould not consider
Obama negotiated the trade pact between 12 countries bordering the Pacific Ocean in the final years of his tenure, arguing that the accord would increase U.S. exports and create an alliance to contain China’s economic expansion. But the deal faced a difficult path in Congress, with many progressives arguing that it would hurt American workers. President Trump withdrew the United States from the plan, and the remaining 11 countries moved forward without U.S. participation, signing the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in March 2018.
Who agrees with you most → least
Your answers are below, along with whether the candidates agreed or disagreed with you. Question marks indicate that the candidate either did not answer the question or their answer was unclear.
| Number of times they agreed with you (out of 20) | 
Warren
14
| 
Bloomberg
10
| 
Buttigieg
10
| 
Steyer
10
| 
Klobuchar
9
| 
Yang
9
| 
Biden
8
| 
Sanders
7
| 
Gabbard
7
|
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