Presidential Race: What You Need to Know

By Malik Shim, Clarion Managing Editor

The 2024 Presidential race is on, and the two main candidates are ready to go! The path to the White House is set for Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump. 

Who will win? Who are the candidates? Where do they come from? And what are their policies?

Donald Trump is a former businessman, former President, and also a convicted felon. He is known for his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, his stance on “building the wall” on the southern U.S. border, and his charisma with followers. 

Trump has been one of the biggest names in the news due to his assassination attempt during a July rally, the constant name-calling he does to other people, and Project 2025, a conservative agenda about what the next presidency for a Republican candidate would look like. 

Trump has tried his best to distance himself from Project 2025, which has ties to Agenda 47, the official platform he posts on his campaign website. The 900-page document talks about mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, elimination of the Department of Education, and defunding of schools teaching critical race theory (CRT), an academic field focusing on social concepts of race and ethnicity. 

His running mate is JD Vance, United States Senator from Ohio, author, veteran of the Marine Corps, and venture capitalist. Vance was constantly being called flat out weird by Democrats and some Republicans. The term “weird” has been a thorn in the backside of both Vance and Trump. 

According to Decision Desk polling on October 1, the Republican candidates have been projected to win 219 electoral votes toward gaining the 270 majority vote, compared to the projected 232 of Democrats.

Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate who was a California prosecutor, a District Attorney, an Attorney General, and current Vice President under Joe Biden. Her campaign catchphrase is, “When we fight, we win!” She is also known for being the first woman of black and South Asian descent to become Vice President of the U.S.  Her campaign platform discusses issues like the economy, social justice, immigration, and the middle-class.

Ever since Biden stepped aside, and Harris became the top of the ticket, she has gotten a lot of backlash from those who say she didn’t win to be the nominee by the primaries. There were also claims about her being the “border czar” and being able implement policies – claims that are false because only a sitting president can implement policies, while the vice president is only there to preside over the senate and serve when the president cannot. 

Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. As governor, Walz provided free school lunches to thousands of children in Minnesota and made easier access to feminine hygiene products. Many voters saw him as a relatable midwestern dad-type.

The candidates are selected via the electoral college. A group of electors representing their state is who represents the electoral college. The electoral college is also influenced by the popular vote. Choosing not to vote simply is like saying you don’t care about what snack you get. Have you ever asked someone to get you a snack, but you don’t tell them what snack and they bring you something you don’t like? That’s what not voting is like! It’s important to vote and use your voice for what you want instead of just sitting down and saying “surprise me” and getting a candidate you don’t want.

Now that we know what policies the candidates will put in place, what about their policies?  The following analysis is taken from Trump’s Agenda 47 and the Harris campaign website.

The U.S. Economy: 

Trump intends to put a stop to “useless” government spending and promote economic growth, cut costly and burdensome regulations, stop illegal immigration, “restore peace with strength,” cut taxes, make trade deals, and find reliable and abundant low cost energy. 

Harris on the other hand wants to create an “opportunity economy” in which she will cut taxes for middle class families, make rent and housing more affordable, invest in small businesses and support entrepreneurship, take on pharmaceutical companies (“big pharma”) and price gouging, bring down costs of healthcare, protect social security, support American innovation workers, make a pathway to the middle class with quality affordable education, invest in child care, lower energy costs, and take on climate change.

Immigration: 

Trump intends to have the biggest deportation in American history as well as to complete the same policies from 2017-2020, including separation of children from their parents and teaching them to fear the consequences of border policy. He also intends to increase border agents and finish the border wall. During the August debate, Trump claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eat dogs and cats (debunked).

Harris again takes a progressive turn when it comes to the border. She vows to sign an executive order of H.R.2 - “Secure the Border Act” 2023, a bill that didn’t pass in the U.S. Senate. The bill describes the continuation of construction of the border wall by the Department of Homeland Security, assistance of Western Hemisphere countries to help with root causes of asylum seeking, and limit migration to people who have not been convicted of a crime. She also has stated on stage many times she supports a strong border but also easier pathways to migration.

Foreign Policy: 

Trump has stated many times that if he had been in office, the Hamas-Israeli War would have never happened, and same with the Russo-Ukrainian War (which started in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea). Trump, judging by his interviews on allowing Israel to “finish the job” as well as cutting funds to support Ukraine, seems to be allowing the continuation of invasion between multiple countries.

Harris wants to continue funding Ukraine, but doesn’t want the war with Israel and Hamas to continue. She wants a direct ceasefire in Gaza as well as a two-state solution. She has also vowed to protect US soldiers from Iranian threats as well as strengthen the US ties to South Korea and other allies in the Pacific and NATO.

Education: 

Sadly, both candidates on stage rarely talk about education which in the political scene has been a huge elephant in the room. Trump intends to abolish the Department of Education and leave it to the states. This leaves education decisions vulnerable to certain agendas rather than just general education. He also supports defunding schools that promote critical race theory and gender identity.

Harris’ policies don’t really see changes in the education system, but making it more affordable. She will continue to strengthen public education as well as help fund community colleges. Even helping out with investing in HBCUs and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Harris also wants to continue the Biden policy of forgiving student loan debt.

Social Issues: 

Trump’s Agenda 47 barely has any actions when it comes to social issues. However, it states it will revoke visas of those who support “Islamic nationalism” (advocacy, or support, of political independence) and jihadism attacks against any threats of the Sunni Islamic faith) to combat antisemitism, it seems to refer to support for Hamas and Hezbollah, groups that support Palestine. Trump also wants to protect discriminations against Christian faith, and in the same breath seems to demonize Muslims.

Harris, a liberal, has a bunch of policies regarding social issues. She has called for protections for the LGBTQIA+ community, to secure $2 billion dollars to help from the Office of Civil Rights, to expand voter rights, and also to keep abortion rights.