At the time this article is being published on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, the 2020 Presidential Election will be 538 days away. In the last edition, an article was published detailing all of the candidates who’ve entered into the race; now that it has been almost a month, the following is a narrowed list of the top five candidates based on fundraising numbers, media attention, and practical likeability. The following candidates are in no particular order:
Joe Biden As written about previously, former Vice President Joe Biden has been climbing in donations and attention from the public but has shied away from many interviews and television appearances. The former VP and Senator from Delaware raised over $6.3 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign. In his announcement video, Biden says we are “in the battle for the soul of this nation.” The former Vice President also remarks that if “we give Donald Trump eight years in The White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation”. Having worked in The White House for eight years, Biden is viewed as legitimate opposition to President Trump. The Former Senator from Delaware has also run for president twice, once in 1988 and once more in 2008 against Barack Obama. Latin Freshman Michael Bass said about Biden, “There are so many Washington politicians just trying to politicize their way into the Oval Office. On top of that, many of them have similar views. I want to see what happens, but because of Biden’s reputation, I’d probably vote for him.”
Pete Buttigieg Pete Buttigieg has undoubtedly received the most media attention out of all of the other  Presidential Candidates. The South Bend, Indiana Mayor is considered a “newbie” in the game of politics, yet donations and increased media attention demonstrate that he has the potential to prove otherwise. Buttigieg has raised over 7 million dollars and has made well over 50 appearances on different television and media platforms. Notably, he is only 37 years old which makes him just two years above the requirement to run for the presidency. However, his youthfulness is serving as a platform for new ideas, not as a liability for attacks regarding lack of experience. Buttigieg is the first openly gay candidate in the presidential race, and also the youngest to ever to run for president. These two things both open Mr. Buttigieg to a whole new demographic, and he hopes to capitalize on this reality. Buttigieg attended Harvard, and he continues to serve on The Institute of Politics.
Elizabeth Warren Senator Elizabeth Warren has gained a limited amount of attention from the media since her announcement in the state she represents: Massachusetts. Despite the initial privacy proposals that most candidates laid out, Ms. Warren announced via video and campaigned on states that she will need to win over in the primary. Warren attended the University of Houston, where she earned a degree in speech pathology and audiology. In addition, she attended law school at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey. Warren’s appearance in a CNN Town Hall bolstered her support, causing analysts to conclude that she has both a witty personality and a sense of urgency about the future of The United States. Latin Student Damarian Miller says “I watched a part of Senator Warren’s town hall, and it was very appealing to me. She seemed pretty smart, but I want to see what happens in the future.”
Kamala Harris California Senator Kamala Harris has raised millions of dollars in her pursuit of The White House. Becoming a prominent voice in the Democratic field, Harris has gained a large amount of media attention because of her combined diversity of ideas and ethnicity. Moreover, The Californian continues to serve her first term as a freshman in the Senate. The lack of governmental experience she presents as she serves alongside long-time Democrat Nancy Pelosi has been subject to criticism from opponents on both sides of the aisle. Harris attended Howard University where she studied political science and economics. In 1989, Senator Harris attended UC Hastings College of the Law, where she earned her J.D. before being admitted to the California State Bar. From what her speeches have entailed so far, it is clear she represents a very liberal state looking to invoke serious change within the nation.
Beto O’Rourke Texas Senator Beto O’Rourke has achieved a wide spread of media representation and is considered a viable threat to President Trump’s presidency. Furthermore, O’Rourke is facing the unexpected battle of earning the millennial vote in the upcoming election, one that will be hard-fought against Pete Butigieg. The congressman from the 16th District of Texas raised a record high amount of money for campaign funds before losing by just three points to 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz. His fluency in Spanish helped him win in El Paso then, and perhaps it can bolster support now. O’Rourke attended Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelors of Arts in English literature. His extroverted personality and ability to get a crowd “riled up” is certainly a talent he plans to campaign on.

The inclusion of these candidates in this article is based on media exposure, donations, and other statistics viewed as essential to being successful throughout a campaign. With those factors taken into account, these are the five most promising presidential candidates at this early stage of the campaign process.