While Kanye West has yet to announce his running, campaigns for the 2020 United States presidential election are well underway as many candidates have announced they’re running for office.  

President Donald J. Trump, who was elected into office in 2016, will soon be up for reelection on November 3, 2020. As of February 24, 2019, 559 candidates have announced their campaigning for 2020. Bernie Sanders, the runner up for democrats against Hilary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, has announced he is running for president in 2020. Sanders raised over $5.9 million from donors in the first 24 hours of campaigning, an impressive start for the Vermont Senator. Many other candidates show great potential as the kick-off to election season begins.  

Notable declared candidates according to ballotpedia.org  include Cory Booker (D), Pete Buttigieg (D), Julian Castro (D), John Delaney (D), Tulsi Gabbard (D), Kirsten Gillibrand (D), Kamala Harris (D), Amy Klobuchar (D), Bernie Sanders (I), Donald Trump (R), Elizabeth Warren (D), Bill Weld (R), Marianne Williamson (D), and Andrew Yang (D).  

Julian Castro, mayor of San Antonio, visited Storm Lake on Saturday February 23, 2019. He spoke of key issues he would focus on addressing in office including teacher salary, raising minimum wage, gun control, healthcare, affordable and accessible education, and immigration reform.  

“I was able to achieve my American Dream, and I want to ensure everyone can do the same,” said Julian Castro at the Storm Lake meet & greet.  

Skylar Finch, a junior at Buena Vista University, had already begun forming an opinion about a few candidates in particular.  

“Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, even Kamala Harris; you can just tell that they are passionate about issues rather than they are passionate about getting into office.”   

After asking Finch why she thinks it is important for students and young adults to be educated in politics and vote in elections she said,  “It’s our future. Many people don’t see the connection between what happens in government and their everyday lives, but it definitely affects them, especially in the long term.”  

Joe Biden, who served as Vice President during Obama’s presidency, is listed as “Likely to Run” in the New York Times recent publishing “Who’s Running for President 2020?”.  

It is early in campaigning, and many have yet to officially announce their candidacy, or lack thereof.  

According to CNN,  “The new Iowa Poll finds 32% of likely caucus–goers saying they back Biden as their first choice, 19% Sanders, 11% O’Rourke, 8% Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 5% California Sen. Kamala Harris, with the rest of the 20-person field testing below 5% support.”  

Buena Vista University is looking forward to, potentially, hosting presidential candidates in the near future.  Bradley Best, professor of political science, said that the possibility is there.  

“We hope to announce soon that an event will be held near the end of March,” said Best. “The fact is, I can’t say with certainty yet exactly who will be in that lineup, but I and a handful of people on campus are working with an external group to host an event that will showcase at least a handful of candidates.” 

This will be an opportunity for students to get involved on campus as well as to educate themselves on the upcoming presidential election and its candidates.