Heading into this past Saturday, February 22nd, there is yet to be a standout candidate in the Democratic party nomination. Current frontrunners Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Bernie Sanders lead the race with 22 and 21 delegates respectively. 

Although, Buttigeig and Sanders are sensing much more than solely the tension between the pair. Three other candidates have early delegate declarations as well; albeit, not as impressive figures. Senator Elizabeth Warren, possibly the standout favorite from last year at this time, holds 8 delegates. While Senator Amy Klobuchar holds 7, and Former Vice President Joe Biden holds 6. Late entry candidate Mayor Michael Bloomberg currently holds 0 delegates, but his recent surge in polls is certainly concerning other candidates.

While Buttigieg, Bloomberg, and Klobuchar have trended upwards. Biden and Warren have been falling in polls, despite holding status as long term favorites heading into the nomination. Sanders over the past several years has held similar status to the likes of Biden and Warren; however, has managed to keep stable numbers that do not tend to fluctuate.

Bloomberg, former Republican and mayor of New York City, entered the race just 10 weeks ago. Although, he has rapidly ascended to the top 5 by pumping huge amounts of his own money into his campaign. The multibillionaire has spent hundreds of millions of dollars funding ads across all platforms and has exclaimed that he will do whatever it takes to defeat President Donald Trump come November. 

Many of the other Democratic candidates strongly oppose Bloomberg’s methods of running. Sanders, the self proclaimed “democratic socialist”, has made very clear that he believes elections should not be bought by billionaires. Possibly alluding to Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 election, as well as current candidate Bloomberg’s campaign. 

Oakdale High School teacher Kevin Trigger was asked for his take on wealthy men and women self funding their campaigns. He responded explaining, “Anyone who wants to run and has the means to do so should be able to run. We can’t say that someone may not run due to a lack or excess of funds.”

This past Wednesday, February 21, the nation got a view of all the candidates head to head in the second national Democratic debate, which has been labeled possibly the most heated debate in modern political history. From the moment the bell rang, candidates were slinging remarks at one another in an attempt to defame their competition. 

Specifically targeting the newcomer to the stage Bloomberg for past remarks he has made, his multi billionaire status, and his former connections to the republican party. Sanders was also prone to receiving criticism from the other candidates; however, Sanders was shot down for his extreme left views and self proclaimed belief in “democratic socialism.” Possibly the most heated remarks came from Warren, who did not hesitate from putting any candidate in their place. Buttigieg and Klobuchar also had a heated moment, with some traded words and finger wagging.

With Super Tuesday (March 3) rapidly approaching, candidates were doing everything in their power to gain an edge over one another. Senior Aidan Batt predicted,  “I foresee Buttigieg gaining momentum over other candidates through the remainder of the caucuses and primaries, following current trends.”

The nation will have to wait to see how the nomination unfolds over the next few weeks. Uncertainty still remains among many voters and the polls are constantly changing. Several experts even indicate that the nomination may head to the convention to determine the nominee.