On Tuesday, November 5, voting for the 47th president of the United States will be held. Amongst the frenzy of information directed towards voters, it is hard to discern the truth, and what are the true intentions of each candidate. However, it is important to be informed when voting in order to make the choice that is right for each person. The two major parties, Democrat and Republican, are both associated with a certain set of views. Despite the common tendency to vote for the party with the perceived most sensical views; the individual candidates may have plans that slightly divert from those of their party. Therefore, knowing each candidate’s campaign platform is essential from the perspective of an informed voter. It should also be noted that claims made by candidates can be used simply to attract voters, so one should conduct independent research. Additionally, candidates may overlap in ideals more than people realize.
Each candidate states their platform, however, for a more synopsized version, we can determine views based on the major topics at the moment. According to Pew Research Center, the major issues voters are concerned with are as follows: the economy, health care, Supreme Court appointments, foreign policy, violent crime, immigration, gun policy, abortion, racial and ethnic inequality, and climate change. Each one of these issues will be evaluated based on the official candidate platform in order to allow for comparison.
The Republican candidate in the 2024 election is the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump, running alongside JD Vance. The Trump platform is stated on the official Donald J Trump website and is synopsized into “20 CORE PROMISES TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”, in addition to a detailed party platform. In terms of the economy, Trump claims that his plan is to build “The Greatest Economy In History”. He plans for this by cutting certain regulations, making tax cuts, fair trade, low cost energy, and by “championing innovation”. For Health care, Trump puts this under the category of “restoring the American Dream”, stating he will make medicare and basic healthcare/prescription more accessible. Trump’s plans for the Supreme Court solely include maintaining the current number of judges, nine, and opposing an increase. His foreign policy plans include consolidating industry within the United States, putting America first, creating peace, and strengthening alliances. In terms of violent crime, Trump seems to stick it to immigrants, taking an anti-immigrant stance. Trump is seemingly highly opposed to immigration, stating that the border will be sealed and that there would be mass deportation. Trump’s planned gun policy is not noted in his campaign platform. Trump states that he supports the overturning of Roe V. Wade, and opposes late term abortion, however he states that he supports “Prenatal Care, and access to Birth Control, and IVF”. In terms of racial and ethnic inequality, there is also no mention in the platform. Finally, there is also no mention of the climate crisis. There are many other plans detailed in Trump’s platform that can be found on his official website.
The Democratic Candidate in the 2024 election is the current vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, running alongside Tim Walz. Harris’s platform can be found on the official Kamala Harris website, under Issues titled “A New Way Forward”. Harris’s plans for the economy focus on building up the middle class, and lowering prices in general, especially for necessities, as well as ensuring that the United States remains the number one economic power. Harris claims she will make affordable health care a right, lowering healthcare costs, and extending Medicaid postpartum coverage. Harris wishes to impose term limits on supreme court justices and require them to comply with ethics. Harris’s foreign policy plans include strengthening national security, ensuring alliances, protecting the U.S. military, and employing diplomatic strategies in foreign relations. Harris wishes to keep communities safe from crime and to create more prevention programs. In terms of immigration, Harris states that she wishes to reform our broken system. Harris seeks to protect people from gun violence, proposing assault weapon bans, and red flag laws to “keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.” Harris promises that she will not allow a national abortion ban, and would sign a reproductive freedom bill. Harris’s platform does not directly reference racial and ethnic inequality, however it states that she is anti-discrimination. Finally Harris’s plans for the climate crisis are as stated; “She and Governor Walz will always fight for the freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis.” More details can be found on the official website, which is worth looking into.
Overall opinions should not simply be formed based on the candidates statement of their intentions, voters should research to ensure they are making a good and informed decision. The candidates’ platforms also include their stances and plans regarding many other important issues, aside from just the main ones. With less than a month until voting day, it is crucial that voters begin serious consideration of their pick for the 47th president of the United States.
