2020 Third-Party Candidates on the Issues
As we approach the 2020 Presidential Election, people are still torn on who to vote for in November.
The election has been primarily focused on the Democratic and Republican nominees, Joe Biden and Donald Trump; however, there will be additional third-party candidates on the ballot in November.
There will be a total of eight third-party candidates on different state ballots across the US:
- Jo Jorgensen belongs to the Libertarian Party and is running with Jeremy Cohen as VP.
- Howie Hawkins belongs to the Green Party and is running with Angela Nicole Walker as VP.
- Rocky De La Fuente belongs to the Alliance Party and is running with Darcy Richardson as VP.
- Don Blankenship belongs to the Constitution Party and is running with William Mohr as VP.
- Brock Pierce is running as an Independent alongside Karla Ballard as VP.
- Gloria La Riva belongs to the Party for Socialism and Liberation and is running with Sunil Freeman as VP.
- Brian T. Carroll belongs to the American Solidarity Party and is running with Amar Patel.
- Alyson Kennedy belongs to the Socialist Workers Party and is running with Malcolm Jarrett as VP.
“I totally get why people are voting for third-party candidates this year, especially with both sides being so controversial,” Katie Doubell, local Vendor Account Manager, said. “I personally don’t have much knowledge on the third-parties this year so I will be voting for Biden.”
According to Ballotpedia, only four candidates have qualified to appear on enough state ballots to win a majority – at least 270 electoral votes – in the Electoral College.
The four candidates are Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Jo Jorgensen, and Howie Hawkins.
If you are like many US voters who don’t know a ton about the third-party candidates or their views, they are listed below. All issue opinions were gathered from Jo Jorgensen and Howie Hawkins official campaign websites.
Female Reproductive Rights:
Jo Jorgensen thinks we should “keep the government out of it, no subsidies, no regulations.”
Howie Hawkins supports the legal framework established in the Roe v. Wade decision. Hawkins opposes targeted regulation of abortion clinics and providers through laws or policies beyond what is necessary to ensure patients’ safety.
Criminal Justice Reform:
Jo Jorgensen thinks people in affected communities should decide whether police officers should be required to wear body cameras.
The government should not hire private companies to run prisons.
Solitary confinement for juveniles should be banned.
Jorgensen also believes convicted criminals deserve the right to vote.
Howie Hawkins wants community control of the police.
He believes white racist terrorists should be monitored and prosecuted.
Mass incarceration should end, and drug abuse should be treated as a health problem, not a criminal issue.
He also believes in the decriminalization of personal possession of hard drugs and sex work.
Gun Regulation:
Jo Jorgensen opposes additional restrictions on the process of purchasing a gun.
She also opposes allowing victims of gun violence to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Howie Hawkins supports banning and buying back military assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and bump stocks.
He supports universal background checks for gun and ammunition buyers and closing the loophole for private sales and gun shows.
He would also require all gun owners to pass a gun safety and visual test and be licensed by a government agency.
A 28-day waiting period should be instituted after license application before a person can process firearms.
Immigration:
Jo Jorgensen does not support building a wall along the US’s southern border or separating children from their parents who illegally attempt to cross the border.
She also does not support local law enforcement detaining illegal immigrants and transferring them to federal immigration authorities unless the crime is severe and involves a victim.
Jorgensen supports deporting illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes.
Howie Hawkins called the forced separations of young children from their families a crime against humanity. Hawkins believes the US immigration policy has treated people from Mexico and Central America as cheap labor to be imported or deported based on US labor demands.
Hawkins demands open borders so nations can move freely, similar to the European Union.
Hawkins says the status of undocumented immigrants should be legalized and the US should provide a timely path to citizenship.
People crossing the borders would be required to provide identification, and only people wanted for criminal charges, or terrorist organization affiliation would be detained.
Hawkins believes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (BPE) should be abolished and replaced.
The Economy:
Jo Jorgensen thinks the solution to poverty is a vibrant economy fueled by plentiful jobs, high wages, and an affordable living cost.
She plans to eliminate policies that destroy economic growth, give special attention to regulations that drive up the cost of housing and health care, and regulations that create barriers to starting a business or entering professions.
Howie Hawkins believes the minimum wage should be $20 and guaranteed to be above poverty. He plans to create affordable housing for all through universal rent control and public housing. Howie believes in public ownership pf big banks and industries and worker cooperatives.
Healthcare:
Jo Jorgensen believes the latest healthcare proposals meant to fix health care will only further micromanage doctors and restrict access to care and fail to solve the system’s underlying problems.
She wants to reduce healthcare costs by 75% by allowing real price competition and substantially reducing government and insurance company paperwork.
Howie Hawkins plans to provide better accountability and cost control by creating a community-controlled national health service that delivers services through publicly-owned clinics and hospitals that employs salaried staff and is governed by a federation of locally-elected boards.
