Stories by Noa Yadidi

Noa YadidiApr 15, 2019

Bill Weld: Everything you need to know about the 2020 candidate

Bill Weld speaks. — Bill Weld. Photo: Paul Marotta/Getty Images.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is the first Republican to announce he will challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential race. Weld, a popular former governor who has tended to support more liberal social issues, ran on the 2016 Libertarian ticket with Gary Johnson.

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Key facts about Bill Weld:

Current position: Partner at Mintz Levin law firm, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, associate member of the InterAction Council
Age: 73
Born: Smithtown, New York
Undergraduate: Harvard University
Date candidacy announced: Feb. 15, 2019
Previous roles: Governor of Massachusetts (1991-1997), U.S. assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division (1986-1988), U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts (1981-1986)

Bill Weld's stance on key issues:

Abortion: Weld supports abortion rights and has fought to protect them. As governor in 1991, he introduced a bill aiming to make it easier to get an abortion in Massachusetts.
Same-sex marriage: While governor, Weld recognized domestic partnership rights for same-sex couples and signed legislation protecting gay and lesbian students. He also signed a 2013 amicus brief in support of same-sex marriage.
Marijuana: Weld sits on the board of directors of Acreage Holdings, a cannabis company looking to roll back federal regulations, the Washington Post reports. He has supported legalization of medical marijuana since 1992.
Economy: Despite his more progressive social views, Weld is a traditional conservative when it comes to the economy, prioritizing cutting spending and cutting taxes.
Climate change: Weld supports rejoining the Paris climate agreement, according to Boston.com.

Key criticism of Bill Weld:

Party loyalty: Weld endorsed Barack Obama over John McCain for president in 2008, but endorsed Mitt Romney over Obama in 2012. He also defected to the Libertarian Party to run with Gary Johnson in 2016.
Popularity with the right: Trump remains extremely popular among conservatives, polling at 87% among Republicans, according to a Fox News poll. A recent FiveThirtyEight piece calls Weld potentially "one of the weakest candidates that anti-Trump Republicans could put up in a national campaign," as his social views set him apart from most mainstream conservatives.

1 fun thing about Bill Weld

One of Weld's Harvard classmates told New York Magazine that Weld was famous for playing three games of chess simultaneously while blindfolded.

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Bill Weld

Noa YadidiApr 14, 2019

Marianne Williamson: Everything you need to know about the 2020 candidate

Marianne Williamson speaks — Marianne Williamson. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint via Getty Images

"New Age spiritual guru" Marianne Williamson, who has never before held public office, says she's running for president because the country is in need of a "moral and spiritual awakening." Williamson has penned 13 books, four of which have been New York Times number one bestsellers.

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Key facts about Williamson:

Current position: Spiritual leader, author and activist
Age: 66
Born: Houston
Undergraduate: Pomona College (left after 2 years)
Date candidacy announced: January 28, 2019
Previous roles: In 2014, Williamson ran as an independent in California's 33rd district congressional race and placed fourth out of 16 candidates, winning 13.2% of the vote.

Williamson's stance on key issues:

Health care: Supports a "Medicare for All model," according to her campaign website.
Education: Supports universal pre-school and free college.
Green New Deal: Supports.
Immigration: She supports DACA and a full path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants with no "serious criminal background."
Israeli-Palestinian peace process: "I don’t think the ultimate answer will be about settlements or checkpoints,” Williamson told a Jewish news site. "The work of the genuine peace builders must be on the level of the heart.” She added that the U.S. must return to "where it can be considered an honest broker" to play a useful role.
Reparations: In an interview with CNN, Williamson called for $100 billion to be paid to African Americans in reparations for slavery, with $10 billion per year distributed over 10 years.

Key criticism of Marianne Williamson:

Staff treatment: In a 1992 article, Williamson was criticized for her interpersonal skills and management style — a claim she acknowledged she could work on. At the time, she referred to herself as "the bitch for God."
Anonymity and inexperience: Williamson has never held public office before and has less name-recognition than many of her 2020 competitors.

1 fun thing about Marianne Williamson:

Williamson appeared many times on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and was often called Oprah's spiritual adviser, according to Vox.

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Marianne Williamson

Noa YadidiApr 12, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Everything you need to know about the 2020 candidate

Bernie Sanders speaks at a podium — Sen. Bernie Sanders. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Bernie Sanders is an independent Vermont senator who has created a firestorm amongst Democrats, helping to lead the party's shift to the left. Despite losing the Democratic nomination for president to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Sanders remains popular with voters as he continues to espouse key democratic socialist policies on the main stage of American politics.

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Key facts about Sanders

Current position: Senator from Vermont — 12 years served
Age: 77
Born: Brooklyn, New York
Undergraduate: Brooklyn College, University of Chicago
Date candidacy announced: Feb. 19, 2019
% of votes in line with Trump, per FiveThirtyEight: 14.4%
Previous roles: House Representative for Vermont's at-large congressional district, Mayor of Burlington, Vermont.

Sanders' stance on key issues:

Medicare For All: Sanders spearheaded a sweeping Medicare for All plan, which he introduced in 2017.
Green New Deal: Sanders is a co-sponsor of the bill and has spoken consistently about the severity of climate change.
Taxes: Sanders has long said he supports raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans. He recently proposed hiking estate taxes for millionaires and billionaires, including a top rate of 77% for estates over $1 billion.
Minimum wage: Sanders co-sponsored a bill in April 2017 that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15. In September 2018, he introduced the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies (Stop BEZOS) Act, which would tax companies for public benefits their workers accessed.
Voting rights: Says felons should be allowed to vote while in prison.
College tuition: A key point of Sanders' 2016 presidential run was his proposal to make college tuition free and debt free.
Marijuana: He co-sponsored fellow 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker's recently reintroduced Marijuana Justice Act, that would legalize marijuana on the federal level.

Key criticisms of Sanders

Socialism: That he's too far left. Or that the party has moved past him and he is no longer the only potential candidate who can carry the "progressive" label.
Campaign staff sexual misconduct: Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign was plagued by patterns of sexism and inappropriate behavior among members.
Age: A recent poll found 43 of Iowa's 76 Democratic county party leaders say they want a young candidate to be their nominee for president in 2020.
Lack of loyalty: Despite running for president as a Democrat in 2016, Sanders has always identified as an independent and has said he won't join the party.
Pragmatism: Many of Sanders' proposals would need high levels of government spending, creating questions about how feasible some of them actually are.

1 fun thing about Bernie

While serving as mayor of Burlington, he recorded a folk album — titled "We Shall Overcome" — with 30 Vermont musicians.

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Bernie Sanders