As 2020 presidential candidates prepare to take the stage at the fifth Democratic debate on Wednesday, the lower tier candidates continue their fight for a spot on the national stage. With a growing field of candidates, the ability to stand out in an already crowded field dwindles.
Former Congressman John Delaney was the first to throw his hat in the race in July of 2017, but that hasn't translated into a successful bid for the Democratic nomination.
Still, Delaney sees his moderate approach to universal healthcare as a way to stand out in a progressive field. "I'm more in the Warren and Sanders camp on the goal, which is to give everyone health care as a basic human right. I just have a very different way of implementing it," Delaney said.
Senator Michael Bennet's goal is to appeal to those in purple states by tackling issues such as healthcare with a more pragmatic approach.
"I don't want to fight a losing battle on Medicare for all over the next 10 years because it will strip from us the opportunity to deliver a better economic chance for most Americans," Bennet said.
The Colorado senator's ideals have not translated in polls, but Bennet has found a silver lining.
"My polling is never good except in one respect, which is that people that I expected to be 20 points ahead of me are like one point ahead of me or two points ahead of me," Bennet said.
Former Congressman Joe Sestak sees persistence as the key to winning over Iowa caucus-goers.
"It's tough to keep going at times, but that's what's most admired. I mean, in any kind of challenge," Sestak said.
Sestak has spent most of his time campaigning in early states, walking through New Hampshire and buying ads in Iowa.
Wednesday's debate marks the first time former HUD secretary Julián Castro will not be on the stage. Castro's campaign has consistently focused on marginalized communities in the U.S.
"I have been speaking up for the most vulnerable people in our country, whether it's people sleeping on the streets of Las Vegas or living in a trailer park in Iowa or in a D.C. jail serving time," Castro said.
With less than 100 days to go before the Iowa caucus and increasing requirements to qualify for the remaining primary debates, 2020 hopefuls remain optimistic that their tactics will prevail.
Updated November 20 to reflect that Bennet is not the only senator left in the race.
Krutika Amin, associate director at the Kaiser Family Foundation for the Program on the Affordable Care Act, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the Biden administration's plan to fix the so-called 'family glitch' in the Affordable Care Act preventing millions of Americans from accessing government-subsidized health plan.
Abdallah Fayyad, opinion writer at the Boston Globe, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the House's vote to hold former Trump aides Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress and send the recommendation to the Department of Justice. Fayyad also weighs in on the pressure facing Attorney General Merrick Garland to be more aggressive in prosecuting the January 6 case.
Those paying back federal student loans are getting a few extra months of relief. President Biden just announced another extension of the pandemic relief program allowing millions of borrowers to freeze their student loan payments. The pause began in March 2020 and it has been extended six times. Tomas Campos, co-founder and CEO of Spinwheel, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
There has been notable disagreement in the medical community about a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose. The FDA last week authorized a second booster dose for older and immunocompromised individuals, as some agency officials did not support the idea. The FDA made the decision without meeting with its advisory committee, as it had ahead of its recommendations on the previous COVID-19 vaccine doses.
The CDC followed in the footsteps of the FDA and authorized a fourth dose as well. Reports say the agency also did not discuss the move with its own advisory team of vaccine experts. Now, a growing number of doctors are speaking out against the decisions - leaving people confused about whether they should get another vaccine dose. Dr. Julie Morita, a member of the CDC's advisory committee to the director, and the executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The Senate has confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for COVID-19, her spokesman says. That's a day after the 82-year-old Democratic leader appeared unmasked at a White House event with President Joe Biden.
JetBlue made an unsolicited offer to buy low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, potentially jeopardizing the original offer from Frontier Airlines. Several analysts sounding the alarm on JetBlue's proposed $3.6 billion merger, saying the deal doesn't quite make sense. Jim Corridore, Senior Insights Manager at Similarweb joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The Biden administration is once again extending the pause on federal student loans payments — this time, through the end of August. In a statement, President Biden cited a recent analysis from the Fed that if the payments were to resume, millions of student loan borrowers would face significant "economic hardship, delinquencies, and defaults that could threaten America's financial stability." Sarah Foster, an analyst at Bankrate, breaks down the impact of the extension on borrowers, the economy, and the future of student loan forgiveness. "I think this is just an instance of the federal student loan forbearance program kind of creating additional uncertainty for borrowers, especially in the sense that these past four extensions from the Biden administration have kind of come at the 11th hour here," she said.
