Democratic voters still undecided on who to choose as the presidential nominee will hear from 10 candidates in the third debate Thursday in Houston.
Although more than 20 people seek the Democratic nomination and have participated in previous debates, only 10 qualified for Thursday’s debate based on polling and fundraising thresholds.
The 10 candidates who will appear at Texas Southern University, a historically Black institution, are former Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Sen. Beto O’Rourke, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
According to poll observations by poll aggregator RealClearPolitics, Biden and Warren on average place first and second, respectively. Thursday also marks the first time both candidates will appear on stage together.
The latest poll released Sunday, Sept. 8 by ABC News/Washington Post show Biden in first place among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents at 27 percent, a 2 percent decrease from July.
Sanders placed second at 19 percent, but Warner jumped from 11 percent in July to 17 percent.
Harris decreased in fourth place from 11 percent to 7 percent to join the rest of the candidates in single digits.
The poll, conducted Sept. 2-5 among a random national sampling of 1,003 voters, shows Biden with 42 percent who believe he’s the best candidate to defeat Republican President Donald Trump.
Biden also has one racial group that supports him.
“Biden owes much of his advantage to Blacks, with 44 percent support, about double his level among whites and Hispanics alike,” according to the poll.
The poll highlights Sanders garnered the highest number at 31 percent of voters “closest to me on issues,” but only 11 percent believe he’s “most likely to beat Trump.”
Meanwhile, several candidates released recent policy proposals such as climate change.
Klobuchar would place the country on net-zero emissions by 2050. She would also restore former President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan that set emission standards for states.
If elected president, Booker would invest $3 trillion by 2030 and transition into a 100 percent carbon-neutral economy by 2045. His plan also proposes to increase Environmental Protection Agency enforcement actions against “polluting companies.”
One idea Warren would propose to improve climate change stems from a $2 trillion investment over 10 years in green research, manufacturing and exporting. In turn, create more than a million American jobs.
Part of Castro’s plan would push for civil rights legislation that would review whether any health and environment impacts are affected on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
Buttigieg also wants net-zero emissions by 2050 that includes a $200 billion investment in advanced technology that “can contain captured carbon and direct air capture of greenhouse gases.”
Harris became the last person to release a plan, doing so the same day as Buttigieg on Sept. 4. Her plan includes $10 trillion in public and private funding. By 2030, her plan would ensure the country runs on carbon-neutral electricity for busses, heavy-duty vehicles and vehicle fleets at zero emissions.