In Part 3 of this BBC News Article you'll learn about
(Since you already know Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, there's no need to include them)
Andrew Yang
Political opinion surveys show that most Americans don't know who Andrew Yang is. Those are the polls that ask about Mr Yang at all, which are few in number.The technology entrepreneur had a small room in Austin but filled it. And, due to his moderator's cancelled flight, he had to interview himself. That he managed to pull it off was a testament to his ease at public speaking, which if he manages to make it onto a Democratic debate stage later this year, may turn some heads. He's developed a loyal online following and has garnered more than 57,000 individual donations - on a pace to hit the 65,000 mark that is one of the Democratic Party's criteria for qualifying for the first debate.
His big idea: Mr Yang's entire campaign is centred around one big idea -a universal basic income. He proposes guaranteeing every American a $1,000 monthly payment funded by a value-added tax, which he calls the "freedom dividend." He says it is necessary to cushion the American public for the coming upheaval created by automation and artificial intelligence.
"This economy is going to go from punitive to savage very quickly," he says. "The next downturn, the knives are going to come out." Everyone from call centre operators to truck drivers will be on the chopping block. "There's no magical realignment that's going to happen," he says. A basic income will ease the blow.
His biggest obstacle: To a man with a hammer, every problem can look like a nail. For a one-issue candidate like Mr Yang, the basic income is a salve for all ills. Climate change? A basic income would free people to focus on the environment instead of making ends meet. Small-town decay? The money would let people move back and start businesses. Mr Yang says critics who call his plan socialism get it wrong. The reality, however, is Mr Yang is never going to be elected president. His obstacle is finding a way to get enough attention to inject his income proposal into the conversation. It's not an impossible goal.
Reception:
BBC Awarded 4 Stars
******************************************John Delaney
Former Maryland congressman John Delaney has been running for president since July 2017, but Sunday night - in a cable-televised town hall with audience questions - was his first opportunity to bask in the spotlight.He did... not bad. He sounded like a polished politician who knew the key to success in this type of forum is to look the questioner in the eye and make a connection. The former technology executive did what he had to make his pitch for moderation and accord. "I don't think bipartisanship is a dirty word," he said.
He ticked off six possible areas of common ground he thinks both parties could find if he's president - a carbon tax; infrastructure spending; criminal justice reform; immigration reform; digital privacy and a new national service programme.
You have to admit, he's an optimist.
His big idea: As part of his effort to find common ground with political opponents, Mr Delaney promises that as president he would hold nationally televised debates with Congress once every three months. Think of it like question time in the British Parliament, but not as often and (probably) with less creative insults.
His biggest obstacle: Mr Delaney has been campaigning in Iowa for 20 months and still barely registers as a blip in presidential preference polls there. He joked that he was unable to clear the presidential field despite his long head start. Chances are, the field will soon leave him in the dust.
Reception:
BBC Awarded 3 Stars
******************************************Tulsi Gabbard
The 37-year-old Hawaii congresswoman was one of the few congressional supporters of Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, but now she's running against him.Perhaps the most interesting moment in Ms Gabbard's Sunday evening town hall was when she was asked whether she is a capitalist. It's the kind of question every Democratic candidate has faced in the past few days, with varying degrees of success.
"So many of these labels are misused, misunderstood to the point where people don't have any idea what they mean anymore," Ms Gabbard said.
The audience applauded. Perhaps they sympathised. Just a day earlier, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a South by Southwest audience that capitalism was "irredeemable", while elsewhere possible independent candidate Howard Schultz praised capitalism and said to understand socialism you should "look at Venezuela".
When the terms of the debate can't even be agreed upon, what's the chance of a useful answer? Democrats might want to follow the Hawaiian's lead and avoid trying to answer.
Her big idea: A central part of Ms Gabbard's campaign has been her call for an end to US-led "regime change wars" - in Syria and Afghanistan. She also condemns runaway military spending as a "new arms race". As a major in the US Army reserve and a veteran of the Iraq War, Ms Gabbard has a unique perch from which to launch her critique.
Her biggest obstacle: Her foreign policy has also been a source of controversy. In 2017 she met President Bashar Assad in Syria and has questioned the international consensus that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own citizens.
"I served in a war in Iraq, a war that was based on lies," she said. "I think that the evidence needs to be gathered." She refused to label Mr Assad as a "war criminal" - a position that sets her well apart from the majority of US politicians and the American people.
Reception:
