The debate over the abolishment of the electoral college reached a fever pitch this week as a number of Democrat presidential candidates openly backed the idea.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren:
California Senator Kamala Harris (who to be fair, simply says she's "open" to the idea):2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren calls for abolishing the Electoral College and moving to a national popular vote: “Every vote matters” #WarrenTownHall https://t.co/pPFMVywETf pic.twitter.com/yy0J0HgAjc
— CNN (@CNN) March 19, 2019
Former Congressman Robert O'Rourke:
Asked about the idea of getting rid of the electoral college, Beto O’Rourke tells @GarrettHaake today: “I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that.” pic.twitter.com/k5yUiL2gmb
— Kailani Koenig (@kailanikm) March 19, 2019
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg:
Would I support getting rid of the Electoral College? Absolutely. It's got to go. pic.twitter.com/kDbOoJe4hM
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) March 20, 2019
Former Obama Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro:
He’s running on a decidedly progressive platform — Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, universal pre-K (something he implemented in San Antonio), tuition-free public college or career training options. He’s skeptical, he says, of a plan some candidates have suggested to expand the size of the Supreme Court, because he doesn’t know where such a thing ends — what’s to prevent the next president from expanding it again? We should “do away with” the Electoral College, he tells BuzzFeed News. And he thinks that independent redistricting and making Congress subject to the Freedom of Information Act would help tamp down the partisanship that often gridlocks the legislature by facilitating greater transparency.
Other candidates haven't been directly asked about the issue, but when they are, this list will be updated.