Everyone knows Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are the confirmed Democratic candidates.
The polls are split between the two front-runners and Joe Biden, who has not even confirmed his candidacy for the 2016 presidential bid.
If you squint really closely at the bottom of the Huffington Post poll chart that combines the latest opinion polls out there, you will see a little less than 3 percent of the vote going toward three other people you have never heard of.
With the first Democratic debate coming up next week, I thought it might be important to take to the campaign websites to do a little research on those other guys.
The front-runner of the other guys is former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who takes home a nice 1 percent of the poll vote. His website promotes a few vague inklings toward immigration reform and raising minimum wage, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard.
His gun control plan, however, is more in-depth. He calls, not only for expanded background checks for gun purchasers and for increased age restrictions, but also a fresh perspective on a lesser-known gun issue. By the laws currently on the books, convicted domestic abusers cannot purchase guns, but those who commit gun violence in a dating relationship still can. O’Malley calls this the “boyfriend loophole” and he resolves to close it.
Beyond his liberal policies, O’Malley seems to be what pop culture would call a cool guy. There was even a picture, posted on Twitter, of him planking and reading an iPad at the same time. Nice multi-tasking, you cool guy.
The next of the nobodies is Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. This guy didn’t get mentioned by O’Malley when he addressed “Sen. Sanders, former Secretary Clinton, Gov. Chafee, all of those in our race” in a speech in New Hampshire asking for support on his gun control policy. Tough break.
But at least he got to visit Hawaii. One of the articles on his campaign site’s news section, which should be called “olds” instead of “news” since there is nothing past September, boasts his competitive campaigning in the islands.
Unfortunately, there are no innovative policies on his issues webpage, so I’m not sure what exactly his appeal is. Perhaps he will rise from the ashes like a phoenix during the debate next week, and I will be proven wrong.
As of now, I’m skeptical.
The last of the candidates on the docket for the debate is Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. He seems to have gone the Marsh Supermarkets route with his campaign slogan, which is “Fresh Ideas for America.”
As president, Chafee promises to protect civil liberties, expand paid medical leave and promote state-level decisions for school programs.
The most interesting draw to Chafee is his commitment to prosperity through peace. He was one of the few to vote against the Iraq War, and he said he stands by this decision.
He also promises advocacy against unnecessary drone strikes and torture of prisoners, which is a hopeful sentiment but does not outline any policy moves to get there.
Chafee brings a few things to the table: generally liberal-minded ideas, a commitment to peace and an eerie resemblance to Craig T. Nelson.
Next week’s debate should benefit these no-name candidates, as they will express their ideas to a broader audience.
And if not, at least Donald Trump won’t be there.
meickhof@indiana.edu
@maggie_eickhoff
