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The Democratic Party Platform, 2020
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The Democratic National Committee adopted a party platform during the 2020 Democratic National Convention the week of August 17, 2020. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, delegates adopted the platform virtually rather than assembling in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1]
2020 Democratic Party Platform
- See also: The Democratic Party Platform, 2020
The following embedded document contains the text of the 2020 Democratic Party Platform.
Updates
The Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee approved a draft of the party's platform on July 27, 2020. It included amendments supporting unions, backing paid sick leave, and opposing President Donald Trump's (R) deployment of federal agents to cities with large demonstrations.[2]
Forbes reported on July 28, 2020, that more than 700 Democratic delegates had signed a pledge to vote against the party platform if it did not include a plank supporting Medicare for All. The coalition was led by Bernie Sanders delegates from Nevada.[3][4]
What is the party platform?
The party platform is a written document that outlines the Democratic Party's policy priorities and positions on domestic and foreign affairs. It does not have any binding impact on Democratic elected officials or candidates.[5]
When the party adopted its first platform at the Democratic National Convention in 1840, it featured only nine resolutions and fewer than 1,000 words.[6][7] Over time, the party platform has become increasingly complex in detail and scope. The platform adopted by Democrats in 2016 contained more than 26,000 words and covered a wide range of policy concerns, including minimum wage, systemic racism, voting rights, climate change, and national security.[8]
The party platform has also been used to distinguish Democratic presidential nominees from their Republican rivals. In four of the five most recent party platforms, the Republican nominee was mentioned by name.[9]
The American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has archived all of the Democratic Party's platforms here.
2020 Democratic Platform Drafting Committee
On June 23, 2020, the Democratic National Committee announced the party members who would sit on the Platform Drafting Committee:[10]
- Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (Ga.), Chair
- Dr. Tony Allen (Del.)
- Stuart Appelbaum (N.Y.)
- Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.)
- Sen. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.)
- Rep. Sylvia Garcia (Texas)
- Dr. Heather Gautney (N.Y.)
- Don Graves (Ohio)
- Rep. Debra Haaland (N.M.)
- Analilia Mejia (N.J.)
- Josh Orton (Wis.)
- State Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez (Fla.)
- Julianne Smith (D.C.)
- Richard Trumka (Pa.)
- Former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (Iowa)
- Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.), ex-officio member
Carmel Martin, a senior policy adviser to the Biden campaign, was named a non-voting member of the committee.[10]
2016 Democratic Party Platform
The following embedded document contains the text of the 2016 Democratic Party Platform.
See also
- Democratic National Convention, 2020
- The Democratic Party Platform and DNC Platform Committees, 2016
- The Democratic Party Platform, 2012
- The Democratic Party Platform, 2008
- Republican National Convention, 2020
- The Republican Platform and RNC Platform Committee, 2016
- The Republican Party Platform, 2008
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "Democratic Convention Moves to Smaller Venue, as Delegates Are Urged to Stay Away," June 24, 2020
- ↑ NPR, "Democrats Meet Virtually To Approve Platform That Builds Off Biden-Sanders Effort," July 27, 2020
- ↑ Forbes, "More Than 700 Democratic Delegates Vow To Reject Platform If It Doesn’t Include Medicare For All," July 28, 2020
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Democrats Fend Off Attempts to Back Medicare for All in Platform," July 27, 2020
- ↑ Fortune, "Despite What Bernie Sanders Says, The Democratic Party Platform Doesn't Matter," May 27, 2016
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "Democratic Party Platform of 1840," accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer," April 17, 2000
- ↑ United States Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Platform," accessed June 25, 2020
- ↑ American Presidency Project, "Political Party Platforms of Parties Receiving Electoral Votes," accessed June 25, 2020
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wisconsin Politics, "Democratic National Committee: Announces Platform Drafting Committee members," June 23, 2020
