Tell Us If You’d Vote Within Party Lines on These Issues and We'll Guess Which Democratic Candidate You Want to Be President

By: Elisabeth Henderson
Estimated Completion Time
7 min
Tell Us If You’d Vote Within Party Lines on These Issues and We'll Guess Which Democratic Candidate You Want to Be President
Image: Hill Street Studios / DigitalVision / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Ever since Andrew Jackson’s opponents in 1828 called him a jack$&*, the Democratic Party has been associated with that sturdy, stubborn work animal — the donkey. Democrats are known for sticking to the party lines on issues that make them dig their heels into the dirt. Engage in a political conversation with anyone, from a banker to a barber, and their stances on the classic questions will reveal their political affiliation. 

But politics these days are not politics as usual. The Democratic Party is in flux, seeking which of its many outfits will win the costume party come Election Day. The party line on immigration, for instance, holds that the country should embrace immigrants and provide a path to citizenship for those who are in the country illegally. Some Democrats, however, like the popular Joe Biden, have, as recently as 2007, rejected granting driver’s licenses to immigrants. On the other end of the spectrum, some, like Julian Castro, advocate removing federal penalties for crossing illegally. 

What kind of Democrat are you? Do you dig your heels in along the party line, shuffle way over to the left, or shake hands across the line to the right? Tell us how you’d vote on these hot button and more obscure issues, and we’ll match you up with the candidate who’s dug in next to you! 

1 immigration
Luis Diaz Devesa / Moment / Getty Images
Should undocumented immigrants be legally allowed to work in the United States?
We must increase border security, and part of that will be creating ways for undocumented workers to come out of the shadows and work.
They should have opportunities to find meaningful work and gain documentation.
There must be a path for them to become documented so they can work.
I would personally employ an undocumented worker.

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2 climate change
Cheoh Wee Keat / Moment / Getty Images
Experts say that we have about 12 years left to curb climate change. How can we do that?
Create a carbon tax and spend millions on creating clean energy jobs
Reduce our carbon emissions to net zero by 2030
Rejoin the Paris Climate Accord
Transform the U.S. to 100% clean energy in a decade

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3 ICE
Aslan Alphan / E+ / Getty Images
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has come under fire for abusing its power. What should be done with this agency?
Conduct an internal review to examine any abuse.
Replace it with something that honors our morals.
Reform the agency.
Do away with it altogether.

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5 mental health
Sladic / E+ / Getty Images
How should the next president address the mental health crisis in this country?
Expand mental health services and target addiction.
Create a universal health care system and expand mental health care.
Use the Affordable Care Act to give more access to services.
Introduce Medicare for All so that all Americans have mental health care access.

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6 trans rights
ljubaphoto / E+ / Getty Images
The current administration has been catastrophic for transgender individuals. How would you work to heal the damage that has been done?
End discrimination based on gender identity in the workplace and housing.
Possibly decriminalize sex work
End the ban on trans individuals serving in the military.
Support the Equality Act.

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7 student debt
Alys Tomlinson / Cultura / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images
Should students leave college with decades of college debt to pay off?
No, we should reform the student loan system so that debts can be paid off based on income.
No, we should forgive all student debt for 95% of college students.
No, we should offer free community college education.
No, we should cancel all student debt.

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8 gun violence
Elizabeth Fernandez / Moment / Getty Images
How can this country address the gun violence epidemic?
Universal background checks
Ban assault weapons
Background checks, even on peer-to-peer sales
Ban assault weapons, but keep the right to own personal guns

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9 climate change 2
Alexandros Maragos / Moment / Getty Images
What kind of tempo would you like to see in the way the country addresses climate change?
Take action that can be feasibly enacted.
Radical, immediate change must be made.
Take reasonable steps to create real change.
Act like the house is on fire.

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10 justice system
Chris Ryan / OJO Images / Getty Images
Is the criminal justice system in shambles?
It needs a serious review.
Yes, it is racially biased and enacting a new Jim Crow.
It’s working, but it does need to be reformed.
Yes, we need to overhaul the prison system.

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11 global trade
Anton Petrus / Moment / Getty Images
The current administration has radically changed the United States’ relationship with global trade. How should the next president address this?
Redraw NAFTA to secure jobs in the U.S.
Rethink all our trade policies and renegotiate NAFTA.
Uphold the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Ensure that trade agreements are beneficial to both American workers and the environment.

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12 compromise
Hill Street Studios / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Should the Democratic Party compromise with Republicans, or hold their ground to get what their base voted for?
Sometimes compromise is necessary to move forward.
We should not compromise on issues that are life and death for some people.
Real work in legislation often involves reaching across the aisle.
Not unless the compromise does not compromise our values

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13 nuclear deal
davidhills / E+ / Getty Images
When President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal, what was your reaction?
It was a step back from using diplomacy to solve a crisis.
What a foolish error
What a waste of all that foreign diplomacy
I was afraid it would lead to another war.

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14 funding
Bill Oxford / E+ / Getty Images
Democratic policies across the board will require additional funding. How should candidates fund their ambitious agendas?
Consider a wealth tax and increase earned income credit.
Institute a wealth tax.
Increase tax on passive income.
Make billionaires pay their fair share.

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15 social safety net
Alex Wichman / Moment / Getty Images
Do you think the social safety net is adequate to meet the needs of vulnerable Americans?
We should have a conversation about universal basic income.
No, in particular we need to look at racial disparity in housing and early childhood education.
We, for the most part, have a system that works if it is well funded.
No, it all needs to be overhauled.

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16 democrat
Jana Kriz / Moment / Getty Images
What kind of Democrat do you identify as?
Moderate Democrat
Progressive Democrat
Obama Democrat
Democratic Socialist

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17 abortion
sot / DigitalVIsion / Getty Images
Should a woman past 20 weeks in her pregnancy be able to seek an abortion?
It depends on the circumstances.
Unequivocally, yes
Whatever the women needs
Of course

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19 trans rights military
Gary John Normal / DigitalVIsion / Getty Images
President Donald Trump rescinded the right of transgender Americans to serve in the military. What should the next president do for these members of the armed forces?
This harm needs to be ameliorated, possibly by financially compensating those affected and restoring them to service.
They are owed a national apology and should be returned to their position and given opportunities for advancement.
This is an embarrassment to the country, and we must make amends for it.
This should be prosecuted as a hate crime.

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20 religious beliefs
boonchai wedmakawand / Moment / Getty Images
Should businesses have the right to refuse service to someone based on their religious beliefs?
We have to be careful of the distinction of the right to your religious beliefs and the right to discriminate.
No one has a right to discriminate.
We should be careful to protect religious freedom at the same time that we protect people from discrimination.
This is just a front for discrimination.

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21 climate activists
Giuseppe Manfra / Moment / Getty Images
What is your reaction to the radical, young climate activists’ demands?
They can show us the way.
They give us a wake-up call and should guide our legislative agenda.
They are inspiring but too radical to be practical.
They hold the light of the future, and we should follow them.

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22 climate change 3
by Marc Guitard / Moment / Getty Images
What is the most crucial element of a candidate’s climate change plan?
That we create enough momentum with green energy jobs that the movement drives itself forward
That it addresses the grave injustices in how the most vulnerable are hit the hardest by climate change
That we lead the world in how we address climate change
That we move swiftly and decisively

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4 campaign finance
Towfiqu Photography / Moment / Getty Images
What should a candidate do to avoid corrupt campaign finance?
Do not accept funding from fossil fuel donors.
Swear off big-money fundraisers.
Don’t welcome money from super PACs.
Overturn Citizens United.

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23 gender discrimination
Jena Ardell / Moment / Getty Images
Does the country have a long way to go to address gender discrimination?
Yes, we must stay vigilant to address discrimination based on gender.
Of course, we have a long way to go, but we’ll keep persisting.
We have come a long way, but I’m sure there must be something else to do.
Yes, we know that the pay gap, for instance, is a problem we need to address.

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24 green energy
jia yu / Moment / Getty Images
How would an ideal candidate address the needs of workers in the fossil fuel industries as we turn to green energy?
Provide them with ample opportunities for jobs.
Make sure that we create jobs especially for those who are most affected by pollution.
Create jobs within those same locations.
Compensate them for how they have been harmed by those industries.

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25 defense budget
Jacob Bryant / Moment / Getty Images
Do you think that we have an adequate defense budget?
No, we should consider increasing it.
Yes, in fact, we should cut it.
No, we should increase it.
Yes, and it could be drastically cut.

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26 teachers
Klaus Vedfelt / DigitalVision / Getty Images
How can this country transform the teaching profession so that teachers are respected for the work they do?
Bring more diversity into the teaching profession by offering incentives for teachers of color
Get a secretary of education who has been a public school teacher.
Give teachers competitive salaries.
Give teachers a minimum salary of $60,000.

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27 nuclear power
RelaxFoto.de / E+ / Getty Images
As the Democratic Party as a whole pushes for a greener future, should nuclear reactors be part of that future?
Nuclear power can be part of a green future.
I’m unsure what role nuclear power should play, if any.
Nuclear power can help fight climate change.
Shut them down.

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28 fracking
chain45154 / Moment / Getty Images
Fracking is widely thought to be damaging to the environment and to contribute to reliance on fossil fuels. How should the next president handle this industry?
Fracking is only part of the problem. We need to end off-shore drilling.
Ban it entirely.
We should focus on the oil and gas industry as a whole and end the use of federal land for fossil fuel extraction.
It is damaging, and we should ban it.

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29 felons
Thinkstock Images / Stockbyte / Getty Images
How should felons be treated after they have served their sentence?
After they serve their sentence, they should be restored to public life.
Felons should have the right to vote after prison.
They should be treated humanely.
Felons should be able to vote while incarcerated.

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30 border wall
Daniel Caja / Moment / Getty Images
Would expanding the wall between the U.S. and Mexico make us safer?
Probably not, but we do need to continue working on border security.
No, we should cut off funding for the wall.
We should focus more on smart security than physical walls.
No, let’s tear it down.

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