The Primary Elections are the first election held for the presidency. This election determines which Democratic and Republican candidates will run for president in the General Election. With the democratic primary election getting closer and closer, being informed on what each candidate stands for is crucial. The date you can vote for the primary elections differs from state to state, to check the voting date in your state click here.

The first state to vote in the primary election is Iowa, because of this CNN hosted a Democratic Town Hall Forum. They invited the 3 candidates in the democratic party to make their final case and to answer questions asked by the people of Iowa. The first candidate to be brought up to the stage was Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the longest serving Independent in congressional history. Senator Sanders, in his youth, was a part of the civil rights movement and was even arrested while protesting the segregation of schools in Chicago, He was elected to the Senate in 2006 after serving 16 years as the sole congressman of Vermont. Bernie Sanders is by far the most liberal candidate in any political party, because of this Sanders is very popular amongst young voters

During the Democratic Town Hall, Bernie Sanders was asked about his rapid popularity and the #FeelTheBurn movement he responded "Our message has resonated much faster, much further than I thought it would. I think what the American people are perceiving is that there is something very wrong in this country when ordinary Americans are working longer hours for lower wages.....and almost all new income and wealth are going to the top 1%." Senator Sanders has focused his campaign on tackling the issue of corporations being able to give an unlimited amount of money to politicians through SuperPacs and the political corruption and gridlock that it has caused. Bernie Sander throughout his campaign has never once accepted money from corporations, unlike any other candidate in this election. Also, unlike any other candidate Senator Sanders voted against and lead the opposition to the war in Iraq on moral grounds.

The most controversial aspect of Bernie Sander is that he is a self-described democratic socialist. Socialism is a word that Americans have feared for decades as it is usually compared to communism. What this simply means is that Bernie Sanders supports a government that is not dominated by the rich but instead works for everyone equally. He is also criticized by republicans and Hilary Clinton for planning to raise taxes to fund his programs. Bernie Sanders is often viewed as being "too extreme" because he believes in making public college tuition free, legalizing marijuana, raising the minimum wage and a "Medicare For All" system making health insurance free for everyone. Bernie Sanders plans to raise taxes on the rich and a tax on Wall Street speculation. Bernie Sanders is a non-establishment candidate, and the most progressive candidate in the Democratic party.

The second candidate is Governor Martin O'Malley of Maryland, the least popular Democratic candidate in the polls. In his own state, O'Malley decriminalized marijuana and brought down cases of police brutality. "We do not have to accept the reality of 24/7 drug dealers occupation, when you call the police from a poor neighborhoods for police service they should respond the same way as they do in wealthier neighborhoods, black and white." He promises to improve how "we police the police."

Governor O'Malley emphasizes that climate change is the most important issue to young people as well as the best business opportunity for America. Governor O'Malley has promised to fight against "trickle down economics" in order to put more money into the pockets of the middle class. He plans to do this by regulating business, making it easier to join unions and raising the minimum wage.

Governor O'Malley is an establishment politician who's speeches often seem rehearsed and less human. He has struggled with getting attention to his campaign as the other two candidates Bernie Sanders and Hilary Clinton are far more popular in the polls.

The third and last candidate is Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, wife of former President Bill Clinton. During the Democratic Town Hall she emphasized heavily on her record of fighting for equality for women and for the LGBT community. She also says that she would be a more capable President in the context of foreign affairs, because of her experience as Secretary of State.

Secretary Clinton's record on diplomatic affairs was extremely successful during her time as Secretary of State, she has resolved issues and eased tension in the middle east. However, she did vote for the war in Iraq and admits to regretting it. During the Town Hall Clinton criticised the Republican party for their Islamophobic statements.

Secretary Clinton's campaign emphasizes her career and experiences. She claims she is better in all issues both foreign and domestic. Clinton is the biggest establishment candidate in the Democratic party and accepts the most in corporate money from SuperPacs. She is criticized for being untrustworthy and being "brought." This is evident by her "flip-flopping" on several issues such as gay marriage, raising the minimum wage, reforming Wall Street. Hilary Clinton is often referred to as the "Wall Street Candidate" by her fellow Democratic candidates.

With this information I hope you can now decide for yourself who you want to represent the Democratic Party in the General elections. I urge you to fulfill your responsibility as an American to vote for your nation's leader, every vote counts.

To watch the Iowa Democratic Town Hall Click Here