All Of The 2020 Democratic Presidential Campaign Slogans, Ranked
Last week I ranked each of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates’ campaign launch videos, as well as their logos. Today I’m ranking their campaign slogans. If you’ve read the previous posts you can probably guess which candidate have the worst slogans - the same boring candidate with the worst logos and campaign videos. Sighs.
28. Joe Sestak
“Accountability to America”
Sestak never fails to appear last in each of my rankings. Everything about his campaign is just boring I guess?!
27. Wayne Messam & Seth Moulton (Tie)
“Wayne for America,” “Seth Moulton for America”
“(Blank) for America” is the least inspired campaign slogan you can think of.
26. Deval Patrick
“Deval for All”
This is only slightly better than “(Blank) for America.”
25. Bill de Blasio
“Working People First”
The focus on “working people” is getting tiresome. You shouldn’t have to work to deserve basic human rights.
24. John Hickenlooper
“Stand Tall,” “Come Together”
Every time I hear “stand tall” from Hickenlooper’s campaign, I only think about how it may be referring to Hickenlooper’s tall stature.
23. John Delaney
“Focus on the Future”
Unfortunately, the future doesn’t show Delaney as President.
22. Tim Ryan
“Our Future is Now”
Focus on the now?!
21. Michael Bennet
“Building Opportunity Together”
Boring.
20. Steve Bullock
“A Fair Shot for Everyone”’
Also boring.
19. Jay Inslee
“Our Moment”
Another boring one.
18. Amy Klobuchar
“Let’s get to work,” “Amy for America”
I’m sorry, I’m trying really hard to offer constructive feedback but…. I can’t think of anything to say besides “boring!”
17. Michael Bloomberg
“Rebuild America,” “Fighting for our future,” “A new choice for Democrats,” “Mike Will Get It Done,” “I Like Mike”
His slogans range from the mundane “Fighting for our future” to the unserious rhyming style “I Like Mike,” and none of them are that good.
16. Joe Biden
“Restore the Soul of America,” “Our best days still lie ahead,” “This is America,” “We are America, second to none,” “Anything is possible,” “No Malarkey”
There’s no way Biden wasn’t going to use his trademark word “Malarkey.” It’s just, if he wants to connect with younger people, that ain’t it. And I’m pretty sure Biden owes Donald Glover some residuals for using “This is America.”
15. Julian Castro
“One Nation. One Destiny.”
I’m not sure how I feel about this one. What is this country’s destiny? Or is Castro referring to his destiny?
14. Beto O’Rourke
“Beto For America, Beto For All”
I kinda like this slogan only because I choose to believe it’s an intentional pun on “Better for America, Better for All.”
13. Tom Steyer
“Actions Speak Louder Than Words”
Well, damn. This is a statement, and you know what? It works.
12. Richard Ojeda
“We Are Worthy”
Yes we are.
11. Kamala Harris
“For the People”
This slogan works depending on how you feel about her record as a prosecutor, during which she had to say “for the people” at each court appearance.
10. Eric Swalwell
“Go Big. Be Bold. Do Good.”
I kinda like this. It’s simple but still reflects what our priorities should be: always go for big, bold ideas, and strive to do good.
9. Tulsi Gabbard
“Lead with Love,” “Stand Up with Tulsi”
For such an off candidate, “Lead with Love” is a surprisingly sweet slogan.
8. Pete Buttigieg
“A Fresh Start for America,” “Win the Era,” “It’s time for a new generation of American leadership”
“Win the Era” is the only Mayor Pete slogan that feels unique. It matches the mayor’s focus on his youth and calls for generational change in Washington.
7. Andrew Yang
“Humanity First,” “Make America Think Harder (MATH),” “Not Left, Not Right, Forward,” “A New Way Forward”
“Humanity First” is a good slogan. “Not Left, Note Right, Forward” is a great slogan, with Yang’s emphasis on appealing to everyone, not focusing on one’s political bent. “Make America Think Harder” is clever, but also cringe.
6. Cory Booker
“Together, America, We Will Rise”
This slogan goes back to as early as 2016, with Booker quoting Maya Angelou while delivering the DNC speech for Hillary Clinton. It’s an inspired callback to a legendary poet.
5. Kirsten Gillibrand
“Brave Wins”
I appreciate Gillibrand’s call for all of us to be brave in the face of constant adversity, particularly in a time when we have such an aggressive and dangerous administration.
4. Bernie Sanders
“Not me. Us.”
Like his logo, Bernie’s 2016 campaign slogan returns in 2020. I mean, don’t fix what isn’t broken, right? It’s a great and effective slogan. Simple, to the point, while still representing his campaign’s efforts to represent everyone.
3. Elizabeth Warren
“Persist,” “Dream Big Fight Hard,” “Big, Structural Change,” “I have a plan for that” (unofficial)
Turning Mitch McConnell’s “And yet she persisted” into a campaign slogan is brilliant. “I have a plan for that” is an unofficial slogan, but it helped to define Warren’s campaign as the one with a plan for everything.
2. Marianne Williamson
“Join the evolution”
This slogan is just so wacky I love it. It’s so her.
1. Mike Gravel
“No More Wars”
This is simple and straight to the point. It’s exactly the type of no-nonsense slogan you’d expect from the notoriously anti-war Mike Gravel
Further Reading:
We asked a marketing expert to grade classic presidential campaign slogans, and 'MAGA' got a solid A
The winning slogan from every US presidential campaign since 1948
2020 Democrats Have yet to ‘Make Campaign Slogans Great Again’
Time to Create a New Slogan Again? Democrats struggle to find right 2020 campaign message
