In the past few weeks and months, the number of people stepping forward for presidential candidacy has skyrocketed. In fact, there’s an almost overwhelming amount of candidates at this point.

As of Feb. 27, 14 confirmed candidates, with a whopping 12 of them representing the Democratic Party, have come forth. Only two candidates represent the Republican Party so far. Of the 14 candidates in total, 11 have stepped forward since the start of the year.

There are definitely some strong candidates among the Democrats, however there are also some who could hinder the party rather than help it.

Some left-leaning candidates, while offering variety to the line-up, probably won’t go far in the elections. This is due to their past professions and experiences. These candidates — composed of small-town mayors, lecturers and executives — may not have the drive or experience necessary to properly gain support and come out as the final democratic candidate.

Despite the surplus of individuals willing to give presidency a shot, voters will have to navigate the current political climate of the United States before making a decision about what or who they will support with their future vote.

Simply put, the relationship between the Democratic and Republican Parties is dismal and deplorable. With various government shutdowns and gridlocks, it feels like very little has been achieved. It’s come down to a matter of who can be more stubborn in order to decide things on issues that should have more of a discussion than the bullheaded refusal to cooperate with others.

There is also a large amount of distrust present in elected officials currently. Following the recent Midterm elections, the House of Representatives has become a Democrat majority. Contrarily, the Senate has become more Republican.

When these two powers lean so heavily to opposing viewpoints and policies, any laws or policies proposed by one power often do not agree with the other’s ideals. This regularly brings said laws and policies into contention, wasting time and efforts as the two powers argue.

Besides the power stacking, one has to take into account the individuals who have been elected, not just the political parties. Brett Kavanaugh, the newest associate justice of the supreme court, came into his position immediately after his hearings regarding a sexual assault allegation in his past.

More recently, President Trump has come under fire as his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has begun giving a testimony of all of the lies and other actions he claimed Trump made him do, these coming to light after Cohen was found guilty for federal fraud.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is another common name in the news, constantly bashed for her leftist policies and actions, more than any other elected official following the Midterms.

All of these examples display the mistrust and confusion that the common people have for their government. With the importance of voting becoming more emphasized than it has in a long time, people want to know who they should support and advocate for. But with all of the allegations and name calling coming from both sides, it has become difficult to discern just who would be worthy of our support.

This dissonance and lack of cooperation has constructed a disorienting and misleading perspective of American politics. Those that we, the people, elected were put there to represent our voices and make decisions for our good. However, with so much antagonism and contempt for the other political party, the government is failing to provide the leadership that we have voted for.

For the people not in power, it’s stressful and disappointing to witness. With all of this in mind, it is likely that the 2020 elections will follow the same aforementioned theme of accusation and discord. Each party will likely view the other as too radical and contrary to their own goals, and will throw additional derision and ridicule that will only worsen the integrity of the political situation.

To this, I can only advise people should carefully analyze everything that they learn, and identify with themselves which policies and ideals that they believe are the most important as the election season begins to grow closer. The United States is not a country of unity anymore, but one that is radically and angrily split down the middle.

Spierings can be reached at [email protected].