Then and Now: Comparing the Democratic Party's 2020 and 2024 National Platforms
Below is a comparative summary of the Democratic Party’s national platforms in 2020 and 2024.
This summary was generated by OpenAI’s GPT-4o using this prompt.
Economy
- 2020: Democrats aimed to stop another Republican recession, create millions of jobs, and promote shared prosperity by closing racial income gaps and ensuring equal pay.
- 2024: Democrats focus on growing the economy from the bottom up and middle out, creating nearly 16 million jobs, and investing in infrastructure and manufacturing.
- What remained the same: Democrats continue to emphasize job creation and economic growth.
- What changed: The focus shifted from preventing a recession to highlighting economic recovery and job creation achievements.
Health Care
- 2020: Democrats aimed to guarantee health care as a right, expand Medicaid, and introduce a public option.
- 2024: Democrats focus on protecting the Affordable Care Act, expanding Medicaid, and capping insulin prices.
- What remained the same: Commitment to expanding health care access and affordability.
- What changed: Specific measures like capping insulin prices and expanding ACA premium tax credits were introduced.
Climate Change
- 2020: Democrats planned to rejoin the Paris Agreement and invest in a clean energy economy.
- 2024: Democrats highlight historic investments in clean energy, creating over 300,000 jobs, and achieving energy independence.
- What remained the same: Commitment to addressing climate change and investing in clean energy.
- What changed: Emphasis on job creation and energy independence through clean energy investments.
Immigration
- 2020: Democrats aimed to provide a roadmap to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and reform the immigration system.
- 2024: Democrats focus on securing the border, expanding legal immigration, and providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.
- What remained the same: Commitment to immigration reform and providing pathways to citizenship.
- What changed: Increased emphasis on border security and legal immigration pathways.
Education
- 2020: Democrats supported universal early childhood education and making college affordable.
- 2024: Democrats focus on free universal preschool, investing in public education, and making community college free.
- What remained the same: Emphasis on early childhood education and making higher education accessible.
- What changed: Introduction of free universal preschool and specific investments in public education infrastructure.
Criminal Justice
- 2020: Democrats aimed to reform the criminal justice system, end mass incarceration, and eliminate private prisons.
- 2024: Democrats focus on police reform, ending cash bail, and expanding rehabilitation and reentry programs.
- What remained the same: Commitment to criminal justice reform and reducing incarceration.
- What changed: Specific focus on police reform and rehabilitation programs.
Voting Rights
- 2020: Democrats aimed to restore the Voting Rights Act and end voter suppression.
- 2024: Democrats focus on passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
- What remained the same: Commitment to protecting voting rights and ending voter suppression.
- What changed: Introduction of specific legislative goals to secure voting rights.
Foreign Policy
- 2020: Democrats emphasized diplomacy, rebuilding alliances, and addressing global challenges like climate change.
- 2024: Democrats focus on strengthening alliances, countering authoritarianism, and leading on global issues like climate change and technology.
- What remained the same: Emphasis on diplomacy and rebuilding alliances.
- What changed: Increased focus on countering authoritarianism and leading on technology issues.
Read the full party platforms through UCSB’s American Presidency Project