Voters in the United States go to the polls on Tuesday 3 November this year to decide whether or not they wish to keep Donald Trump as their President. So who is the Democratic Party nominee most likely to dislodge him? We will know very soon

In the United States, campaigns are endless affairs. Twenty Democratic Party candidates for president launched their campaigns early in 2019, nearly two years before the election. Since last June, there has been a TV debate every month. More than $100 million has been spent on internet advertisements and more than $130m on TV ads.

The race is about to accelerate. On 3 February, Democratic Party voters in Iowa will gather in schools and church halls for their caucuses, an event that requires them to attend the meeting for an hour or more. The following week, voters in New Hampshire go to the polls, followed by Nevada and South Carolina. On 3 March, voters in 14 states, including California, will cast their votes on “Super Tuesday,” awarding a third of all the delegates needed to secure the nomination. The likely Democrat nominee to take on Donald Trump should be emerging by then.

The frontrunner at the beginning of 2019 was former Vice President Joe Biden. Widely liked for his years in the trenches and especially for his collaboration with President Barack Obama, Biden’s support is especially strong among African-American voters. In South Carolina, blacks are the majority of the Democratic Party electorate and Biden is hoping for a win there to propel him in to Super Tuesday. But the last Democrat to win the nomination without first winning either Iowa or New Hampshire was Bill Clinton in 1992.