What are the big stories about America that the Democratic presidential candidates are telling? What pictures are they painting of the country, of the concerns Americans face and what they will do to improve people’s lives if they are elected? What’s the case each candidate is making that goes beyond their resume?

To answer these questions, Richard Kirsch read the first major speech (usually the campaign kick-off) of twelve of the Democrats who are running for president in 2020. He looked at the big themes and overall narrative, the issues they are highlighting and which groups they seem to be appealing to and who they blamed for the nation’s problems, including how much they talked about President Trump. He also took a deeper dive into how the candidates are talking about race.