[This piece was continuously updated throughout 2019. The Biden list has been updated, expanded, and better organized in a new piece that will be updated throughout the remainder of the primary: “125+ Reasons You Should Not Vote for Joe Biden.”]

The purpose of the Democratic primary process is to vet each candidate and choose the best one. They’re applying for a job for which you pay the salary, and a thorough background check is in order. Regardless of campaign promises and convenient claims of evolution, uncovering and addressing the potential nominees’ past actions is crucial, as it’s a politician’s record that best predicts how they might govern in the future.

This guide focuses on the four “major” candidates that come with the most concerns: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, and Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke. Originally starting small after some family and friends asked me to put together a collection of articles, it’s quickly grown out of the desire to create an accessible and digestible public resource for all people to share.

Rousing debate within the party doesn’t weaken it, it strengthens it. If we don’t deal with the negatives of a potential nominee now, Trump will. If we nominate a candidate plagued by a litany of disqualifying issues, Trump will win. We can’t make that mistake again.

Nothing was included without a source for evidence, and unsubstantiated or sketchy claims were left out. I want this to be as accurate and exhaustive as possible and plan to update it as necessary, potentially even expanding to include other candidates. If you find an error or have a suggestion, please let me know!

Special thanks to just a few of the real journalists doing the real work that makes an aggregation like this possible, as well as these folks for partially inspiring this endeavor. You should follow all of them instead of me.