14 photos of 2020 presidential candidates when they were in high school

St. Joseph County Public Library/Joe Trudeau/Woodberry School/Business Insider

Running for president involves maintaining a careful and professional image.
A lot of the candidates looked very different before public life.
Read Business Insider’s round-up to see how 14 of them looked.
Visit Business Insider’s home page for more stories.

Candidates for President of the United States will spend years crafting their public image and honing the perfect resume before launching their bid, consulting an army of public relations specialists along the way.

But they weren’t always that way.

Business Insider though has unearthed images of some of this year’s challengers at high school which show them in a different light, before they became public figures.

Not every candidate has a publicly-available photo, or responded to Business Insider’s requests with a new image — but most contenders are represented.

Bernie Sanders: James Madison High School, Brooklyn, New York, 1959

Myron Kalin

Bernie Sanders was a high school track star, coming third in the New York one-mile track race. He was also captain of the cross-country team.

He went on to forge a career as a firebrand left-winger, serving as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and later US Senator for Vermont, a position he has held since 2006.

He unsuccessfully sought the 2016 Democratic nomination, losing to Hillary Clinton, but has relaunched his campaign for 2020.

Joe Biden: Archmere Academy, Claymont, Delaware, 1961

Biden.Senate.Gov/Business Insider

Biden was another star athlete at high school, helping the school’s underperforming football team to an undefeated season in his senior year. He has credited the priests at the Catholic private academy with helping him overcome a stutter.

He recalled his school days in an attack on Trump, claiming in 2017 he would’ve "beat the hell out of" the president if they were studying together, because of Trump’s treatment of women.

He went on to represent Delaware in the US Senate for 36 years, before serving as vice president in the Obama administration.

Elizabeth Warren: Northwest Classen High School, Oklahoma City, 1965.

Elizabeth for MA

Elizabeth Warren’s record as a high school debating champion won her a shelf of trophies and a full scholarship to George Washington University, which she got at the age of 16.

The Democrat went on to work in public schools and as a law teacher, before being elected to the US Senate to represent Massachusetts in 2011.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider