Primary / Caucus Elections 2016 Updates
REPUBLICAN
DEMOCRATIC
Republican Candidates in US Election 2016 |
| Name | DoB | Birth Place | Current Position | Running/droopped out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | June 14, 1946 (age 69) | Queens, New York City, U.S. | American real estate developer, television personality, politician, and author | Running |
| John Kasich | May 13, 1952 (age 63) | McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania | Governor of Ohio | Dropped out |
| Ted Cruz | December 22, 1970 (age 44) | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | United States Senator | Dropped out |
| Marco Rubio | May 28, 1971 (age 44) | Miami, Florida, U.S. | United States Senator | Dropped out |
| Jim Gilmore | October 6, 1949 (age 65) | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | (Politician) 68th Governor of Virginia | Dropped out |
| Ben Carson | September 18, 1951 (age 63) | Detroit, Michigan, United States | American author | Dropped out |
| Jeb Bush | February 11, 1953 (age 62) | Midland, Texas, U.S. | Former Governor of Florida | Dropped out |
| Chris Christie | September 6, 1962 (age 52) | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | Governor of New Jersey | Dropped out |
| Carly Fiorina | September 6, 1954 (age 60) | Austin, Texas, U.S. | Politician, former business executive | Dropped out |
| Lindsey Graham | July 9, 1955 (age 60) | Central, South Carolina, U.S. | Member of the United States Senate | Dropped out |
| Mike Huckabee | August 24, 1955 (age 59) | Hope, Arkansas, U.S. | Former Governor of Arkansas | Dropped out |
| Bobby Jindal | June 10, 1971 (age 44) | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. | Governor of Louisiana | Dropped out |
| George Pataki | June 24, 1945 (age 70) | Peekskill, New York, U.S. | Former Governor of New York | Dropped out |
| Rand Paul | January 7, 1963 (age 52) | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | United States Senate member | Dropped out |
| Rick Santorum | May 10, 1958 (age 57) | Winchester, Virginia, U.S. | Former United States Senator | Dropped out |
| Scott Walke | November 2, 1967 (age 47) | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | Governor of Wisconsin | Dropped out |
Democratic Candidates in US Election 2016 |
| Name | DoB | Birth Place | Current Position | Running/droopped out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillary Clinton | October 26, 1947 (age 67) | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | 67th United States Secretary of State | Running |
| Bernie Sanders | September 8, 1941 (age 73) | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | United States Senator | Running |
| Joe Biden | Nov 20, 1942 (age 73) | Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Vice President of the USA since 2009 | Dropped out |
| Lincoln Chafee | March 26, 1953 (age 62) | Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. | Former Governor of Rhode Island | Dropped out |
| Martin O’ Malley | January 18, 1963 (age 52) | Washington, D.C., United States | Former Governor of Maryland | Dropped out |
| Jim Webb | February 9, 1946 (age 69) | St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S. | Former United States Senator | Dropped out |
US presidential election candidates
The US election is just a few months away and the number of candidates who are still in contention has dropped to just five – two of which are Democrats and three Republicans. Though the end of primaries in June will give us some insight as to who has the probability of becoming the president of the United States but at the moment let us compare the two front runners – Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.
US election candidates comparison
At the moment, all eyes are on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump who have high possibility of entering the White House. While Hillary Clinton has a strong political career behind her, Donald Trump has never held political office. Yet, Trump has managed to keep the social media focused on him due to his comic and, at times, inflammatory comments.
Hillary Clinton
The former US Secretary of State and the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, is a native of the Chicago area. Hillary graduated from Wellesley College and earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.
Political Career
In 2001, Hillary Clinton was elected as the first female senator from New York and also the only First Lady ever to have sought elected office. While Clinton strongly supported the U.S. military action in Afghanistan in 2001, she raised her voice against the surge in troops in 2007. When she lost the 2008 presidential race, President Obama implored her to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. In 2009, she became the 67th U.S. secretary of state and served until 2013.
Presidential Campaign 2016
Hillary Clinton formally announced her candidacy for the presidency in the 2016 election on April 12, 2015. Unlike most of her rivals, she reportedly has a large donor network. According to media reports, both Bill and Hillary Clinton have cultivated donors over 40 years and hence, their fund-raising method can be considered as a blueprint for any politician. She stood out from the rest by virtue of focusing on local issues. She has promised to raise middle class incomes and make college education more affordable.
Controversies
When Hillary Clinton spent $36 million for her re-election in Senate in the 2006 elections, a widespread criticism was heard for spending too much in a one-sided contest. Despite spending so much, she was able to invest $10 million toward her 2008 presidential campaign. In 2015, she got embroiled in a controversy when it was revealed by the State Department that she had exclusively used personal email accounts on privately maintained server for official correspondence during her tenure as the Secretary of State.
Views on Issues
Clinton is known for holding a pro-reform view on multiple issues that the voters are concerned about. She believes that abortion should be an unrestricted right for every woman. She is in favor of gay marriage and supports legalizing of same-sex marriage. On the economy and health fronts, she emphasizes reduction of income inequality and expansion of Obamacare. Clinton believes that stimulus is much better than market-led recovery. Her views on gun control are quite radical as she intends to reverse gun manufacturer’s immunity and sue them if guns reach the wrong hands.
Performance in Primaries and Caucuses
She has won the primaries in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi and a couple of other states. When it comes to caucuses, she defeated her rival, Bernie Sanders, in Iowa, Nevada, and American Samoa.
Donald Trump
The Republican candidate running for the US presidential Elections 2016 is also a business tycoon and a television personality. Alumni of Wharton School of Finance, he has been serving as the Founder and President of The Trump Organization since 1975.
Presidential Campaign
After having tried his luck in 2000 when he first ran for the U.S. Presidency, he once again announced his candidacy for president in June 2015. Despite the general disdain that people had shown towards his radical thoughts, his candidacy has largely been successful because of widespread media coverage. Although the political opponents dismissed him as “divisive,” and a “bully,” the results of the primaries and caucuses indicate that he still has a strong supporter base.
Political Ambitions
Donald Trump’s political ambitions first came to the fore in 1999 when he expressed his desire to seek the Reform Party’s nomination for the presidential race of 2000. What spoiled his chances was the poor performance during the California primary. Again in 2012, Trump made a public announcement that he was considering running for president again. Although several factors brought discredit to his political reputation, Trump continued to be a strong critic of President Obama and his policies.
Controversies
Even before he decided to join the 2016 presidential elections race, he had received both bouquets and brickbats for his comments on raging issues. His call to ban Muslims from entering the US received widespread criticisms. He had questioned President Barack Obama’s proof of citizenship. In the first few months of 2016, he found himself being targeted for making personal attacks on Republican rivals and Hillary Clinton.
Views on Issues
Donald Trump has expressed his conservative views on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion. According to him, Planned Parenthood is important and abortions must stop. He is not comfortable with idea of same-sex marriage. He has given a call for bringing back jobs from China and Mexico and making economy dynamic. Trump believes that the USA government spends more on students than any other country. He strictly opposes Obamacare and wants it to be replaced with Health Savings Accounts. According to him, gun ownership makes US safer, not more dangerous.
Performance in Primaries and Caucuses
Trump has not only won Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Virginia primaries, he has also won several Republican presidential caucuses, with the latest one being in Hawaii.
Other candidates to watch out for
Though Hillary and Trump seem to be at the top of the list due to their massive wins, yet the US Presidential Election can be quite unpredictable. Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz are the other US election candidates to watch out for. With few primaries still remaining, it is possible that one of them may grab the nomination. John Kasich, who is far behind the other candidates, does have the potential to spoil Donald Trump’s chances of making it to the Republican nominations.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders, the junior United States Senator from Vermont, is the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Born in 1941, Bernie Sanders has worked as the Mayor of Burlington from 1981 to 1989 and from 1991 to 2007, Sanders was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Coming from a humble background, Sanders obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago in 1964. Sanders, who is a self-described democratic socialist, was an opponent of George W. Bush and voted against the Iraq War. He also opposes tax cuts that would benefit wealthy individuals and corporations and cuts that are for social welfare programs.
Ted Cruz
Born of December 22, 1970, Ted Cruz is the junior United States Senator from Texas. In 1992, he graduated from Princeton University and in 1995 from Harvard Law School. Cruz was the Solicitor General of Texas from 2003 to 2008 and holds the distinction of being the first Hispanic and the longest-serving Solicitor General in the history of Texas. Cruz believes that abortion should only be allowed when pregnancy endangers the mother’s life. He is also opposed to both same-sex marriage and civil unions. He has been an opponent of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and a critic of the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States. He Dropped out on May 3, 2016.
John Kasich
John Kasich is the Governor of Ohio and a Republican presidential candidate. Till now, his only victory in the caucuses and primaries has been in Ohio. Kasich is trailing the other two presidential candidates – Donald Trump and Ted Cruz – and is facing a delegate deficit against his two rivals. He Dropped out on May 4, 2016.
Presidential and Vice-presidential candidates in 2012
| Presidential candidate | Party | Home state | Vice-presidential candidate | Home state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barack Obama(Incumbent) | Democratic | Illinois | Joe Biden (Incumbent) | Delaware |
| Mitt Romney | Republican | Massachusetts | Paul Ryan | Wisconsin |
| Gary Johnson | Libertarian | New Mexico | James P. Gray | California |
| Jill Stein | Green | Massachusetts | Cheri Honkala | Pennsylvania |
| Virgil Goode | Constitution | Virginia | Jim Clymer | Pennsylvania |
| Roseanne Barr | Peace and Freedom | Hawaii | Cindy Sheehan | California |
| Rocky Anderson | Justice | Utah | Luis J. Rodriguez | California |
| Tom Hoefling | America’s | Iowa | Jonathan D. Ellis | Tennessee |