This year, on November 8, 2016, one candidate will be chosen as president, and this will not only affect the next 4-8 years of all American lives, but long after that as well.
The Democrat and Republican candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have run a tense campaign throughout the entire election. Their attitudes and opinions against each other have people all over America tuning to debate.
In the spring before an election year, candidates announce their intent to run. On June 16, 2015 Trump officially launched his campaign at Trump Tower with the now infamous slogan, “Make America Great Again”. Trump began his first campaign for president in 1999, but officially ended his campaign on February 14, 2000. Since beginning his current campaign, NBC has cut ties with him due to derogatory comments that were highly publicized. Plenty of other organizations have spoken out against his campaign, as well.
Hillary Clinton went for a different approach, posting on YouTube an announcement of her candidacy on April 12, 2015.
An important factor in the presidential election is the debates and primaries held throughout the election season. Primaries are when, during July to September, parties hold nominating conventions to choose their nomination for the presidency. Presidential debates occur from September to October and serve as a way for the general public to learn more about candidates’ policy directly from the nominees.
The popular election will be held on November 8th this year, electors will cast their votes for the Electoral College later in December, and Congress will officially count the electoral votes in early January of the next year. January 20 is Inauguration day, when the new president of the United States is sworn into office.
There are other contestants besides Clinton and Trump running in the 2016 president election. However, these candidates are widely unknown. As well as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Jill Stein and Gary Johnson are in the running. Stein represents the Green Party and Johnson represents the Libertarian party. There were also other candidates early on in the election on the ballot, such as Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz, but they have subsequently dropped out of the race.
Both Trump and Hillary have rocky histories and have both made errors during their campaigns. The word “smooth” is far from what would come to mind when asked about the 2016 election; however, both candidates also have some very prominent strengths. Some of Clinton’s strengths include her previous experience in politics and the her large female support, due to her possibility of being America’s first woman president. She served as a U.S. Senator from 2001 to 2009. She has been ahead of Trump for the majority of the election, but she was involved in a scandal regarding her emails which caused a lot of backlash from potential voters. Trump’s strengths include his ability to stand his ground, and he is widely believed to be a fighter, which has gained him a lot of support. His weaknesses include his brash statements and comments, and accusations of violent and sexual assault . “I’m the most successful person to ever run for the presidency, by far,” said Trump about Trump.
More than 120 million Americans are expected to vote on Election Day, according to The Telegraph, and the first official results will be announced in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire on November 8th. People all over the U.S. continue to wait with bated breath to see who will be making life altering decisions in the oval office for the next 4 years.
By Calyssa Solberg
The Claw 