Alexa Gidney

Cindy Rogers
English 12
October 16, 2015
The Presidential Race

The 2016 race started early with a large field of potential candidates,
some of whom acted very much like, well, candidates making
appearances in early primary states, vying for commitments from big donors
and assembling teams that could quickly pivot and become campaign staff
(http://www.opensecrets.org/pres16/). For every White House candidate in
the Presidential campaign, there is usually one PAC (political actions
committee), or possibly another outside organization, devoted and dedicated
to getting his/her candidate elected. Groups such as these are permitted to
solicit unlimited donations and later use them to belabor rivals. Before
anybody can run for office, they must be eligible. There are certain
requirements one must reach. To be eligible for office, a candidate must be a
legal citizen, be of age, and possess full civil and political rights
(https://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/pc/pcc/pcc02/pcc02b).
For this particular Presidential Race, it looks as if the Republicans
outnumber the Democrats. What is the difference between a Republican and

a Democrat? I will tell you. A Republican is a person advocating or supporting

a republican government. A Republican government is one in which the
political authority comes from the people. In the United States, power is
given to the government by its citizens as written in the U.S. Constitution
and through its elected representatives (https://www.google.com/webhp?
sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF8#q=what+is+a+republican+government). A democratic government is a
system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule
either directly or through freely elected representatives. This is also known
as a democracy, which is what our country, as a whole is.
There is a step-by-step process to be elected President, in which both
parties must go through in order to win the race. The first step to the race is
announcing to the whole country that one is running for office. This officially
launches their campaign. The candidates then try and win delegate support.
This means that the candidate is competing against other candidates whom
are in the same party. Caucuses and primaries are ways for the general
public to take part in nominating presidential candidates. A caucus is a lively
event at which party leaders and activists debate issues, consider
candidates, choose delegates, and discuss the party platform, or statement
of principles. Nominees for president are then announced at national party
conventions. Delegates gather to support and nominate candidates for
president and vice president. After the convention, the election campaign
begins. Citizens then cast their votes. Voting always occurs every four years

on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. It is often thought that
when casting a vote, Americans believe that they are the ones voting for the
candidate of their choice. In actuality, they select groups of electors in the
electoral college. The founding fathers originally wanted Congress to elect
the president. Others wanted the president to be elected by popular vote.
The electoral college represents a compromise between the two. All the
electoral votes from a particular state go to the candidate who leads the
popular vote in that state. A candidate can therefore win millions of popular
votes but no electoral votes. On the first Monday after the second
Wednesday in December, the electors cast their ballots. Nothing in the
Constitution or federal law requires that the electors vote along with their
state's popular vote, though an elector who did not would likely to not be
reelected. At least 270 electoral votes are required to elect a president. If
this majority is not reached, the House of Representatives will elect the
president. Finally, the president is inaugurated. On January 20, the
president enters office in a formal ceremony known as the inauguration. He
takes the presidential oath: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the
best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution the United
States. (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0878225.html)
From the Democratic Party, the main candidates are Vice President Joe
Biden, Former Governor Lincoln Chafee, Former US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, Former Governor Martin O M alley, and US Senator Bernie Sanders.

From the Republican Party, the main candidates are Former Governor Jeb
Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, Governor Chris Christie, US Senator Ted Cruz,
Businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Former Governor Jim Gilmore, US Senator
Lindsey Graham, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Governor Bobby
Jindal, Governor John Kasich, Former Governor George Pataki, US Senator
Rand Paul, US Senator Marco Rubio, Former US Senator Rick Santorum, and
Businessman Donald Trump.
Many of the present candidates are dedicated and driven to winning
this race and even being a potential nominee. While others, are only in it for
the wrong reasons to stir up controversy or feel that they do not have a
choice. For example, I believe that most citizens can agree when I say that
Donald Trump is running for the wrong reasons. He is seen as a joke because
of his ignorance and being accused of being racist. Whereas Joe Biden is
running because his son, who died of cancer, said that his last dying wish
was for his father to run for president. As far as the women running, I believe
that they have decided to take a stand in this particular race because they
have had time to prepare and organize their priorities and figure out every
last detail of what they want for their country and the people of their country.
I believe that most of the candidates have a fair chance of being
nominated, but to be specific, I feel that Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton
will be the candidates that will have to fight it out in the end. Bernie Sanders
is very popular among youth, specifically undergrads because he believes

that college could become legally free by having Wall Street pay for it and
young adults, especially in this generation, find that beneficial and ultimately
a life saver considering that it is very difficult to find a job especially with no
experience. Overall, the presidential race is a powerful movement no matter
who wins. One can make a difference by suggesting change in any field and
impact millions all over the country.

"Works Cited
"2016 Presidential Candidates (Presidency 2016)." 2016 Presidential
Candidates (Presidency 2016). Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
"2016 Presidential Race." Opensecrets RSS. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
"Criteria to Stand as a Candidate ." Criteria to Stand as a Candidate .
Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
"Presidential Candidates: Where Do They Stand on Health Care?" Pharmacy
Times. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.