Unless you live under a rock, you are likely aware of the circus taking place on the political stand in the 2016 presidential campaign. With a varying amount of almost 12 candidates between the two parties, things have been getting quite messy recently. Even if you religiously follow politics, there is no way any normal human being could possibly keep up with this campaign. I plan to try my best to give the most simple breakdown of the chaos going on this year, try to keep up.
First, let's start with Donald Trump.
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Of course, front and center is exactly where he would want to be. As much as we all hate to admit it, Trump is in the front of this race. Regardless of how he got here, we can’t ignore the fact that he is leading the pack. He is clearly the shock of the year. Not only did he surprise us by getting in the race and staying there, but he also has left us dumbfounded by his rates of success. He has offended women, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBT community, and literally any other group with remotely diverse views. After all of this, he has still somehow managed to create a large support system. The real question is, will these people show up to the polls and vote for him? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, we can expect more inappropriate outbursts and memes of Trump to flood the internet.
Running second overall is Ted Cruz.
If Trump’s loyal followers fail to show at the polls, no need to fret, Ted Cruz will be there to take his place. However, Senator Cruz is not very popular with several Republican Party members. In fact, he is disliked so much that some party members have put their support and endorsements in Trump, just despite Cruz. They claim that Senator Cruz is simply “not a team player," and have reported about inappropriate conduct on the floor. The Cruz vs. Trump debate is a tough one, but the odds certainly are not in Cruz’s favor.
Rubio rounds up in third.
Marco Rubio, a Florida senator, is quiet, but mighty. Rubio’s campaign team claims to be “waiting for the right moment to peak,” however, if they wait too long to rally the rest of the republican voters, the ending to Rubio’s story might be a sad one. He has the potential to sway anti-Trump and anti-Cruz voters, but the window for him to act is rapidly closing.
The fading republican contenders.
Jeb Bush, riding on his family’s strong political legacy just proved to not be enough for this kind of race; Ben Carson, he peaked interest in the beginning, but eventually fizzled out; Rand Paul, never even crossed the minds of a majority of American voters; Chris Christie and John Kasich, playing tug-of-war over New Hampshire; Carly Fiorina, a Hillary Clinton wanna-be; Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, both solely basing their campaign in Iowa; and finally Jim Gilmore, wait, who even is that?
The Democratic candidates are much more clean-cut and clear. Let's break that side down very simply.
Hillary Clinton seems to be leading the pack.
While it's a tight race between Secretary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the numbers suggest that Clinton is in the lead at the moment. She may have to crawl there after losing Iowa and New Hampshire to Sanders. A strong female candidate is inspiring women across America, which greatly increases Hillary's chances of winning the nomination.
Feel the Bern.
Altogether Bernie Sanders campaign hasn’t proved to be too successful, however it has had its moments of excitement. Sanders is extremely popular with the younger, college-aged voters. His radical ideas and high energy speeches keep voters on their toes.
Lastly, Martin O’Malley
Irrelevant. That's all you need to know.
So, you may be asking yourself what happens next. The candidates will continue to make outrageous comments, offend people, and try to claw their way to the top, regardless of who they step on to get there. The nominees won’t be announced until the conventions in July, so until then we wait, keep making memes, and sit back and enjoy the show.
