The first of February marks the beginning of election season and the countdown to the 2016 Presidential Election. To much surprise, Donald Trump has been the Republican frontrunner despite a diverse political resume and continuous party affiliation switches. Yet, he has kept a political dynasty at bay and left several GOP stars from across the spectrum in his wake. How has a real estate mogul established a strong lead in the GOP race?

1. His name is iconic.

Trump. Putting it plainly, his name carries a lot of weight whether it be from "Celebrity Apprentice," or from the many golf courses and high-rise apartments that operate under the name. He has built a massive global empire, making him capable of financing his own campaign for President, which as President Obama showcased, could be upwards of a billion dollars. Despite several business failures, which will be touched upon, Donald Trump is a leader in corporate America who has faced adversity and worked his way up the ladder to where he is today.

2. The media eats him up.

Not a day goes by where I am not reading an article from any news source that is not focused on Donald Trump. Americans are hearing and seeing the man throughout their daily routine more than President Obama. Regardless of the viewpoint from the media source, the continuous discussion on the "Trump Phenomenon" has filled American households with his image, allowing for registered voters to get a firsthand view on the mogul. Trump is putting the old saying, "There is no such thing as bad publicity," to the test.

3. He has a backbone.

Throughout Trump's early bid to become the Republican nominee, his statements on several issues have not been received well by the general public. When confronted about these statements, Trump has stood his ground against the media. From different individuals that I have discussed the primaries with, this part of his agenda has stuck out to many. Presidents of the past have backtracked after these statements with the usual, "What I meant to say," on subjects such as immigration. Trump did not. Time will tell if he keeps this approach, but it seems to be working as of now.

4. He's not a politician.

Over 8,000 years of political experience is currently represented in the American federal government right now, and we sit with a massive deficit, an unbalanced budget and many social issues. Many Americans like the idea of an outsider coming into a broken business to turn things around. If a business continuously went bankrupt, would it make sense to hire the new CEO from inside the corporation year after year? Not at all. Repeating the same experiment over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Having someone without a millisecond of experience in government in the Oval Office would be a breath of fresh air to a lot of people in this country.

5. He's something new and exciting, if nothing else.

Finally, Trump is saying new things in new ways that the American political system has not seen in a while, if ever. Americans are excited, due to many different reasons, about this upcoming election, and Donald Trump has swept the early Republican primary polls because he is new and exciting. Many Americans tuned in just to watch him during the first primetime debate between the overwhelming field of candidates.

America is at a critical point in our evolution as a nation. We have met a fork in the road with two completely opposing paths. There still is a lot of time before we make this decision in November, yet developing an educated vote begin now. Research each candidate and choose the candidate you best align with before stepping into the booth come 2016.