What You Need to Know About the Presidential Race

The presidential primary debates started in August of 2015 and will likely end this month, having provided much entertainment and food for thought.

In total, there will be twelve GOP debates and eight Democratic debates. This has drawn major criticism from candidates and voters alike, because there are considerably fewer debates this year compared to other election years. The debates, however, are not solely responsible for the unexpected attention this election has generated.

The candidates, topics, and circumstances of the election all bring a considerable amount of controversy to this presidential race.

On the Republican side of the race, candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich are the remainder of what was once a very crowded field. Political outsider and billionaire businessman Donald Trump performed better in polling than most had expected.

National polling currently has Trump at 36.0%, Cruz at 21.8%, Rubio at 18.0%, and Kasich at 12.0%, placing Trump well above his beginning poll numbers. 

Throughout the GOP debates, the Republicans have argued over terrorism, bilateral relations with Iran, the economy, immigration, and the candidates’ records.

Rubio so far has earned more endorsements from political leaders than the other three combined, despite his poor showings in recent contests.

Trump, on the other hand, has largely earned the endorsements of very different individuals and organizations. Trump has won the endorsements of individuals like Jesse Ventura of Minnesota, Ann Coulter, Hulk Hogan, Azealia Banks, and most famously, former Alaskan governor and vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

More controversially, he has also been endorsed by David Duke, a former KKK leader. Trump was widely criticized for not immediately disavowing the endorsement of the group.

On the Democratic side of the race, former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders are the two remaining candidates from what began as a significantly smaller field than that of the GOP.

While Clinton has the advantage of longtime political connections and name recognition, Sanders, who is largely considered a political outsider despite serving in the Congress the last twenty-five years, has garnered unexpected support and political momentum. National polling currently has Clinton at 51.0% and Sanders at 39.6%.  

Throughout the race, the candidates have debated topics like terrorism, racial tension, income inequality, gun control, immigration, foreign policy, and climate change. Their views on these topics have led to several celebrity endorsements. Bernie Sanders has won the support of Will Ferrell, Josh Hutcherson, Killer Mike, and the Norwegian MP Karin Anderson. Hillary Clinton has won the support of Beyoncé, Kendall Jenner, and Ben Affleck.

As the presidential race picks up speed and the debates wind down, the candidates will continue to compete in the state primaries and caucuses. Primaries are when state residents cast their ballots and vote on which candidate they want to support, whereas a caucus is a meeting of members of a particular political party to select candidates. In a caucus, local gatherings take place and allow voters to openly decide which candidate to support.  

Between the primaries and the caucuses that have taken place so far, Trump and Hillary have won over the most states, but no one can be ruled out yet.

The race to their parties’ nominations is only part one – then the real work begins.