United States presidential election 2016

58th quadrennial U.S. Presidential Election The Primaries & Caucuses will be held between January and June, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in July and the General Presidential Election on Tuesday, November 8th, 2016. Approximately 250 million voters from fifty states and one federal district will vote to elect the 45th President of the United States of America. 490 Days until the Next Presidential Election



As the dust begins to settle after the conclusion of the fiery and passionate Presidential Election - an event that ultimately saw President Barack Obama winning a second term in office and in the process, surprisingly becoming the first President since Gen. Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961) to secure more than 51% of the votes in two successive elections - many Americans could be forgiven for believing that the next couple of years would grant a sufficient measure of time and space to catch their collective breath, and recover from the physically and emotionally exhausting contest. For the 2016 Presidential Election will be unlike anything seen in recent times. In fact, it may well be the most important one since 1860, for one very simple reason. But alas, they couldn't be more wrong. As fittingly noted by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle over 2,300 years ago, man is by nature a political animal. So it came as no shock then, barely days after President Obama's victory, when a chorus of speculation over the identities of the potential candidates for the 2016 election inevitably emerged. However, this time, there is an exceedingly good justification for dragging politically-weary Americans back into the ideological battleground. For the 2016 Presidential Election will be unlike anything seen in recent times. In fact, it may well be the most important one since 1860, for one very simple reason. The 45th American President could potentially be selecting up to four new Supreme Court Justices to replace the aging Ruth Bader Ginsburg (81), Antonin Scalia (79), Anthony Kennedy (78) and Stephen Breyer (76) - almost half of the nine-person lineup of the United States Supreme Court. With a historical 25-year average tenure, these lifetime appointments will directly determine the political, ideological and socioeconomic direction of the country for the next three decades, and indirectly thereafter. This is what's at stake here, folks. And thus, once again, we will keep you up-to-date on the latest developments involving each of the prospective candidates, with a constantly growing database on the issues that will hopefully assist you in evaluating their ability, temperament and political philosophy to lead these United States of America.

It's an interesting time to be a Democrat in American politics. As recently as 2008, the donkeys had it made: having managed to alienate nearly everyone across the political spectrum, Republican George W Bush was on his way out as one of the least popular presidents in US history and taking with him the GOP dominance in congress and any momentum his party might have hoped to enjoy in the coming presidential race. Republican primaries were notoriously fragmented, with numerous potential nominees meaning that most voters were disappointed with the final choice. And that choice was, in an arguably desperate appeal to American exasperation with the right, the decidedly left-leaning “conservative” Senator John McCain. The result was the election of the nation's first African-American President, Barack Obama; a man so favored in the race by simple virtue of anti-Republican fervor among the electorate, that there were those accusing him of running on a platform no more substantive than the slogan “hope and change”. Republicans tried to unseat him in 2012 with another Republican of dubious right-wing credentials, Mitt Romney, but Americans just weren't ready to forgive the GOP yet. Despite having proven no superstar of a commander in chief in the eyes of the public, Obama won reelection convincingly. In the past four years, sentiment towards the president has scarcely warmed: Never in danger of receiving Christmas cards from the right, Obama has disappointed many of those on the left, especially environmentalists whose hoped-for change was an emphasis on green policies that they feel has failed to materialize. Frustration over only modest improvements to the economy, meanwhile, have threatened to turn public sentiment against the Democrats in a manner similar to what was experienced by Republicans in the post-Bush era. Democrats, however, have strong players on their side of the 2016 presidential race. Hosting, among others, a woman with a serious chance at becoming the first female president just as Obama was the first person of color in that office. The left may lack momentum, but wields candidates with personal popularity. The outcome of the 2016 election is anything but certain, but should the Democrats carry the day, their choice of nominee will be especially pivotal in their victory. Latest 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary Polls Hillary Clinton Joe Biden Bernie Sanders Martin OMalley Jim Webb CNN/ORC International June 26-28, 2015 490 Democratc Margin of error: ± 4.5 Poll details 57% 16% 14% 1% 2% 5%  None of these 4%  Other 1%  No opinion Fox News June 21-23, 2015 375 likely Democratic primary voters Margin of error: ? Poll details 61% 11% 15% 1% 2% 5%  Undecided 3%  Cuomo 2%  None of these    more NBC News / Wall Street Journal June 14-18, 2015 247 Democratic primary voters Margin of error: ± 6.24 Poll details 75% NA 15% 2% 4% 2%  None of these 1%  Not Sure 1%  Other More Democratic Primary Polls

Over the past two decades, devotees of the Republican party and the advancement of its principles have been well served by a strong stomach. Indeed, one could scarcely blame them for feeling as if they were riding on a roller coaster, with one important difference: At least if they were on a carnival ride, they could theoretically have asked that it be stopped so they could get off. As far back as 1994, the GOP enjoyed a political windfall when midterm election results awarded them control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Termed then the “Republican Revolution”, some optimistic fellows on the right even dared to declare that a permanent majority had begun, with the US congress becoming red for the foreseeable future. They suffered under a Democratic President at the time, but had high hopes of changing that in two short years. Frustration in the presidential election of 1996, however, resulting in the reelection of President Bill Clinton, meant that the Republicans would have to wait a total of six years after their landslide to take the White House and dominate American government. Unfortunately, this was when the roller coaster began to dip, as President George W Bush would prove to be one of the least popular commanders in chief in the nation's history, provoking a backlash against Republican rule that began in the 2006 midterms – ending the supposed “permanent majority” in the Senate - and culminated in 2008 with the election of current President Barack Obama. The Revolution was over. Or was it? While unmistakably starting strong, President Obama's current approval ratings place him just slightly above his abysmally regarded predecessor. Between a sluggish economy – whose “recovery” has yet to be felt by many Americans still desperately seeking work – and popular wariness over Obama's much-trumpeted healthcare plan, the Democratic party has paid for its President's poor image during the 2014 midterm elections: An 8-seat loss in the Senate has cost them their so recently won control of that chamber of congress, while a net loss of 15 seats in the House has forced them to cede a stronger majority in that chamber of congress, to a Republican party otherwise smarting from '06 and '08. Considering their current position, the Republican party's prospects for the 2016 presidential election seem strong. History, of course, teaches them – or should teach them – not to carry forward too much cockiness from a successful midterm. Barring some tumultuous upheaval, the Republican presidential candidate in 2016 will most likely be facing Hillary Clinton at the polls; no easy rival. But the wind is at their backs, with congress under their control and the opposition's President on the ropes. Everything depends on who gets blessed with the GOP nomination in 2016. Latest 2016 Republican Presidential Primary Polls Jeb Bush Donald Trump Ben Carson Scott Walker Marco Rubio Economist/YouGov Poll June 27-29, 2015 246 registered Republicans Margin of error: ± 4 Poll details 14% 11% 9% 12% 10% 11%  Paul 6%  Fiorina 6%  Huckabee    more CNN/ORC International June 26-28, 2015 1,017 Margin of error: ± 3 Poll details 19% 12% 7% 6% 6% 8%  Huckabee 7%  Other 7%  Paul    more Fox News June 21-23, 2015 378 likely Republican primary voters Margin of error: ? Poll details 19% 11% 10% 9% 8% 9%  Undecided 9%  Paul 6%  Huckabee    more More Republican Primary Polls

Independent and third party candidates have always held a larger than life image, chiefly due to the larger than life personalities of the three most successful presidential candidates outside of the big two - Teddy Roosevelt, Ross Perot and Ralph Nader. Alternative presidential candidates in the United States have not fared well throughout history and their popularity has only lessened over the past decades. The U.S. political system has been dominated by the Democratic and Republican parties for a century and a half, and the last third party candidate to win a presidential election was Zachary Taylor of the Whig Party in 1848. The hegemony of the two major parties was only really threatened once since, in 1912, when Teddy Roosevelt split from the GOP to form the Progressive Party and finished a distant second behind eventual winner, Democratic President Woodrow Wilson. Former Democratic Alabama Governor George Wallace, running on the American Independent Party ticket in 1968, was the last third party presidential candidate to win the electoral votes of a state. He received 13.5% of the popular vote and 45 electoral votes from southern states. Other noteworthy third party campaigns include Reform Party nominee Ross Perot with 8% of the popular vote in 1996, and Green Party nominee Ralph Nader with 2.7% in the 2000 election. Significant independent presidential campaigns include those of John Anderson with 6.6% of the vote in 1980 and Ross Perot with 18.9% in 1992. Independents and third parties candidates are at a disadvantage compared to their Democratic and Republican peers - from a financial, organizational and captive voter base perspective. As Americans’ disdain for both the administrative and legislative branches of government builds, an opportunity for a 2016 presidential candidate other than a Democrat or Republican may be developing on the horizon. Major third parties in the U.S. include the Constitution Party, Libertarian Party and Green Party. Together, they account for just over one million registered members, or less than 1% of those registered with the Democratic and Republican parties. The number of self-identified independent voters in the United States, however, now accounts for about 30% of registered voters. This rise in voter political independence may very well be due to disillusionment with the two-party system, and independent voters have now become a target deemed necessity for modern day presidential campaigns. A number of independent and third party candidates have already declared their candidacy for the 2016 presidential election. These candidates face the huge challenge of gaining legitimate recognition in the mainstream media, and routinely declare and commence their campaigns much earlier than more established candidates to build a supporting constituency. Although they may lack the national prominence, they have the will and a goal of becoming the next president of the United States.