The 2016 Presidential Candidates

The 2016 Presidential Candidates (image courtesy of www.potus2016.org) This politician is no newcomer having run for election in 2008. Hillary also has seen her husband’s election to the Oval Office in 1992 and reelection in 1996. She has formally declared her intention to run and is building a war chest now. Clinton has an interesting advantage or disadvantage depending on how you look at it; she is trying to be the first woman to be elected to the presidency. However, she’s not the only woman running. Carly Fiorina, a businesswoman from Virginia, has announced her candidacy. Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and vice-presidential candidate has also looked into running, but is not yet formally involved. With these opposing women running for the Republicans, it seems that there will be some more contenders on the female side. 2.)  Ted Cruz (image courtesy of www.freerepublic.com) Mr. Cruz is relatively new to Capitol Hill having been elected to the Senate in 2012. However, Cruz has been in the capital under Clinton and Bush, eventually returning to Texas to become the state solicitor general, responsible for representing Texas in the Supreme Court. He is a conservative Republican. 3.)  Jim Webb Perhaps Cruz’s foil, Webb is a staunch democrat, voting very much in opposition to Cruz’s ideals. (image courtesy of www.newsmax.com) Being one of only three  major Democrat politicians to declare, Webb’s got a good chance of doing well in this election simply by virtue of his limited competition. A decorated Vietnam War veteran, Webb is actively involved with Southeast Asia and is married to a South Vietnamese refugee. Well familiar with the armed forces and foreign policy, Webb might prove to be a serious contender for his foreign policy. 4.)  Dr. Ben Carson (image courtesy of www.buttonsonline.com) A former neurosurgeon and best-selling author, Dr. Carson is a Detroit native with a strong medical history. More recently, he has been involved in politics and policy. His views are largely conservative Republican, but he has views that put him more towards the middle ground. Dr. Carson first jumped to the public eye with his book Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story which was later made into a movie by the same name. Carson has commented that he entered politics and believe others trained in scientific disciplines should as well because he “… [believes] it is a very good idea for physicians, scientists, engineers, and others trained to make decisions based on facts and empirical data to get involved in the political arena.” 5.)  Lincoln Chafee Mr. Chafee was formerly governor of Rhode Island as well as being the committee co-chair for Mr. Obama’s reelection campaign. Formerly a Republican Senator, Chafee switched over to the Democratic Party in 2008 to support President Obama’s campaign. However, upon election to the office of Governor of Rhode Island, Chafee’s approval ratings did not reflect well upon him and he declined a second term. (image courtesy of www.yahoo.com) 6.)  Marco Rubio A Cuban-American Senator to Florida, Rubio has an important hold in Florida, a historical swing-state. A strong conservative Republican, Rubio has worked against taxes in an already tax-hating state. Rubio’s strongly conservative policies seem to be a good indicator of nomination from the Republican Party. However, Rubio’s approval ratings in Florida have been shown to be in the low 40s: not a good sign. However, Governor John Kasich of Ohio has looked into running for the Presidency as well and has a majority approval rating in his state, another historic swinger. (image courtesy of www.theblaze.com) 7.)  Juaquin James Malphurs You might know this candidate better by his stage name: Waka Flocka Flame. That’s right. Waka Flocka  has declared this past April 20 that he intends to run for president of the United States of America I kid you not. (image courtesy of www.popdust.com) As interesting as I’m sure his campaign would be, and as valuable as his outlooks and policies could be, Mr. Malphurs falls short of just one requirement to be president: he is only 28. The only requirements to be president are to be 35 years of age, be born in the U.S., a U.S. territory, or military base, and be elected by the Electoral College. While the rapper may not be eligible, he is important to this list of candidates because of his age. America has abysmal voter turnout. This past election saw the worst showing of American voters ever. Among those, America’s youth ages 18-24 have the lowest voting rate nationwide. While Mr. Malphurs cannot actually run, his enthusiasm and participation could draw in more voters this election. Please remember to register and vote. If you don’t want to vote for whoever is running, write in a name. Every vote matters. Even the Women’s Suffrage was passed by one vote. So please vote.