Your guide to the 2016 presidential candidates
As the fight to win the 2016 presidential election heats up, here is a guide to who may be the next president of the United States:
Republicans
Jeb Bush
John Ellis Bush (his name "JEB" is actually an acronym) served as governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007, after narrowly missing winning that job in 1994. Bush is known for his moderate stances on immigration and Common Core, although he says the federal government should have no role in the Common Core debate. He's the brother of former President George W. Bush and the son of former President George H.W. Bush. After his time as governor, he founded the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which is now chaired by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Status: Declared. Bush launched his campaign on June 15 with a speech at Miami Dade College.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in second place) and Sept. 16 main debate (second)
Age on Election Day: 63
Education: University of Texas (Latin American Studies)
Family: Married (Columba), three children (George, Noelle, Jeb)
Birthplace: Midland, Texas
Current Residence: Coral Gables, Fla.
Religion: Roman Catholic (converted from Episcopalian)
Ben Carson
Carson is a retired neurosurgeon who rose to political fame after speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013. Although he has never held elective office, Carson is a published author, serves on the board of multiple corporations, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 for his medical work. Carson is an outspoken opponent of Obamacare. He also has a history of controversial comments, including that Obamacare is the "worst thing … since slavery." Carson briefly led or was tied for the lead in several national polls in late spring 2015.
Status: Declared. Carson launched his campaign with a speech in Detroit on May 4.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in fifth place) and Sept. 16 main debate (fourth)
Age on Election Day: 65
Education: Yale University (Psychology), University of Michigan (M.D.)
Family: Married (Candy), three children (Murray, Benjamin, Rhoeyce)
Birthplace: Detroit, Mich.
Current Residence: West Friendship, Md.
Religion: Seventh-Day Adventist
Chris Christie
Christie has been the governor of New Jersey since 2010. Prior to that, he was the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2001 to 2008. Although he was cleared from wrongdoing in the infmaous "Bridgegate" scandal, Christie's reputation still suffers from it. Christie is well known for having a moderate-to-conservative record in deep-blue New Jersey and vehemently defending that record against hecklers, including teachers union members. Christie said "the national teachers union" deserves a punch in the face in an August 2015 interview.
Status: Declared. Christie launched his campaign on June 30 in a rally at a high school gym in Livingston, N.J., where Christie grew up.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in ninth place) and Sept. 16 main debate (10th)
Age on Election Day: 54
Education: University of Delaware (Political Science), Seton Hall University (J.D.)
Family: Married (Mary Pat), four children (Andrew, Sarah, Patrick, Bridget)
Birthplace: Newark, N.J.
Current Residence: Mendham, N.J.
Religion: Roman Catholic
Ted Cruz
Cruz became a U.S. senator from Texas in 2013, when a delayed election calendar helped him get his message out and defeat an establishment Republican candidate who outspent him three-to-one. He was a partner at Morgan Lewis law firm and solicitor general for the state of Texas. He has successfully argued cases before the Supreme Court. Cruz was criticized by some and became a hero to others by trying to defund Obamacare during budget negotiations in Fall 2013 that ended in a government shutdown. Cruz was born in Canada, but he was born to an American mother, so he is eligible for the presidency.
Status: Declared. Cruz formally announced his presidential campaign in a speech at Liberty University on March 30, the earliest of all the candidates.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in sixth place) and Sept. 16 main debate (fifth)
Age on Election Day: 45
Education: Princeton University (Public Policy), Harvard Law School (J.D.)
Family: Married (Heidi), two children (Caroline, Catherine)
Birthplace: Calgary, Canada (Cruz's mother was born in the United States, so he is still eligible for the presidency)
Current Residence: Houston, Texas
Religion: Southern Baptist
Carly Fiorina
Fiorina was CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005. She is the only Republican woman in the race. Fiorina is the chairman of the American Conservative Union Foundation, which perhaps helps her credibility with Tea Partiers. She has never held elective office. She ran for U.S. Senate in California in 2010, losing 52 to 42 percent to the incumbent, Sen. Barbara Boxer. Her campaign's complaints over CNN's debate criteria led to an alteration in the Sept. 16 debate rules that earned her a spot in the prime-time debate. After Donald Trump's "Look at that face" comment, Fiorina criticized Trump in a campaign ad and the Sept. 16 debate.
Status: Declared. Fiorina announced she was running in an interview with Good Morning America on May 4 and held an online town hall later that day.
Debates: Did not qualify for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in 14th place). Qualified for Sept. 16 main debate (11th)
Age on Election Day: 62
Education: Stanford University (Medieval History and Philosophy), UCLA Law School (did not finish), University of Maryland (MBA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management (Master of Science)
Family: Married (Frank), two step-children (Lori Ann [deceased], Traci)
Birthplace: Austin, Texas
Current Residence: Mason Neck, Va.
Religion: Christian
Jim Gilmore
Gilmore served as governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002 (term limits prevented another run). Gilmore also ran for president in the 2008 cycle, but withdrew after six months. Instead he ran for the U.S. Senate, losing by 21 points to now-Senator Mark Warner. As governor, Gilmore phased out property taxes on vehicles and cut spending during the early 2000s recession. Gilmore is also a veteran of the U.S. Army and was chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2001.
Status: Declared. Gilmore launched his candidacy on July 30 in a YouTube video, the last of the 17 candidates.
Debates: Did not qualify for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in 17th place). Did not qualify for either Sept. 16 debate (17th)
Age on Election Day: 67
Education: University of Virginia (undergraduate and law school)
Family: Married (Roxane), two children
Birthplace: Richmond, Va.
Current Residence: Alexandria, Va., or Richmond, Va.
Religion: Methodist
Lindsey Graham
Graham has been a U.S. senator from South Carolina since 2003. He has been in some form of elected office since 1993, also serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a firm believer in foreign policy interventionism, but his centrist views on environmental policy are rare in the GOP. He is frequently identified as an ally of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and backed McCain's campaign finance law in 2002.
Status: Declared. Graham launched his campaign on June 1 in his hometown of Central, S.C.
Debates: Did not qualify for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in 15th place) or Sept. 16 main debate (16th)
Age on Election Day: 61
Education: University of South Carolina (Psychology, J.D.)
Family: Unmarried, no children
Birthplace: Central, S.C.
Current Residence: Seneca, S.C.
Religion: Southern Baptist
Mike Huckabee
Huckabee served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. Following his failed campaign for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, he hosted the "Huckabee" show on Fox News until early 2015. Huckabee is well-known for his very conservative positions on social and cultural issues, and was an ordained Southern Baptist minister prior to becoming Arkansas' lieutenant governor. Huckabee is critical of some conservative economic policies, such as reforming Social Security.
Status: Declared. Huckabee launched his campaign on May 5 with a rally in Hope, Ark., his hometown.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in fourth place) and Sept. 16 main debate (seventh)
Age on Election Day: 61
Education: Ouachita Baptist University (Religion), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (did not finish)
Family: Married (Janet), three children (John Mark, David, Sarah)
Birthplace: Hope, Ark.
Current Residence: Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
Religion: Southern Baptist
Bobby Jindal
Jindal has been the governor of Louisiana since 2008. Born to immigrants from India, Jindal is one of the few candidates with a non-white ethnic background. Prior to becoming governor, Jindal served in Congress for three years. Unlike other governors who might run for president, there's little to wonder about Jindal's national policy positions. He's already released national policy plans on education, health care, national defense and energy through America Next, his policy shop.
Status: Declared. Jindal launched his campaign on June 24 outside New Orleans.
Debates: Did not qualify for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in 13th place) or Sept. 16 main debate (14th)
Age on Election Day: 45
Education: Brown University (Biology and Public Policy), Oxford University (MLitt.)
Family: Married (Supriya), three children (Selia, Shaan, Slade)
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, La.
Current Residence: Baton Rouge, La.
Religion: Roman Catholic (converted from Hinduism).
John Kasich
Kasich has served as the governor of Ohio since 2011. Kasich had an 18-year stay in Congress until he decided against re-election, instead trying a presidential bid that didn't last beyond the 2000 Iowa Straw Poll. Early in his time as governor, Kasich signed a law strictly limiting collective bargaining rights, but the law was overturned in a referendum. Kasich has been criticized by conservatives for expanding Medicaid in Ohio through Obamacare, and also for his support for Common Core.
Status: Declared. Kasich launched his campaign on July 21 with a rally at his college alma mater in Columbus, Ohio.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in 10th place) and Sept. 16 main debate (ninth)
Age on Election Day: 64
Education: Ohio State (Political Science)
Family: Married (Karen), two children (Emma, Reese)
Birthplace: McKees Rocks, Pa.
Current Residence: Westerville, Ohio
Religion: Anglican (converted from Catholicism)
George Pataki
Pataki served three terms as governor of New York, ending in 2006. Since then, Pataki has been an environmental lawyer and run his own business development firm focused on clean energy. He also spent some time helping run Revere America, an anti-Obamacare organization. Pataki's record as governor of deep-blue New York puts him closer toward the moderate part of the conservative spectrum.
Status: Declared. Pataki launched his campaign on May 28 with a brief video and an event in New Hampshire.
Debates: Did not qualify for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in 16th place) or Sept. 16 main debate (15th)
Age on Election Day: 71
Education: Yale University (History), Columbia Law School (J.D.)
Family: Married (Libby), four children (Emily, Teddy, Allison, George Owen)
Birthplace: Peekskill, N.Y.
Current Residence: Garrison, N.Y.
Religion: Roman Catholic
Rand Paul
Paul has been a senator from Kentucky since 2011, after Tea Party support helped him upset an establishment party-favorite Republican in the primary. The son of a former presidential candidate, former Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, Paul already has a solid base of libertarian support. He was cheered by conservatives in 2013 for his 13-hour filibuster of now-CIA Director John Brennan's nomination, motivated by President Obama's drone strike policy. Paul has campaigned on "trying to kill the tax code," preferring dramatically simpler and lower taxes.
Status: Declared. Paul formally announced his presidential campaign in a speech on April 7 in Louisville, Ky.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in eighth place) and Sept. 16 main debate (eighth)
Age on Election Day: 53
Education: Baylor University (did not finish), Duke University School of Medicine (M.D.)
Family: Married (Kelley), three children (Robert, Duncan, William)
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Current Residence: Bowling Green, Ky.
Religion: Presbyterian (converted from Episcopalian)
Rick Perry
Status: Dropped out. Perry ended his campaign on September 11 in a speech in St. Louis. It was reported that Perry's campaign had laid off much of its staff and was running low on funds.
Debates: Did not qualify for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in 11th place) or Sept. 16 main debate (12th)
Marco Rubio
Rubio has been a senator from Florida since 2011, after Tea Party support helped push him past Charlie Crist in a three-way general election. Prior to that, Rubio had a nine-year career in the Florida House of Representatives, two years of which he was speaker of the House. Rubio's Cuban descent has been a notable influence on his support for conservative immigration reform and on Cuban-American relations, an issue he has criticized Obama heavily on.
Status: Declared. Rubio formally announced his presidential campaign in a speech on April 13 in Miami, Fla.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in sixth place) and Sept. 16 main debate (sixth)
Age on Election Day: 45
Education: University of Florida (Political Science), University of Miami School of Law (J.D.)
Family: Married (Jeanette), four children (Amanda Loren, Daniella, Anthony, Dominick)
Birthplace: Miami, Fla.
Current Residence: West Miami, Fla.
Religion: Roman Catholic
Rick Santorum
Santorum was a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007. He is well-known for his 2012 presidential campaign, when he arguably finished second in the GOP primaries and won the Iowa Caucuses. Santorum has been the CEO of EchoLight Studios since 2013, a film company that produces Christian films. He is most famous for his very conservative positions on social issues, like a ban on most abortions.
Status: Declared. Santorum launched his campaign with a speech on May 27, outside Pittsburgh.
Debates: Did not qualify for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in 12th place) or Sept. 16 main debate (13th)
Age on Election Day: 58
Education: Penn State University (Political Science), University of Pittsburgh (M.B.A.), Dickinson School of Law (J.D.)
Family: Married (Karen), eight children (Elizabeth, Johnny, Daniel, Gabriel [deceased], Sarah, Peter, Patrick, Bella)
Birthplace: Winchester, Va.
Current Residence: Great Falls, Va., or Dallas, Texas
Religion: Roman Catholic
Donald Trump
Trump is the son of Fred Trump, a wealthy real estate developer. Donald Trump is a successful businessman in his own right. Trump has flirted with running in the past and appeared at multiple Conservative Political Action Conferences. His brash personality and wealth make him one of the most well-known figures in the country. Although he was a Republican before 1999, Trump was a registered Democrat from 2001-2009 and previously supported universal healthcare. He was the host of "The Apprentice," a reality show on NBC.
Status: Declared. Trump launched his campaign on June 16 at the Trump Tower in New York City. He delivered remarks, some off-the-cuff, to a room full of supporters. Trump's comments about Mexican immigrants were controversial: "They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people."
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in first place) and Sept. 16 main debate (first)
Age on Election Day: 70
Education: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Economics)
Family: Married (Ivana [divorced], Marla [divorced], Melania), five children (Donald, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, Barron)
Birthplace: New York, N.Y.
Current Residence: New York, N.Y.
Religion: Presbyterian
Scott Walker
Status: Dropped out. Walker suspended his campaign on September 21 with a press conference in Madison, Wis. Some of Walker's major donors had announced they would start giving money to other candidates, and others had doubts about his campaign's leadership.
Debates: Qualified for Aug. 6 main debate (polled in third place) and Sept. 16 main debate (third)
Democrats
Joe Biden
Biden ran for president in 2008, and dropped out after getting only one percent in the Iowa caucuses. Prior to becoming vice president, Biden was a U.S. senator from Delaware for 36 years. He chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for four years and the Senate Judiciary Committee for eight. Biden also ran for president in 1988 but withdrew early on after a plagiarism scandal. Rumors say Biden's dying son, Beau, asked his father to promise he'd run for president.
Status: Not yet declared. Upon withdrawing in 2008, Biden said that campaign would be his last run for the White House, but speculation over another run remains. Speculation that Biden might run has only grown. Biden would have to declare his candidacy by early November or he would start to miss filing deadlines to make primary ballots.
Age on Election Day: 73
Education: University of Delaware (History and Political Science), Syracuse University Law School (J.D.)
Family: Married (Jill), four children (Beau [deceased], Robert Hunter, Naomi Christina [deceased], Ashley)
Birthplace: Scranton, Pa.
Current Residence: Washington, D.C.
Religion: Roman Catholic
Lincoln Chafee
Chafee served one-term as an independent governor of Rhode Island, and opted not to seek re-election when his approval rating fell to 33 percent. Chafee, who ultimately switched to the Democratic Party, had served Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate from 1999 to 2007 as a Republican, but he became an independent after he lost re-election. His father, John Chafee, R-R.I., had been a U.S. senator before him.
Policy Positions:
• Wants to put the U.S. on the metric system.
• Opposes drone strikes, torture, and warrantless wiretapping.
• Wants to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, then index it to inflation.
Status: Declared. Chafee announced his campaign on June 3, during an event in Arlington, Va.
Age on Election Day: 63
Education: Brown University (Classics), Montana State University (Horseshoeing)
Family: Married (Stephanie), three children (Louisa, Caleb, Thea)
Birthplace: Providence, R.I.
Current Residence: Warwick, R.I.
Religion: Episcopalian
Hillary Clinton
Clinton is the best-known candidate in the race. Voters are familiar with her from her time as secretary of state, 2008 presidential campaign and time in the U.S. Senate. Her husband is obviously pretty famous too. It remains to be seen how her lesser-known controversies will affect her White House bid. Clinton has been accused of corruption for allowing the Clinton Foundation to accept donations from foreign governments and hiding emails from when she was secretary of state.
Policy Positions:
• Opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
• Opposes Keystone XL pipeline.
• Wants to raise taxes on capital gains held for one to six years.
Status: Declared. Clinton officially launched her campaign on April 12 in a video message.
Age on Election Day: 69
Education: Wellesley College (Political Science), Yale University Law School (J.D.)
Family: Married (Bill), one child (Chelsea)
Birthplace: Chicago, Ill.
Current Residence: Chappaqua, N.Y. or Washington, D.C.
Religion: Methodist
Martin O'Malley
O'Malley was the governor of Maryland for eight years until January 2015. Since then he has visited Iowa and New Hampshire to talk about liberal priorities such as same-sex marriage and the minimum wage, calling for a raise to $15 an hour. He has been an outspoken opponent of pending trade agreements. Prior to being governor, O'Malley was the mayor of Baltimore for seven years. His record there has been criticized after the Baltimore riots in April. As governor, O'Malley signed 40 tax hikes into law.
Policy Positions:
• Wants more gun control, through background checks on every gun sale and the establishment of a national firearms registry.
• Opposes new oil drilling permits both offshore and in Alaska.
• Wants to expand student aid by increasing Pell Grant payments and tripling participation in the federal work-study program.
Status: Declared. O'Malley announced his candidacy on May 30 in Baltimore in an event marred by protests.
Age on Election Day: 53
Education: Catholic University of America (Political Science), University of Maryland (J.D.)
Family: Married (Katie), four children (Grace, Tara, William, Jack)
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Current Residence: Baltimore, Md.
Religion: Roman Catholic
Bernie Sanders
Sanders has been a U.S. senator from Vermont since 2007, prior to which he served in the House of Representatives for 16 years. He's now the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and chaired the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee for two years. Technically, Sanders is an independent and has described himself as a democratic socialist in the past. Sanders is the most liberal candidate in the race, having long-championed liberal causes like single-payer healthcare, the expansion of Social Security and opposition to free trade.
Policy Positions:
• Wants to enact a single-payer healthcare system through Medicare for all.
• Wants to make college free for everyone by taxing financial transactions.
• Wants to raise payroll, estate, and corporate income taxes.
Status: Declared. Sanders formally announced his campaign in an April 30 speech in front of reporters on Capitol Hill.
Age on Election Day: 75
Education: University of Chicago (Political Science)
Family: Married (Jane), four children (Levi, Heather, Carina, David)
Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Current Residence: Burlington, Vt.
Religion: Judaism
Jim Webb
Webb served just one term in the U.S. Senate, deciding against running for re-election in Virginia in 2012. Webb served in the Vietnam War with the Navy and was briefly Reagan's secretary of the Navy. An outspoken critic of the Iraq War, he has opposed Obama's policies on the Middle East as well. As a candidate, Webb will be quick to criticize Clinton and Biden (if he runs) on defense policy.
Policy Positions:
• Opposes tax hikes on "ordinary earned income," while supporting tax code simplification.
• Wants to maintain strategic military superiority and ensure that the president gets congressional approval before sending troops into war zones.
• Wants to combine a Depression-era jobs program with an adult education program.
Status: Declared. Webb launched his campaign on July 3 in a blog post on his campaign website.
Age on Election Day: 70
Education: United States Naval Academy (completed), Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)
Family: Married (Hong), five children (Amy, Jimmy, Sarah, Julia, Georgia), one stepchild (Emily)
Birthplace: St. Joseph, Mo.
Current Residence: Northern Virginia
Religion: Christian
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