It’s hard enough to keep your mind on politics anyway, but when there’s this many people running as candidates for the presidential elections in 2016, it can be completely confusing. We’ve put together a little profile of facts about each candidate below for you to look through before diving into them properly.
Jeb Bush – Republican
Full name John Ellis Bush, Jeb is the younger brother of former US President George W. Bush. He has been married since he was 21, meeting his wife in Mexico after going abroad as part of a study program with school. His academic record has been referenced in the past, often compared to the disappointing academic record of his older brother. He has converted to Catholicism, claiming in the past that the religion’s refusal to move with modern times unlike his former religion, Episcopalian, is what originally drew him to the faith.
Hillary Clinton – Democrat
Hillary Clinton is the wife of the previous president Bill, a woman who sadly became wrapped up in the infamous scandal surrounding Monica Lewinsky. In the past, she wanted to be an astronaut, even going as far as writing a letter to NASA inquiring how she could one day follow her dreams to go into space. They sadly replied that there were no women allowed. One of the problems she’ll be sure to curb this time round is accusations of her being rather stiff and cold during her 2008 fight for election, something that she eventually quietened by delivering speeches on making history for women while looking after the middle class.
Chris Christie – Republican
One interesting thing to note about Christie is the fact that he chooses to commute to the statehouse from his own home in New Jersey after he was elected, although rather than for financial reasons he did it so his children didn’t need to change schools. He vetoed a bill that would’ve outlawed the use of crates on hogs in the hope of it making his presidential dreams more likely, meaning he isn’t an animal lover.
Ben Carson – Republican
One of the most interesting things from Carson’s past is that he was involved in an altercation at the age of 14 where he lunged at a friend in an attempt to stab him. Luckily his blade hit against the friend’s belt buckle but instead of pursuing the issue through anger management, he instead prayed to God to help him control his temper. Carson is fairly outspoken when it comes to faith, the man being a Seventh Day Adventist and spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast where he infamously criticised a nearby Barack Obama.
Lincoln Chafee – Democrat
Chafee has followed in the footsteps of his father. John Chafee was the Governor of Rhode Island during the 1960s before being elected to the senate in 1976. Once he died, Lincoln took over for the rest of his term from October 1999. Chafee was originally a blacksmith for many years after studying at Montana State’s school for horseshoeing. This was after originally graduating with a degree in Classics from Brown University.
Ted Cruz – Republican
While working on the 2000 presidential election for Bush, Cruz met his future wife who he now has two children with. Before moving into politics, he graduated from Princeton University in 1992 before gaining his Law degree from Harvard. Alongside this he clerked for the Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
Donald Trump – Republican
All you need to know about this man is that you should not vote for him. DO NOT VOTE FOR HIM.
I certainly haven’t covered every candidate for the race here but lets be honest, most of you have already decided who you’re voting for come election day. American people are known for being politically fickle so that person may change, but the USA is not known for its floating voters, at least not like the UK. What do you think? Who are you going to vote for? Are you undecided? Let us know in the comments.
