Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the most divisive candidates in history; it seems that people either like em or hate em. And many people seem to despise both and consider them to be terrible choices for President. Turnout is likely to be much lower, and third party folks like Gary Johnson and Jill Stein aim to get above 5% of the national popular vote. Both candidates are mired in scandal and general sketchy business: Hillary with her emails and foundation problems, and Trump with his tax returns, Trump University, and multiple strategic bankruptcies. Both candidates have determined opponents on both the left and the right and have divided their parties. Bernie supporters are still reluctant to back Hillary, with some claiming her to conspired with the DNC to steal the nomination from Bernie. Many Republicans despise Trump’s bigotry and controversial comments; people like Mitt Romney say he lacks the temperament to be President. Others are convinced that he just says things to get people to support him.

Both candidates hail from New York, but they have different backgrounds. Hillary Clinton was born in 1947 in Chicago to an upper middle class family. Her father owned a successful textile company and came from a family of coal miners; he worked his way up to success. Her mother was a homemaker who had had a rough childhood; she and her sister had been abandoned by their parents and forced to live with their strict grandparents. She eventually ran away and worked as a housekeeper for a generous lady, who supported her in graduating from high school. Her father was a staunch conservative Republican; Hillary campaigned for the Goldwater campaign in 1964 and was a volunteer in several Republican youth organizations. She was also vice president of her class in high school and a leader of several Republican groups at Wellesley college. In 1968, her views became more liberal and she played a role in promoting civil rights on the campus; she became a Democrat after being disgusted with Nixon’s campaign tactics. She also worked at a fish plant in Alaska, helping it get shut down after exposing the unhealthy conditions there.

She later went to Yale Law School and focused on legal work for poor people and children; she did a lot of volunteer legal work and fought for the rights of children. She also played a role in the Watergate investigations of 1974 and assisting the House investigations of Nixon. She also met Bill Clinton during this period and married him in 1975, later moving to Arkansas. She continued her legal work successfully; she also served as First Lady of Arkansas from 1978 to 1992. After Bill’s victory in 1992, she moved into the White House and became very active in his administration, serving as a key advisor. She led a commission on healthcare reform, which led to a failed healthcare bill in 1994. She also fought for the passage of the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997 and fought for bills for women’s and family rights. She finally ran for a Senate seat in New York and won it in 2000. She voted for the Iraq War in 2002, but later changed her mind and opposed Bush’s further actions in the war. After a failed bid for the 2008 nomination, she later became Secretary of State and cooperated well with Obama. She campaigned for women’s rights throughout the world and played a role in the US intervention in the Libyan Civil war. She retired from the role amidst controversy due to the Benghazi incident and prepared for her 2016 campaign. She has come under fire for emails that she kept in a private server during her tenure as Secretary of State. She was not indicted but her conduct was considered careless by the FBI and hurt her campaign significantly.

Donald Trump comes from a much different background; he was born in 1946 to Fred Trump, a successful real estate developer. Fred Trump was born to German immigrants and after his father’s death, worked in real estate with his mother. He became wealthy by building barracks for US Navy servicemen and later middle-class housing in New York. Despite trouble with the US Senate and accusations of racial bias, he managed to build a successful enterprise. Trump grew up in an affluent, but competitive household. His father had high expectations for his children; they were to focus on school and had to be obedient and follow their parent’s wishes. Trump was a rambunctious child, making mischief and trouble at school. He was also very aggressive and athletic, excelling at dodgeball and baseball. He eventually was sent to the New York Military Academy where he calmed down and excelled under the discipline of the place. He also was ambitious and confident, popular among his peers and the ladies. He was tough and strong, determined to follow his father into the real estate business of New York.

Trump went to college and also worked part-time at his father’s company. He eventually graduated and worked on several deals before finally being given control of the Manhattan operations by his father. He excelled and helped revitalize parts of the city; he helped build the Trump Plaza, the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and the Trump Tower. While he was initially successful, he made unsuccessful investments in mega projects like the Trump Taj Mahal casino in New Jersey, which was forced to go bankrupt. After a period of financial problems in the 1990s, Trump was able to regain his wealth through several projects and media shows like the Apprentice and the Miss USA pageants. He also pursued a career as an unofficial celebrity, regularly making appearances in the news and saying controversial things. He was even an actor in a movie. He also contemplated running for President in 1988 and 2000, but eventually decided not to. In 2011, Trump floated the idea of running in 2012 for the Republican nomination, but decided against it. This was merely a precursor for his 2016 bid, which would be successful. He decisively won the 2016 contests and is now running a very controversial campaign for President.

Clinton has established a career as an aggressive defender of the rights of families, women, and children. She broke the gender ceiling during the 1970s and 1980s and through her ambition and hard work, was able to succeed in law and politics. She was also active in her husband’s administration as the First Lady and worked tirelessly on his behalf. Donald Trump followed in his father’s footsteps in the real estate world, and made his mark in New York City. He also expanded the business into many other areas like casinos, golf courses, and the media. He is also good at promoting himself and being at the center of attention, whether for good or for bad. No matter who wins this November, we are due for a very unique President.