*Disclaimer – I am not the most politically adept person. There are some issues that I have a certain level of familiarity with, however I am not an expert. Also I am not necessarily as in tune with this year’s presidential election as I would like to be. Nonetheless my opinions are such that I feel it is important to comment on this side of the race, as opposed to delve into the debate issues. This article is not about who I believe will win the race, but revolve around a theme I think I am noticing.*

I saw a news headline on CNN asking what a Trump versus Hillary race would look like. And to be completely honest, that may in fact be where we are heading.

Regardless of which party you stand with or candidate you prefer (if in fact you like either one of these two), the question to me is how did they get to this point? How did the candidates come to be this deep into the election?

If per say, a presidential election came down to Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton, I would not be shocked. What I see though is not that these two are the best candidates (I am not saying that they are not however, I am generally stating; a point I would have made regardless). I see two candidates who absolutely are killing it in their campaigns.

Hillary has the name, the suggestion of a first woman president, and a personable attitude.

Trump has money, is brash and outspoken, and draws attention easily.

They are of course both political figures who are capable of certain aspects of the business, but what makes them the best suited for each respective party's nomination?

They are popular.

It is not necessarily their stances on worldly or domestic issues, but it is the fact that the whole country knows about them. Cruz and Rubio have been in the republican race, but I feel like they have stolen each other's thunder. And while personally I believe Carson has some great points and ideas, he's soft-spoken and isn't headline grabbing; thus had smaller support and notoriety. As for the Democratic side, Sanders provided liberal people with a lot of answers, but was superseded by Clinton in many of the 'Super Tuesday' primaries.

Candidates nowadays have the funding to campaign across the nation and reach everyone, the support by other political or otherwise endorsing figures, and the ability to connect to the people in order to persuade their votes.

I thought at first this was surprising but then it all hit me that unfortunately, the Presidential Election has come down to being a popularity contest.