If you've been paying attention to the 2016 Presidential race, you'll notice that there's a lot of potentials in the running. Currently, there are fourteen Republican candidates, and three democratic candidates fighting for their chance at the Presidency. Each candidate comes from a different background of experience and offers different ideas for the future. If you haven't been paying attention to the debates or following the news, here is a good place to find out some information about the Presidential hopefuls. Being that there are so many in the running, I will talk about the top four GOP candidates and the top two Democratic candidates, in the order that they are currently standing in the polls.

Republicans

1. Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is the current front-runner of the Republican Party and is running with an average of 28.9% in the polls. Donald Trump is the chairman and President of The Trump Organization and is known for being one of the top real estate developers and holders in the world. Beyond that he was the creator of the show The Apprentice, has written many books, and is a top business man. No one ever expected that Donald Trump would be a 2016 Presidential Candidate or that he would be in front of the polls ever since the race began. Here are some of Donald Trump's viewpoints and plans if he ends up with the nomination.

Tax Plan: Single-income earners, who are making less than $25,000 a year would not pay any income tax. Additionally, any married couple who is making less than $50,000 a year will not pay any income tax. He has also promised that no business of ANY SIZE, will pay more than fifteen percent of its income in federal taxes.

Immigration Reform: Trump would like to build a wall across the southern border and to have Mexico pay for the building of this wall. He would also like to triple the amount of officers that are protecting the border. He is planning to return all of the 76,000+ criminal aliens that the Obama Administration released in 2013, to their home countries as well as detaining the aliens attempting to cross the border instead of the catch-and-release policy that is now in place. In addition, Donald Trump will end birth right citizenship. This means that all children born in America to illegal immigrants will be deported and not considered American citizens.

Pro-life or Pro-choice?: Pro-life.

Criticized for: His derogatory remarks towards women, his bad attitude and sarcasm, his inexperience in the political field.

For more information on Donald Trump you can visit: https://www.donaldjtrump.com

2. Dr. Ben Carson.

Dr. Ben Carson, running second in the polls at an average of 22%, is a retired neurosurgeon. Carson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived in poverty. Carson went on to become a graduate from Yale University, and further, a graduate of University of Michigan's Medical School. Dr. Carson has written numerous books throughout his career; some of which were medical books, but also a lot of political books. These books include One Nation, A More Perfect Union, America The Beautiful, and some of his doctoral books being, Gifted Hands, and You Have A Brain. Dr. Carson became another one of the Presidential Candidates that no one expected but took a rise in the polls because people find him to be trustworthy. Here are some of Dr. Carson's policies for his presidency.

Education: Dr. Carson is firm on his belief that education has the ability to help a person climb the ladder and can actually lead people out of poverty, as it did for him. Carson believes that through common core, we have had a huge increase in the federal government trying to control school systems. He would overturn Common Core as President, and would like schools to be run on a local level by informed and engaged parents, teachers, and principals.

Health Care: Being a Dr. himself, health care is something that Carson feels very strongly about. The Affordable Care Act has cost the United States over 1.2 trillion dollars, Carson explains in his campaign that even after this has gone into full effect, after ten years, millions of people still won't have health insurance. He will re-establish a plan so that patients and doctors can have a strong relationship with one another. He will also be in full support of HSA's (Health Savings Accounts) which will ultimately mean that families can make their own medical decisions, have lower costs, and better access to doctors of their choice.

Pro-life or Pro-choice?: Pro-Life.

Criticized for: No political background or experience.

For more information on Dr. Ben Carson you can visit: https://www.bencarson.com

3. Senator Marco Rubio.

Running third in the polls and recently making a huge increase in numbers is Florida Senator, Marco Rubio. He is currently running with an average of 10.5% in the polls. Senator Rubio was born in raised in Florida to Cuban parents. His parents came to America seeking a better life. He knows exactly what it is like to make something out of yourself when you have nothing. Senator Rubio served almost 9 years in the House of Representatives then moved on to becoming the Speaker Of the Florida House of Representatives. After that, he moved on to becoming Senator in 2010. Having plenty of political experience, and a unique background, here are some of Marco Rubio's plans for his future as President.

Plans for Defeating ISIS: Marco Rubio has laid out a plan to defeat ISIS which includes expanding the air strikes that are currently being used. He has also planned to deploy the United States Military Special Forces to help Iraqi forces. He will work to aid and strengthen the United States' military intel to make sure we have the ability to see attacks ISIS is planning against the United States.

The Second Amendment Rights: Rubio believes that this is a fundamental Amendment and one that connects directly to the American Dream. He believes that you can build a family and raise them in a safe, and protected environment with this right. He believes that instead of going against guns, we should look into the reasons that people are committing these violent acts. He believes that mental illness is a large reason why people are committing these crimes and that we need to provide more aid to those who need it in order to prevent these things from happening due to mental illness.

Pro-life or Pro-choice?: Pro-life.

Criticized for: Having poor money management skills (even though these allegations were discredited), having a poor attendance with his Senate position.

For more information on Senator Marco Rubio you can visit: https://marcorubio.com

4. Senator Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz has been the Texas Senator since 2013. Senator Cruz lived in Texas his whole life and was valedictorian of his class. He went on to get an education from Princeton University and after that attended Harvard Law School. Ted Cruz served as an attorney for some time before becoming an advisor for the 2000 George W. Bush campaign. Senator Cruz is an award winning debater and is known for this. During debates he is well spoken and puts his facts out there. Cruz is currently running with an average of 8.5% in the polls and is seeming to make a rise in the recent weeks. Here are just some of the ideas that Senator Ted Cruz has put forward for his Presidency.

Tax Plan: Senator Cruz has purposed a plan that he calls the "Simple Flat Tax". Under the simple flat tax the current rates of taxes will completely change. He has promised that it will become a low rate of 10%. He explains further that if there is a family with four members in it, the first $36,000 of their income with completely be tax free. Because of this plan, it is his promise that low and middle class income families will have a better opportunity because they will have much lower taxes to pay and can keep more of their income. Also, he plans to abolish the IRS as it is now and make sure there is no more targeting of people based on their political beliefs, religious beliefs, or culture.

The Second Amendment Rights: Alongside Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Cruz is another firm believer in protecting the rights under the Second Amendment. Senator Cruz was voted the most trusted and consistent Presidential Candidate to protect this right. Cruz was endorsed by Gun Owners of American, Tim Macy, Chairman of GOA said this about him, "Gun Owners of America is proud to endorse Senator Ted Cruz for the office of President of the United States. Cruz has been a strong advocate for Second Amendment rights as a U.S. Senator, and he will continue to defend our gun rights from the Oval Office.” As well as these remarks from the Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, "Ted Cruz is one of our nation’s leading defenders of the Second Amendment. For over a decade, Ted has fought tirelessly to defend our constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and his leadership was absolutely critical to our major victories before the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Pro-life or Pro-choice?: Pro-life.

Criticized for: Working a long time in law and not having a lot of political experience.

For more information on Senator Ted Cruz you can visit: https://www.tedcruz.org

Democrats

1. Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton, former first lady and wife of Bill Clinton, was a candidate that everyone expected. Hillary was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and was a graduate from Wellesley College and went on to get a degree from Yale Law School. Clinton was the first female Senator of New York and was senator from the years 2001 until 2009. She also served as the Secretary of State form 2009 until 2013. Clinton has done a lot of influential things including advocating for the creation of State Children's Health Insurance, Adoption of Safe Families Act, and the Foster Care Independence Act. Hillary Clinton is appealing to a lot of female voters due to her strong feminism views and campaign. Here are just some of the ideas Hillary has put forward on her campaign trail so far.

Threat of Climate Change: Hillary Clinton has talked a lot about her concerns regarding climate change. She sees it as a forefront issue that is affecting all of America. To get this under control, Clinton has set two goals. She has said that she would like to build and install 500 million solar panels throughout the United States. The second, is that she would like to be able to have enough energy to run every home in America. Hillary has explained that through these two goals, it will help to stop premature deaths and decrease the number of asthma attacks in the country.

How to fix the Economy: Another thing that Hillary has discussed heavily on her campaign trail is the economy. Clinton plans to fix this problem by expanding employment opportunities for everyone, providing a smaller tax for small businesses, establish an infrastructure bank, and to make college more affordable.

Pro-life or Pro-choice?: Pro-choice. Also, supports late term abortion and partial birth abortion.

Criticized for: The Benghazi lie, the e-mail scandal, white water, death of Vince Foster.

For more information on Hillary Clinton you can visit: https://www.hillaryclinton.com

2. Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders lived in Brooklyn, New York for his adolescent life and went on to get an education from the University of Chicago. While attending school, Sanders was an active civil rights protest organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality, and also was an active member of the Young People's Socialist League. Sanders has served in the House of Representatives, has served as a congressman, and finally became Senator of Vermont from the years 2013 to 2015. Bernie has been running at an average of 31% against Hillary Clinton's average of 56%. Here are some of the ideas that Senator Sanders has put forward so far.

Voting Laws: Senator Sanders has put forth a large amount of ideas so that voting can become easier, and more fair in his words. Senator Sanders would like to give anyone who has been convicted of a felony their ability to vote back. In addition, Senator Sanders would like to make Election Day a federal holiday so that voters will have the ability to have off of work and be able to get to a voting location.

Fighting for Women's Rights: Senator Sanders believes that even though we have had many advances in these rights, we still have a long ways to go before it is perfect. In discussing the gender inequality gap, here are some of the things that Sanders has proposed. He wants to fight to close the pay gap between men and women, protect AND expand the reproductive rights of women by expanding funding for Planned Parenthood.

Pro-life or Pro-choice?: Pro-choice.

Criticized for: Being a socialist and for having communist tendencies, his spending plans and how they would bankrupt the country.

For more information on Senator Bernie Sanders you can visit: https://berniesanders.com/?nosplash=true/

Although this article will highlight some of the candidates major policies and their ideas as they have projected them on their campaign trail, please remember that there are many more policies that each candidate has put out. Additionally, beyond the six candidates I discussed here, there are still eleven other candidates in the race for the Presidential election. I urge college students, and even adults to pay attention to the politics that go on in this country and to watch the debates. No matter what party you will side with, this is your country too and your opinion and vote matters.