With an important election just a little over a year away, many people are discussing their top pick for President. With a wide field on both sides, it may feel overwhelming to figure out which candidates are worth taking a look at. Some candidates may still be in the race, but pose little threat to the front runners. Others are trailing in the polls currently but have the potential to make noise as the nation slowly begins more aware of the options. If you're not sure who will struggle and who is in it for the long haul, you have come to the right place.
The Field
As is typical for this point in a election cycle, there are dozens of candidates and potentially more to follow.
The Democrats are lead by a power struggle between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Other notables include Governors Martin O'Malley, Lincoln Chafee, and Senator Jim Webb. Senator Elizabeth Warren has decided not to run this year, while Vice President Joe Biden is still undecided.
The Republican field is filled to the brim with hopefuls. Tycoon Donald Trump and neurosurgeon Ben Carson lead the party by a large margin. According to a recent CNN poll among Republicans, Senator Ted Cruz, along with Governors Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and Scott Walker are battling for third, while businesswomen Carly Fiorina has been climbing in the polls after spectacular debates. Other candidates feature an assortment of legislators and governors, including Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Jim Gilmore, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki. Governor Rick Perry only recently dropped out of the race.
The Pretenders
Some candidates just don't seem to have a chance. On the Democratic Clinton and Sanders have a stranglehold on the votes, with a different CNN poll indicating that Biden is also a legitimate contender if he wishes to be. Otherwise, the poll's most recent data suggests that Webb, Chafee, and O'Malley hold the allegiance of less than 7 percent of Democratic voters. The presidential hopes of these last three candidates do not appear to be very strong.
On the Republican side, many candidates have struggled to find footing and are fighting desperately to keep their Oval Office hopes alive. Rand Paul, for example, has based a large part of his campaign on bashing Trump. While this may sometimes be a useful tactic, he has yet to convince many voters of his own strengths as opposed to his opponent's shortcomings. Chris Christie is one of the more moderate candidates, which hurts his relationship with many Republicans. Inversely, Mike Huckabee is known for his deep conservative convictions, which may be too much for the general public to accept. If Jeb Bush regains his early lead and wins the nomination, he will be subject to criticism by those who were left dissatisfied by his brother. Other candidates unlikely to make enough noise for the candidacy include Kasich, Gilmore, Graham, Jindal, Santorum and Pataki.
As this is still early in the primaries and there is still a wide field, this article will be split into two parts. The second half of this article will be released next week. There we will discuss the true contenders for the Presidency.
