2016 Presidential Election: Front Runners

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state, campaigned for presidency in 2008 and served on the Senate for eight years. She also spent time in the White House during her husband’s presidency. Clinton is opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement as well as the Keystone XL pipeline. She plans to raise taxes on capital gains and raise wages for working families. Clinton is also a strong advocate for the lessening of racial tension and building of economic opportunity.

 

Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders has served as a Vermont senator since 2007 and previously worked in the House of Representatives for 16 years. He is currently the head of the Senate Budget Committee and is chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Sanders is a liberal candidate and sees himself as a Democratic socialist. He plans to create a single-payer healthcare system with Medicare, create free college education by taxing monetary transactions and raise payroll as well as estate and corporate income taxes.

Donald Trump

Donald Trump is a successful businessman and was the host of “The Apprentice” for 11 years prior to declaring himself as a candidate for presidency. Trump was a Republican before 1999, but registered as a Democrat from 2001-2009 and supported universal healthcare. He plans to reform taxes into brackets and phase out any deductions that are not charitable or mortgage related, expand programs for those with mental health issues and increase border crossing regulations, including the building of a wall across the U.S.-Mexican border.

Senator Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz has served as a Texas senator since 2013, where he gained recognition by working to defund Obamacare during budget negotiations. He was previously the solicitor general for Texas and a partner at a private law firm. Cruz is opposed to the Export-Import Bank, opposes ethanol subsidies as a renewable fuel standard and wants states to have the ability to define marriage in their own definitions. Cruz is also a defender of the Second Amendment and his current ad campaign is focused on the importance of truthfulness.

Senator Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio has served as a Florida senator since 2011 and previously worked as speaker of the House for two of his nine years in the Florida House of Representatives. Rubio plans to reform the tax code by creating two brackets and eliminate many tax credits and deductions while creating a child tax credit, as well as repeal Obamacare and create refundable tax credits for purchasing health insurance. He would like to undo the budget cuts on military forces and work to modernize forces. He is a supporter of conservative immigration reform and hopes to reinstill the American Dream.