Chase The Race 2016

 Every four years, the current president of the United States steps down from the office and a new president is elected. This year, Barack Obama's eight years of being president is brought to an end. This brings five new candidates into the picture. Each one is running for the chance to become president in the 2016 election.

 (Allison S, Connor J, Olivia O, Maggie L, Chris H, Michael S.)

www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house

Are the Iowa Caucuses an accurate barometer of who will win the candidacy? Why or why not?

        The Iowa Caucuses help candidates gain momentum in the race. You need to have won one of the Caucuses to have a good chance of becoming president, or even the candidates. You need to win a Caucus or Primary to be able to become president, but even though you have won a Caucus or Primary, you still may not win. They only give you a head start. If you don’t win a Caucus or Primary, funders drop out, and candidates have less of a chance of winning, so although the winner of the Iowa Caucuses has a higher chance of winning, the Caucuses are not and accurate barometer of who will win the candidacy.

www.desmoinesregister.com/iowa-caucuses/

 Is the New Hampshire Primary an accurate barometer of who will win the candidacy? Why or why not?

                 The New Hampshire Primary is an important part in the race, but although the New Hampshire Primary does give a head start to whoever wins it, most times the Primary winner does not become president.  Only 15% of the time the winner becomes president, so although the New Hampshire Primary does give its winner a boost in the race, it is not an accurate barometer of who will win the candidacy.

www.cnn.com/2016/02/09/politics/new-hampshire-primary-highlights/

How does Super Tuesday impact the process?  What happens for the primaries and caucuses that follow?

             Super Tuesday is basically when, on the first of March,12 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia) hold their primaries or caucuses at one time. Super Tuesday allows more things to get done by the time the election comes in November. It speeds up the process of the state elections by giving more leeway and time for them to occur by getting twelve states done on one day and allowing other states to get their Primaries and Caucuses finished.

www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-35671907

Who are the main candidates running for president for each party?

On the Republican Party:

• Ted Cruz (U.S. senator of Texas; real name is Rafael Edward Cruz; born in Calgary, Canada; announced he was running March 23, 2015)
• Donald Trump (Lives in New York City; born in Queens, New York; was a baseball player; got a "small loan" of a million dollars from his father; announced he was running June 16, 2015)
• John Kassich (Governor of Ohio; born:McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania; likes the band Snow Patrol; announced he was running July 21, 2015)

On the Democratic Party:

• Hillary Clinton (Former Secretary of State and First Lady; Born in Chicago, Illinois; would become the first woman president if she won; announced she was running April 12, 2015)
• Bernie Sanders (U.S. senator of Vermont; born in Brooklyn, New York; captain of his High School Track Team; would become the oldest president if he won; announced he was running April 30, 2015)

www.cnn.com/2016/03/21/politics/elections-2016-final-five-highlights/

What are the current predictions regarding the candidates running? How does this impact the process? Are the front runners always the winners?   

                  Donald Trump is currently leading the Republican Party, while Hilary Clinton is currently leading the Democratic Party, both probably due to their recent victory in New York. Donald Trump also won all of Florida's delegates and Hillary Clinton won Arizona. These leaders are predicted to win in each of their parties. These current predictions impact the process because the front runners (Trump and Clinton) gain momentum and get media attention (which is not always a good thing!). The front runners are not always the winners. The runners up have won Caucuses and Primaries right along with the front runners, so they still have a chance to become president, though not as much as a chance as the leading candidates.

www.commdiginews.com/politics-2/hillary-clinton-and-donald-trump-the-irrelevance-of-american-politics-55685/

What are the primary differences between Primaries and Caucuses? How do those differences impact the outcomes?

         A Primary is an election in a state to select a party's general candidates for the election in which secret ballots are used. In Closed Primaries, only members of the political party members vote, and only for those of the same party. In Open Primaries, anybody can vote, regardless of their status, and it doesn't matter what party they vote for. The votes are set and can't be changed. Caucuses are a meeting of party members to choose candidates to run in an election by way of electing delegates to represent their votes. In Caucuses, civilians elect delegates who represent them in the national party convention, who will then vote for the presidential nominee. During the months that pass, delegates will have time to change their minds or prepare their answers until the national convention, while the Primary votes are in and cannot be changed, and so the outcomes of the votes are impacted.

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The next president will be elected on November 8, 2016. One of the five candidates will be elected to be president and stay in the White House for the next four years. This is the race of 2016. Who will win?