2016 United States presidential election (CK)

2016 United States presidential election

November 8, 2016 (2016-11-08)
All 538 electoral votes of the Electoral College 270 electoral votes needed to win
Opinion polls
Turnout	59.5% 4.9 pp
Nominee Caroline Kennedy Donald Trump Party Democratic Republican Home state New York New York Running mate Cory Booker Mike Pence Electoral vote 353 178 States carried 28 + DC 22 Popular vote 77,003,555 70,611,368 Percentage 51.8% 47.5%
Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Kennedy/Booker, and red denotes those won by Trump/Pence. Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia.
President before election Barack Obama Democratic Elected President Caroline Kennedy Democratic

The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Democratic ticket of senators Caroline Kennedy and Cory Booker defeated the Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Despite a 59.5% turnout, Kennedy received roughly 77 million votes, the highest of any winning presidential candidate, and which surpassed that of Barack Obama's record of 69.5 million votes from 2008. With that, Kennedy also received the most votes ever cast for a candidate in a US presidential election, also surpassing Barack Obama in this respect.

As per the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, incumbent president Barack Obama was ineglible to seek a third term. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton was the initial frontrunner in the Democratic primary, having been initially ahead of self-described democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, but was ultimately defeated by Senator Caroline Kennedy from New York, thereby becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major American party. Meanwhile, businessman Donald Trump emerged as the Republican front-runner, defeating senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, Ohio Governor John Kasich, and others. Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, while the Green Party nominated Jill Stein. Trump's right-wing populist nationalist campaign, which promised to "Make America Great Again" and opposed political correctness, illegal immigration, and many United States free-trade agreements garnered extensive free media coverage due to Trump's inflammatory comments, while Kennedy, through her rival campaign, "Camelot Is Back", otherwise strongly emphasised her notable background as a prominent member of the Kennedy family, her political experience in contrast to Trump's, denounced the American businessman's inflammatory and aggressive rhetoric, while advocating for a continuation and expansion of President Obama's policies, racial equality, LGBT and women's rights, and notably, welfare capitalism.

The tone of the election was generally described as divisive and negative, with Trump facing controversy over his views on race and immigration, incidents of violence against protesters at his rallies, and numerous sexual misconduct allegations including the infamous Access Hollywood tape. On the other hand, Kennedy, who despite arousing some minor controversy as a result of her separation from her husband, Edwin Schlossberg just a year prior, was nonetheless praised by commentators and received overwhelmingly positive media coverage in contrast to Trump, with media outlets most frequently emphasising her familial ties to the late John F. Kennedy and her uncles, Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, both of whom are highly regarded by the American public.

Despite mostly leading in almost every nationwide and swing-state poll, there was some initial concern that the relatively short amount of political experience held by Kennedy, coupled with a rather minor scandal revolving around her separation from her husband would ultimately prove to be her downfall. However, on Election Day, Kennedy ultimately achieved a relatively comfortable victory over her Republican opponent, who she defeated in most key states. In the end, Kennedy received 353 electoral votes, topping the number of Obama's win in 2012 (while also narrowly coming close to surpassing the latter's 2008 record), while Trump only received 196 electoral votes by contrast. Consequently, Kennedy, who in addition to becoming the first female and second Catholic president in American history, also became the first president with no prior military experience and additionally, the second to come from the Kennedy family, after her father, John F. Kennedy, who served as the 35th President of the United States from 1961 to 1963. Meanwhile, Kennedy also became the first Democrat to win the state of Arizona since 1996 and Georgia since 1992.

The subsequent period between Election Day and Kennedy's inauguration as President on January 21, 2017, was largely described by most media outlets as "tense" and "extremely dangerous", with supporters of Donald Trump holding heated and aggressive rallies and protests across the country objecting to the results, with Trump himself also refusing to recognise the results. In response, outgoing President Barack Obama controversially had a large number of National Guard troops sent in to a select number of states across the country with the intent of preserving law and order, as instances of violence involving Trump and Kennedy supporters begin to pick up pace. At the same time, small to medium-scale riots also begin to appear at a number of cities across the United States, forcing Kennedy, a longtime New York resident to be evacuated to Washington D.C. by President Obama's behest, where she remained alongside her three children until her inauguration the following January.

Eventually, on January 21, 2017, Kennedy was later safely inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, with no major incidents whatsoever. Then, on the following afternoon, she went on to give a speech condemning the riots, as well as the refusal of her Republican opponent to concede the election from the Arlington National Ceremony, the burial place for her late parents and famous uncles. Later, on January 27, Trump officially conceded defeat and acknowledged the election results through a speech given from a rented property of his in New York.

Due to the highly tense atmosphere and nature of the election, coupled with Trump's ideological parallels to that of former Arizona senator Barry Goldwater, the election has sometimes been referred to as "the second 1964", with some likening Kennedy's victory, albeit not a landslide one, to that of Lyndon B. Johnson's own landslide victory over Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.

Background

Article Two of the United States Constitution provides that the President and Vice President of the United States must be natural-born citizens of the United States, at least 35 years old, and residents of the United States for a period of at least 14 years. Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the political parties, in which case each party devises a method (such as a primary election) to choose the candidate the party deems best suited to run for the position. Traditionally, the primary elections are indirect elections where voters cast ballots for a slate of party delegates pledged to a particular candidate. The party's delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party's behalf. The general election in November is also an indirect election, where voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College; these electors in turn directly elect the president and vice president.

President Barack Obama, a Democrat and former U.S. senator from Illinois, was ineligible to seek reelection to a third term due to the restrictions of the American presidential term limits established by the Twenty-second Amendment; in accordance with Section 1 of the Twentieth Amendment, his term expired at noon eastern standard time on January 20, 2017.

Primary process

Both the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as third parties such as the Green and Libertarian parties, held a series of presidential primary elections and caucuses that took place between February and June 2016, staggered among the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. This nominating process was also an indirect election, where voters cast ballots for a slate of delegates to a political party's nominating convention, who in turn elected their party's presidential nominee.

Speculation about the 2016 campaign began almost immediately following the 2012 campaign, with New York magazine declaring that the race had begun in an article published on November 8, two days after the 2012 election. On the same day, Politico released an article predicting that the 2016 general election would be between Clinton and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, while an article in The New York Times named New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey as potential candidates.

Nominations

Democratic Party

Primaries

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who also served in the U.S. Senate and was the First Lady of the United States, became the first Democrat in the field to formally launch a major candidacy for the presidency with an announcement on April 12, 2015, via a video message. While nationwide opinion polls in 2015 indicated that Clinton was the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, she faced strong challenges from Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who became the second major candidate when he formally announced on April 30, 2015, that he was running for the Democratic nomination. September 2015 polling numbers indicated a narrowing gap between Clinton and Sanders. On May 30, 2015, former Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley was the third major candidate to enter the Democratic primary race, followed by the former independent governor and Republican senator of Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee on June 3, 2015, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb on July 2, 2015, and former Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig on September 6, 2015. However, perhaps the most shocking announcement came about on May 29, 2015, when New York Senator Caroline Kennedy formally announced her intention to run for the Democratic nomination in a short video commemorating her late father's posthumous 100th birthday.

On October 20, 2015, Webb announced his withdrawal from the primaries and explored a potential Independent run. The next day Vice-President Joe Biden decided not to run, ending months of speculation, stating, "While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent." On October 23, Chafee withdrew, stating that he hoped for "an end to the endless wars and the beginning of a new era for the United States and humanity." On November 2, after failing to qualify for the second DNC-sanctioned debate after the adoption of a rule change negated polls that before might have necessitated his inclusion in the debate, Lessig withdrew as well, narrowing the field to Clinton, Kennedy, O'Malley, and Sanders.

On February 1, 2016, in an extremely close contest, Clinton narrowly won the Iowa caucuses by a margin of 0.1 points over Sanders. After winning no delegates in Iowa, O'Malley, withdrew from the presidential race that day. On February 9, Sanders bounced back to win the New Hampshire primary with roughly 53% of the vote. However, in the case of the remaining two February contests, both the Nevada caucuses and the South Carolina primary were won by Kennedy, who secured 58% and 88% of the vote respectively. On March 1, 11 states in total participated in the first of four "Super Tuesday" primaries. Clinton won Alabama and Tennessee, Sanders won Oklahoma and his home state of Vermont, while Kennedy won the remaining states of Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Virginia, Colorado, and Minnesota. The following weekend, Sanders scored a single victory in Kansas, while Nebraska and Maine were won by Kennedy, and Louisiana by Clinton. On March 8, Kennedy narrowly won Michigan over her two primary opponents, but ultimately came in second place behind Clinton in Mississippi with a 3-point margin.

Then, on March 15, the date of the second "Super Tuesday" primaries, Kennedy swept the states of Florida, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio, leaving Clinton with a single victory in North Carolina. Between March 22 and April 9, Sanders went on to win three caucuses in Alaska, Hawaii, and Wyoming, while Kennedy went on to win four caucuses in total for herself in Washington, Arizona, Wisconsin and Utah, leaving Clinton only with the state of Idaho, which she won. On April 19, Kennedy decisively defeated Clinton in New York, with 60% of the vote. Meanwhile, on April 26, the date of the third "Super Tuesday" primaries, Clinton narrowly won both Connecticut and Pennslyvania, but lost Delaware and Maryland to Kennedy, while Sanders secured Rhode Island. Then, over the course of May, Sanders was gifted with two further victories in Indiana and West Virginia, while Kennedy took both Oregon and Kentucky. The territory of Guam was otherwise won by Clinton. By this time, with Kennedy far ahead with at least 25 states won, and with Clinton and Sanders only roughly carrying 8 to 9 states each, most observers and media outlets begin to forecast Kennedy herself as the eventual winner of the primaries under the current circumstances.

Soon enough, in the days and weeks that followed, predictions by the media on the race started to progressively become more of a reality, as evidenced by the two consecutive wins for Kennedy in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Eventually, on the eve of what would be the day of the primaries for California, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana, Clinton, perhaps due to both her poor performance in the primaries and her dangerously volatile approval ratings, announced that she was formally dropping out of the race, while also urging supporters to vote for Kennedy. Then, come the following day, Kennedy delivered an expectedly strong performance, as she defeated Sanders in most of the remaining states, namely California, New Jersey, Montana, and both Dakotas, thereby leaving the latter with only the state of New Mexico. Consequently, with the results becoming ever more apparent, the Vermont senator himself also followed suit by dropping out of the race, which he did so in a speech to supporters in California. Like Clinton, Sanders himself also called for his supporters to vote for Kennedy, whom he referred to in a speech as "a strong and powerful woman who will carry on the legacy of the late and beloved John F. Kennedy". The primaries eventually concluded on June 14 with a simple win for Kennedy in the District of Columbia, where she virtually ran unopposed as a result of Sanders's withdrawal.

In what was later described by CNN as a "proud moment of unity", both Clinton and Sanders went on to endorse and subsequently appear together with Kennedy at a number of rallies held prior to the eventual presidential election.

Nominees

2016 Democratic Party ticket
Caroline Kennedy	Cory Booker
for President	for Vice President
U.S. Senator from New York (2009–2016)	U.S. Senator from New Jersey (2013–2016)
Campaign
File:Image

Candidates

The following candidates were frequently interviewed by major broadcast networks and cable news channels or were listed in publicly published national polls. Lessig was invited to one forum but withdrew when rules were changed which prevented him from participating in officially sanctioned debates.

Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the primaries
Bernie Sanders	Hillary Clinton	Martin O'Malley	Lawrence Lessig	Lincoln Chafee	Jim Webb
U.S. senator from Vermont (2007–present)	67th U.S. Secretary of State (2009–2013)	61st governor of Maryland (2007–2015)	Harvard Law professor (2009–2016)	74th Governor of Rhode Island (2011–2015)	U.S. senator from Virginia (2007–2013)
Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign
W: June 9, 2016	W: June 6, 2016	W: February 1, 2016	W: November 2, 2015	W: October 23, 2015	W: October 20, 2015

Vice presidential selection

Following her victories in Oregon and Kentucky, Kennedy, now finding herself in a mostly comfortable position to eventually become the party nominee for the 2016 presidential election, would begin to consider her own personal pick for future vice president, with the initial list said to have contained around 20 to 30 individuals in total. Then, with Clinton's withdrawal from the race, rumours begin to flout that Kennedy would be considering the former secretary of state as her running mate, thereby potentially creating a ticket composed entirely of women, the first of its kind. However, this did not ultimately come into fruition. Meanwhile, the progressive Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren was also touted by some as a potential vice candidate pick, as both women are largely considered by many to have the same brand of politics.

Then, following the withdrawal of Bernie Sanders from the race, followed by a final victory in the District of Columbia for Kennedy, the latter's shortlist was said to have somewhat narrowed, with names now including senators Cory Booker from New Jersey, Tim Kaine from Virginia, and Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, former Ohio state senator Nina Turner, and Colorado governor John Hickenlooper. Then, shortly after her unanimous victory in the District of Columbia, Kennedy declared in an interview with MSNBC that "there are only five people left for consideration", although she did not subsequently provide any names for those supposed remaining five candidates.

On July 20th, in a televised speech from her residence in New York, Kennedy announced that New Jersey senator Cory Booker, whom she proceeded to praise for his "Ted Kennedy-like oratory skills" and his "commitment to the lives of everyday Americans", would be her running mate for the election. Then, on July 22nd, at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, delegates present at the convention formally nominated the Democratic ticket.

Republican Party

Primaries

With seventeen major candidates entering the race, starting with Ted Cruz on March 23, 2015, this was the largest presidential primary field for any political party in American history, before being overtaken by the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.

Prior to the Iowa caucuses on February 1, 2016, Perry, Walker, Jindal, Graham, and Pataki withdrew due to low polling numbers. Despite leading many polls in Iowa, Trump came in second to Cruz, after which Huckabee, Paul, and Santorum withdrew due to poor performances at the ballot box. Following a sizable victory for Trump in the New Hampshire primary, Christie, Fiorina, and Gilmore abandoned the race. Bush followed suit after scoring fourth place to Trump, Rubio, and Cruz in South Carolina. On March 1, 2016, the first of four "Super Tuesday" primaries, Rubio won his first contest in Minnesota, Cruz won Alaska, Oklahoma, and his home state of Texas, and Trump won the other seven states that voted. Failing to gain traction, Carson suspended his campaign a few days later. On March 15, 2016, the second "Super Tuesday", Kasich won his only contest in his home state of Ohio, and Trump won five primaries including Florida. Rubio suspended his campaign after losing his home state.

Between March 16 and May 3, 2016, only three candidates remained in the race: Trump, Cruz, and Kasich. Cruz won the most delegates in four Western contests and in Wisconsin, keeping a credible path to denying Trump the nomination on the first ballot with 1,237 delegates. Trump then augmented his lead by scoring landslide victories in New York and five Northeastern states in April, followed by a decisive victory in Indiana on May 3, 2016, securing all 57 of the state's delegates. Without any further chances of forcing a contested convention, both Cruz and Kasich suspended their campaigns. Trump remained the only active candidate and was declared the presumptive Republican nominee by Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus on the evening of May 3, 2016.

A 2018 study found that media coverage of Trump led to increased public support for him during the primaries. The study showed that Trump received nearly $2 billion in free media, more than double any other candidate. Political scientist John M. Sides argued that Trump's polling surge was "almost certainly" due to frequent media coverage of his campaign. Sides concluded, "Trump is surging in the polls because the news media has consistently focused on him since he announced his candidacy on June 16." Prior to clinching the Republican nomination, Trump received little support from establishment Republicans.

Nominees

2016 Republican Party ticket
Donald Trump	Mike Pence
for President	for Vice President
Chairman of The Trump Organization (1971–present)	50th Governor of Indiana (2013–2016)
Campaign

Candidates

Major candidates were determined by the various media based on common consensus. The following were invited to sanctioned televised debates based on their poll ratings.

Trump received 14,010,177 total votes in the primary. Trump, Cruz, Rubio and Kasich each won at least one primary, with Trump receiving the highest number of votes and Ted Cruz receiving the second highest.

Candidates in this section are sorted by reverse date of withdrawal from the primaries
John Kasich	Ted Cruz	Marco Rubio	Ben Carson	Jeb Bush	Jim Gilmore	Carly Fiorina	Chris Christie
69th Governor of Ohio (2011–2019)	U.S. senator from Texas (2013–present)	U.S. senator from Florida (2011–present)	Dir. of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital (1984–2013)	43rd Governor of Florida (1999–2007)	68th Governor of Virginia (1998–2002)	CEO of Hewlett-Packard (1999–2005)	55th Governor of New Jersey (2010–2018)
Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign
W: May 4 4,287,479 votes	W: May 3 7,811,110 votes	W: Mar 15 3,514,124 votes	W: Mar 4 857,009 votes	W: Feb 20 286,634 votes	W: Feb 12 18,364 votes	W: Feb 10 40,577 votes	W: Feb 10 57,634 votes
Rand Paul	Rick Santorum	Mike Huckabee	George Pataki	Lindsey Graham	Bobby Jindal	Scott Walker	Rick Perry
U.S. senator from Kentucky (2011–present)	U.S. senator from Pennsylvania (1995–2007)	44th Governor of Arkansas (1996–2007)	53rd Governor of New York (1995–2006)	U.S. senator from South Carolina (2003–present)	55th Governor of Louisiana (2008–2016)	45th Governor of Wisconsin (2011–2019)	47th Governor of Texas (2000–2015)
Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign	Campaign
W: Feb 3 66,781 votes	W: Feb 3 16,622 votes	W: Feb 1 51,436 votes	W: December 29, 2015 2,036 votes	W: December 21, 2015 5,666 votes	W: November 17, 2015 222 votes	W: September 21, 2015 1 write-in vote in New Hampshire	W: September 11, 2015 1 write-in vote in New Hampshire

Vice presidential selection

Trump turned his attention towards selecting a running mate after he became the presumptive nominee on May 4, 2016. In mid-June, Eli Stokols and Burgess Everett of Politico reported that the Trump campaign was considering New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich from Georgia, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. A June 30 report from The Washington Post also included Senators Bob Corker from Tennessee, Richard Burr from North Carolina, Tom Cotton from Arkansas, Joni Ernst from Iowa, and Indiana governor Mike Pence as individuals still being considered for the ticket. Trump also said he was considering two military generals for the position, including retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.

In July 2016, it was reported that Trump had narrowed his list of possible running mates down to three: Christie, Gingrich, and Pence.

On July 14, 2016, several major media outlets reported that Trump had selected Pence as his running mate. Trump confirmed these reports in a message Twitter on July 15, 2016, and formally made the announcement the following day in New York. On July 19, the second night of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Pence won the Republican vice presidential nomination by acclamation.

Minor parties and independents

Third party and independent candidates who have obtained more than 100,000 votes nationally or on Ballot in at least 15 states are listed separately.

Libertarian Party

• Gary Johnson, 29th Governor of New Mexico. Vice presidential nominee: Bill Weld, 68th Governor of Massachusetts
  

Additional Party Endorsements: Independence Party of New York
Ballot access to all 538 electoral votes

Nominees

2016 Libertarian Party ticket
Gary Johnson	Bill Weld
for President	for Vice President
29th Governor of New Mexico (1995–2003)	68th Governor of Massachusetts (1991–1997)
Campaign

Green Party

• Jill Stein, physician from Lexington, Massachusetts. Vice-presidential nominee: Ajamu Baraka, activist from Washington, D.C.
  

Ballot access to 480 electoral votes (522 with write-in):

• As write-in: Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina
• Ballot access lawsuit pending: Oklahoma
• No ballot access: Nevada, South Dakota

Nominees

2016 Green Party ticket
Jill Stein	Ajamu Baraka
for President	for Vice President
Physician from Lexington, Massachusetts	Activist from Washington, D.C.
Campaign

Constitution Party

• Darrell Castle, attorney from Memphis, Tennessee. Vice presidential nominee: Scott Bradley, businessman from Utah
  

Ballot access to 207 electoral votes (451 with write-in):

• As write-in: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia
• No ballot access: California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma

Nominees

2016 Constitution Party ticket
Darrell Castle	Scott Bradley
for President	for Vice President
Attorney from Memphis, Tennessee	Businessman from Utah
Campaign

Independent

• Evan McMullin, chief policy director for the House Republican Conference. Vice presidential nominee: Mindy Finn, president of Empowered Women
  

Additional Party Endorsements: Independence Party of Minnesota, South Carolina Independence Party
Ballot access to 84 electoral votes (451 with write-in):

• As write-in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
• No ballot access: District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming

In some states, Evan McMullin's running mate was listed as Nathan Johnson on the ballot rather than Mindy Finn, although Nathan Johnson was intended to only be a placeholder until an actual running mate was chosen.

2016 Independent ticket
Evan McMullin	Mindy Finn
for President	for Vice President
Chief policy director for the House Republican Conference (2015–2016)	President of Empowered Women (2015–present)
Campaign

Other nominations

These candidates received at least 0.01% of the vote (13,667 votes).

Party	Presidential nominee	Vice presidential nominee	Attainable electors (write-in)	Popular vote	States with ballot access (write-in)
Party for Socialism and Liberation Peace and Freedom Liberty Union Party	Gloria La Riva Newspaper printer and activist from California	Eugene Puryear Activist from Washington, D.C.	112 (226) map	74,402 (0.05%)	California, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington (Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia)
Independent	Richard Duncan Real Estate Agent from Ohio	Ricky Johnson Preacher from Pennsylvania	18 (173)	24,307 (0.02%)	Ohio (Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia)

General election campaign

Beliefs and policies of candidate

By and large, Kennedy mostly focused her campaign on several specific themes, as well as on her own personal image and character, that of a member of the Kennedy family, which consisted of well-known politicians such as her own father, John F. Kennedy and her two uncles, Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy. Meanwhile, on the subject of national issues, Kennedy largely advocated for a continuation of the economic policies of President Obama, which mainly consisted of moderate tax increases on high-income earners, as well as extensive government spending. At the same time, while continuing to profess overall support for the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, Kennedy however stated in an interview with CNN that "there are perhaps certain parts or provisions of the deal that might warrant a second look", prompting rumours of her being a protectionist, to which she responded, "I am neither a free trade absolutist or a total protectionist either, but someone who could see both sides of the issue and therefore work out a moderate, common-sense solution to the problem". Furthermore, Kennedy also heavily promoted the concept of equal pay for equal work, expressed tacit support for same-sex marriages, proposed a "human rights-based approach" to the issue of illegal immigration, and perhaps, most notably, revived the idea of universal healthcare, first proposed by President Harry S. Truman.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump's campaign drew heavily on his personal image, enhanced by his previous media exposure. The primary slogan of the Trump campaign, extensively used on campaign merchandise, was Make America Great Again. The red baseball cap with the slogan emblazoned on the front became a symbol of the campaign and has been frequently donned by Trump and his supporters. Trump's right-wing populist positions reported by The New Yorker to be nativist, protectionist, and semi-isolationist—differ in many ways from traditional U.S. conservatism. He opposed many free trade deals and military interventionist policies that conservatives generally support, and opposed cuts in Medicare and Social Security benefits. Moreover, he has insisted that Washington is "broken" and can be fixed only by an outsider. Support for Trump was high among working and middle-class white male voters with annual incomes of less than $50,000 and no college degree. This group, particularly those without a high-school diploma, suffered a decline in their income in recent years. According to The Washington Post, support for Trump is higher in areas with a higher mortality rate for middle-aged white people. A sample of interviews with more than 11,000 Republican-leaning respondents from August to December 2015 found that Trump at that time found his strongest support among Republicans in West Virginia, followed by New York, and then followed by six Southern states.

Media coverage

In stark contrast to Trump, Kennedy's largely uncontroversial and esteemed character allowed her to enjoy a mostly positive relationship with the press, although, in some instances, she has criticised the American media for their "nauseating fixation on a specific person's personal life", in a reference to the constant attention received by her late sister-in-law, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy from the paparazzi during her marriage to her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr.

On the other hand, Trump was said to have largely benefited from free media more than any other candidate. According to data from the Tyndall Report, which tracks nightly news content, through February 2016, Trump alone accounted for more than a quarter of all 2016 election coverage on the evening newscasts of NBC, CBS and ABC, more than all the Democratic campaigns combined. Observers noted Trump's ability to garner constant mainstream media coverage "almost at will." However, Trump frequently criticized the media for writing what he alleged to be false stories about him and he has called upon his supporters to be "the silent majority." Trump also said the media "put false meaning into the words I say", and says he does not mind being criticized by the media as long as they are honest about it.

Controversies

Due to a mix of both his inflammatory and often divisive rhetoric, coupled with his rather problematic past, Trump is often seen in a mostly unfavourable manner by the general American public, while his Democratic opponent, Caroline Kennedy is otherwise often received favourably by the American public.

Despite her overwhelmingly popularity among the American public and media, Kennedy was nonetheless dogged by two notable scandals or controversies that plagued her campaign, with the first revolving around her separation from her husband, Edwin Schlossberg a year prior, a fact that was seized upon by the Trump campaign in an attempt to discredit her character. However, during the course of the first presidential debate, Kennedy, in a reply to the Republican businessman's attack on her marital history, memorably proclaimed, "Despite our separation, I and my husband have continued to remain on good terms with one another since then, but can the same be said for your two previous wives?". At the same time, Schlossberg himself also publicly came out in support of his wife's campaign, thereby quelling rumours regarding their supposed animosity and incompatibility with one another.

Meanwhile, the second controversy that plagued her campaign came in the form of questions and doubts surrounding her political expertise, with some regarding her seven-year-long tenure as New York senator "too short" for a future president. However, Kennedy soon responded by stating that her tenure as a US senator was "incomparably better" than Trump's own lack of political experience, before subsequently noting that her predecessor, Barack Obama is "one of the greatest presidents in history despite only an eleven year-long tenure as senator", thereby quelling the doubts raised by the Trump campaign surrounding her political experience.

Furthermore, concerns over several past stated political stances of Caroline Kennedy's were also raised, particularly over her initial stances of recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital city and her fervent initial support for a renewal of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. However, the New York senator soon addressed these concerns by stating that she has a "rather changed mind" on those particular stances of hers, as evidenced by her current support for Jerusalem to be recognised as an international city and for "common sense background checks", a political stance that is generally considered as being more mainstream among the American public.

On June 6th, Kennedy attracted considerable controversy when, in an interview with CNN, the New York senator stated that "the United States will continue to guarantee both the security and sovereignty of the state of Israel, but not at the expense of any sort of the Israeli government's attempts at violating the internationally agreed upon 1967 borders", a remark which despite drawing praise from moderates, who noted the middle-ground nature of the statement, and from some members of the Jewish community that are to some extent critical of the Israeli government's actions, was otherwise panned and became a subject of contention especially among conservative minded Jews, who accused Kennedy of being "half-hearted" in regards to the security issue of Israel, while some also accused the New York senator of anti-Semitism, which she fervently denies. Then-Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu also reacted negatively to Kennedy's aforementioned statement, as he later echoed much of the criticism previously directed against the New York senator in regards to the controversial statement.

On the other side, on October 7, 2016, a video and accompanying audio were released by The Washington Post in which Trump referred obscenely to women in a 2005 conversation with Billy Bush while they were preparing to film an episode of Access Hollywood. In the recording, Trump described his attempts to initiate a sexual relationship with a married woman and added that women would allow male celebrities to grope their genitalia (Trump used the phrase "grab 'em by the pussy"). The audio was met with a reaction of disbelief and disgust from the media. Following the revelation, Trump's campaign issued an apology, stating that the video was of a private conversation from "many years ago." The incident was condemned by numerous prominent Republicans like Reince Priebus, Mitt Romney, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, and the Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Many believed the video had doomed Trump's chances for election. By October 8, several dozen Republicans had called for Trump to withdraw from the campaign and let Pence and Condoleezza Rice head the ticket. Trump insisted he would never drop out, but apologized for his remarks.

Donald Trump also delivered strong and controversial statements toward Muslims and Islam on the campaign trail, saying, "I think Islam hates us." He was criticized and also supported for his statement at a rally declaring, "Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on." Additionally, Trump announced that he would "look into" surveilling mosques, and mentioned potentially going after the families of domestic terrorists in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting. His strong rhetoric towards Muslims resulted in leadership from both parties condemning his statements. However, many of his supporters shared their support for his proposed travel ban, despite the backlash.

Throughout the campaign, Trump indicated in interviews, speeches, and Twitter posts that he would refuse to recognize the outcome of the election if he was defeated. Trump falsely stated that the election would be rigged against him. During the final presidential debate of 2016, Trump refused to tell Fox News anchor Chris Wallace whether or not he would accept the election results.

The ongoing controversy of the election made third parties attract voters' attention. On March 3, 2016, Libertarian Gary Johnson addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC, touting himself as the third-party option for anti-Trump Republicans. In early May, some commentators opined that Johnson was moderate enough to pull votes away from both Caroline Kennedy (albeit only to a minor extent) and especially Donald Trump whose polarising character had put him on a collision course with moderate Republican voters. Both conservative and liberal media noted that Johnson could get votes from "Never Trump" Republicans and disaffected Bernie Sanders supporters. Johnson also began to get time on national television, being invited on ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Bloomberg, and many other networks. In September and October 2016, Johnson suffered a "string of damaging stumbles when he has fielded questions about foreign affairs." On September 8, Johnson, when he appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe, was asked by panelist Mike Barnicle, "What would you do, if you were elected, about Aleppo?" (referring to a war-torn city in Syria). Johnson responded, "And what is Aleppo?" His response prompted widespread attention, much of it negative. Later that day, Johnson said that he had "blanked" and that he did "understand the dynamics of the Syrian conflict—I talk about them every day."

On the other hand, Green Party candidate Jill Stein said the Democratic and Republican parties are "two corporate parties" that have converged into one. Concerned by the rise of the far-right internationally and the tendency towards neoliberalism within the Democratic Party, she has said, "The answer to neofascism is stopping neoliberalism. Putting another Kennedy in the White House will fan the flames of this right-wing extremism."

In response to Johnson's growing poll numbers, the Kennedy campaign and Democratic allies increased their criticism of Johnson in September 2016, warning that "a vote for a third party is a vote for Donald Trump" and deploying Senator Bernie Sanders (Kennedy's former primary rival, who supported her in the general election) to win over voters who might be considering voting for Johnson or for Stein.

Ballot access

Presidential ticket	Party	Ballot access			Votes	Percentage
		States	Electors	% of voters
Kennedy / Booker	Democratic	50 + DC	538	100%	77,003,555	51.8%
Trump / Pence	Republican	50 + DC	538	100%	70,611,368	47.5%
Johnson / Weld	Libertarian	50 + DC	538	100%	4,489,341	3.02%
Stein / Baraka	Green	44 + DC	480	89%	1,457,218	0.98%
McMullin / Finn	Independent	11	84	15%	731,991	0.49%
Castle / Bradley	Constitution	24	207	39%	203,090	0.14%

• Candidates in bold were on ballots representing 270 electoral votes, without needing write-in states.
• All other candidates were on the ballots of fewer than 25 states, but had write-in access greater than 270.