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121-709: Theories as to the beginning date of the Seventh Party system range from 2008 to 2020. Mark D. Brewer and L. Sandy Maisel speculate that it is 2016, since "in the wake of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential victory , there is now strengthening debate as to whether [the United States is] entering a new party system as Trump fundamentally reshapes the Republican party and the Democratic party responds and evolves as well." The re-election of Donald J Trump to

242-460: A Quinnipiac University poll, noted by Fox News as having been taken after the CNBC debate, Cruz came in fourth place at 13%, behind the two aforementioned candidates and Marco Rubio . Cruz stated shortly after the poll that the possibility of Rubio and himself being the last candidates remaining in the crowded field was a "plausible outcome." As a result of many candidates feeling the CNBC debate

363-551: 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

484-535: A flat tax and the abolition of the IRS . Liberty University students were required to attend the event, or else be fined, which the university's president Jerry Falwell Jr. confirmed adding, "No one is expected to agree with every speaker on every point." He became the first announced major Republican presidential candidate for the 2016 campaign . Cruz was believed to have initiated a long shot presidential bid, commentators referring to him as having no chance of winning

605-482: A " basket of deplorables ", bigots, and extremists, and advocated the expansion of president Barack Obama's policies , racial , LGBT , and women's rights , and inclusive capitalism . The tone of the general election campaign was widely characterized as divisive, negative, and troubling. Trump faced controversy over his views on race and immigration , incidents of violence against protesters at his rallies, and numerous sexual misconduct allegations including

726-576: A 90 percent chance of winning. On Election Day, Trump over-performed his polls, winning several key swing states, while losing the popular vote by 2.87 million votes. Trump received the majority in the Electoral College and won upset victories in the Democratic-leaning Rust Belt states of Michigan , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin . The pivotal victory in this region, which Trump won by fewer than 80,000 votes in

847-549: A Fourth of July event—a big speech, or some sort of cattle call—but spending the time, doing these type of events? We don't see that from anybody else." Cruz's public appearances throughout the southern states were well-publicized. The second Republican presidential debate took place on September 16, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California . As with

968-477: A Muslim should not serve as president, saying, "The Constitution specifies there shall be no religious test for public office, and I'm a constitutionalist ." Cruz was a participant in the CNBC Republican presidential debate on October 28. In his opening statement, he stressed his willingness to govern properly, and later in the debate charged the moderators with asking bait questions. Cruz's performance

1089-662: A deprecating tweet regarding the physical appearance of Cruz's wife. Trump also parroted a story in the National Enquirer claiming that Cruz's father, Rafael Cruz , was involved in the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy . Cruz called Trump a chronic liar, "completely amoral", and questioned whether he was a genuine conservative. In late April, while trailing Trump heavily in the delegate count, Cruz announced that his vice presidential running mate would be former-candidate Carly Fiorina . A week later, he lost

1210-905: A family issue." 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

1331-464: A joint appearance at the state Republican Party's convention. The same day, it was reported that 10 of the 13 Virginia delegates at that state's Republican convention were loyal to Cruz. The May 3 Indiana primary was widely seen as make or break for the Cruz campaign by commentators and pundits who speculated a loss for Cruz would mean a nomination for Trump. In a fundraising email, Cruz admitted that

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1452-515: A late surge dimmed by his reputation as a moderate on immigration. In contrast, Rubio and Cruz, who had publicly taken hardline positions on both topics, saw their polls rise. By the end of November, poll averages showed Rubio in second place and Cruz in a close third place nationally. In early December, a Monmouth University poll was released showing Cruz leading in Iowa at 24%. A CNN/ORC poll showed Cruz in second place to Trump among likely voters in

1573-515: A move that generated controversy and negative reception by the White House, Democrats and Republicans, Cruz declined to answer whether he thought the president was a Christian, reasoning that Obama's faith "is between him and God" and opted to give his stance that the Obama administration had been antagonistic towards Christians. Cruz debunked fellow presidential candidate Ben Carson 's claim that

1694-506: A natural born citizen. Opinions, for the most part, concur that Cruz is eligible to serve as President of the United States ; most constitutional scholars surveyed by Politico believe that he is eligible, and "a small, but vocal group" has issued challenges that he is not. According to a memo from the Congressional Research Service , "The weight of scholarly legal and historical opinion appears to support

1815-753: 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. With seventeen major candidates entering

1936-399: A poll released on September 20, four days after the debate, Cruz came in sixth place, tied with Mike Huckabee . Cruz visited Kentucky around this time, in support of the release of Kim Davis , but reportedly was blocked by an aide to Huckabee from appearing alongside her. Days after fellow presidential candidate Donald Trump did not correct a man who claimed President Obama was a Muslim,

2057-620: A speech empathizing with the lost lives and led onlookers in a moment of silence. At the same time, former political director Craig Robinson expressed that while he thought of Cruz as "the perfect caucus candidate", he did not feel he was committing to Iowa. On August 3, 2015, Cruz was featured in YouTube video frying bacon off the end of a semi-automatic rifle at the Central Iowa Impact Gun Range in Boone, Iowa . "There

2178-676: A victory in the Wisconsin primary with 48% of the vote and 36 of the 42 delegates. On April 8, Cruz received 21 of Colorado's 37 delegates, garnering the support of the remaining delegates the next day, April 9, during the state's Republican Convention. Also in April, amid polling showing that Trump had a massive lead in New York , Cruz began redirecting his focus to California , Republican voters there due to cast votes on June 7. Midway through April, Cruz traveled to Wyoming seeking to gather

2299-844: 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. Clinton had an uneasy—and, at times, adversarial—relationship with

2420-626: Is nothing I enjoy more than on weekends cooking breakfast with the family," Cruz said in the video. "Of course in Texas we cook bacon a little differently than most folks." The month of August also saw the release of a campaign video where Cruz promised in his opposition to Planned Parenthood to prosecute the organization for "selling body parts". In the first few months of the campaign, Cruz held campaign rallies in Tulsa, Columbus , Hoover , Huntsville and Montgomery . Cruz successfully qualified for

2541-532: The Access Hollywood tape . Clinton's popularity and public image were tarnished by concerns about her ethics and trustworthiness, and a controversy and subsequent FBI investigation regarding her improper use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state, which received more media coverage than any other topic during the campaign. Clinton led in almost every nationwide and swing-state poll, with some predictive models giving Clinton over

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2662-738: The 2016 Democratic National Convention , which took place July 25–28, formally nominated the Democratic ticket. Third party and independent candidates who obtained more than 100,000 votes nationally or on ballot in at least 15 states are listed separately. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Ballot access to all 538 electoral votes Nominees Ballot access to 480 electoral votes ( 522 with write-in ): map Nominees Ballot access to 207 electoral votes ( 451 with write-in ): map Nominees 2016 Constitution Party ticket Ballot access to 84 electoral votes ( 451 with write-in ): map In some states, Evan McMullin's running mate

2783-653: The Affordable Care Act . In March 2016, she laid out a detailed economic plan basing her economic philosophy on inclusive capitalism , which proposed a "clawback" that rescinds tax cuts and other benefits for companies that move jobs overseas; with provision of incentives for companies that share profits with employees, communities and the environment, rather than focusing on short-term profits to increase stock value and rewarding shareholders; as well as increasing collective bargaining rights; and placing an "exit tax" on companies that move their headquarters out of

2904-602: The Church of Pentecost symbol. Cruz announced his campaign for the presidency on March 23, 2015, at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia , during the student convocation. In his announcement speech, Cruz spoke of his plans for a constitutional government and said he would "stand for liberty". Cruz called on the audience to imagine a president repealing the Affordable Care Act and supporting Israel , economic growth , border security while allowing legal immigration,

3025-662: The Guam caucus and Kentucky primary (and also non-binding primaries in Nebraska and Washington). On June 4 and 5, Clinton won two victories in the Virgin Islands caucus and Puerto Rico primary . On June 6, 2016, the Associated Press and NBC News reported that Clinton had become the presumptive nominee after reaching the required number of delegates, including pledged delegates and superdelegates , to secure

3146-859: The Idaho primary with 45% of vote—defeating Trump by 17% and earning his seventh statewide victory. He placed second in Michigan , Mississippi , and Hawaii . The victory in Idaho solidified his claim as the best alternative to Donald Trump. On March 12, 2016, Cruz won the Wyoming county conventions with 67% of the vote, giving him his eighth statewide win. He took fourth at the District of Columbia convention. Following Rubio's loss in Florida and suspension of his campaign on March 15, commentators noted that Cruz

3267-478: The Indiana primary , which he had called pivotal to stopping Trump from clinching the nomination. Having become mathematically disqualified from achieving a majority of delegates prior to the first convention vote, he suspended his campaign the same night. Leading up to the 2016 presidential election cycle, commentators expressed their opinion that Cruz would run for President in 2016. On March 14, 2013, he gave

3388-677: The Louisiana primary with 71% of the vote. On March 8, despite never having a lead in the Michigan primary , Sanders won by a small margin of 1.5 points and outperforming polls by over 19 points, while Clinton won 83% of the vote in Mississippi . On March 15, the second "Super Tuesday", Clinton won in Florida , Illinois , Missouri , North Carolina , and Ohio . Between March 22 and April 9, Sanders won six caucuses in Idaho , Utah , Alaska , Hawaii , Washington , and Wyoming , as well as

3509-650: The Wisconsin primary , while Clinton won the Arizona primary . On April 19, Clinton won the New York primary with 58% of the vote. On April 26, in the third "Super Tuesday" dubbed the "Acela primary", she won contests in Connecticut , Delaware , Maryland , and Pennsylvania , while Sanders won in Rhode Island . Over the course of May, Sanders accomplished another surprise win in the Indiana primary and also won in West Virginia and Oregon , while Clinton won

3630-487: The natural-born-citizen clause , formally applied to renounce his dual Canadian citizenship in the run-up to his campaign, and ceased being a citizen of Canada on May 14, 2014. The campaign logo consisted of a Flag of the United States spliced with the Torch of Liberty. The design became one of the most recognized political brand logos during the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. It has also been compared to

3751-516: The 14 delegates for his campaign, though this plan conflicted with a group of the state's Republicans who hoped to send the delegates to the national convention in three months. On April 16, Cruz secured all of Wyoming's delegates at the state convention, prompting Trump to call the process "rigged" at a rally that day in Syracuse, New York . On April 19, Trump won the New York primary, receiving

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3872-584: The 61% he had the previous month. Cruz welcomed several candidates into the race following their individual announcements of their candidacy for the presidency, praising them as well. A Des Moines Register poll released in May showed Cruz in eighth place at 5% among caucus goers. Cruz significantly increased his appearances in Iowa from June 2015. On June 18, the day after the Charleston church shooting , Cruz gave

3993-464: The Cruz campaign began to reference these reports in news interviews and Twitter posts, misrepresenting them as reporting indicating that Carson was planning to withdraw from the campaign. Cruz apologized via a direct phone call to Dr. Ben Carson later and repeated the apology in a CNN interview. Campaign surrogate Peter King defended his part in the events, and Cruz said that he would not punish any of his staff for spreading rumors of Carson's exit from

4114-516: 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

4235-550: 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 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. On October 20, 2015, Webb announced his withdrawal from

4356-542: The Hispanic audience. Rubio then responded with the accusation that Cruz could not speak Spanish and hence could not have understood his remarks. Cruz, agitated, asked in spoken Spanish for Rubio to continue his own statement in Spanish. Rubio brushed off the exchange and accused Cruz of frequent dishonesty, pointing to the controversy over the Iowa caucus in particular. The exchange became highly discussed in social media and

4477-485: 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

4598-644: The Iowa Caucuses in February, the first contest of the race. But as the field narrowed and less-viable candidates dropped out, Republican support concentrated around Trump rather than Cruz. Trump beat Cruz handily on Super Tuesday and in most subsequent primaries. At this point, with the race essentially narrowed to one between Cruz and Trump, the two candidates began to openly criticize each other (whereas they had previously been notably cordial). Trump repeatedly called Cruz "Lyin' Ted" and on one occasion retweeted

4719-523: The New Hampshire race—hoping to win it and consolidate the moderate "lane"—the underwhelming results did not provide a boost to their campaigns. Ahead of the February 20 South Carolina primary, Cruz and Rubio became entangled in a heated exchange in a CBS-hosted debate. Cruz referred to an interview of Rubio on Univision and alleged that Rubio had stated a different position on immigration from his public stance, in effect accusing him of pandering to

4840-623: The Ohio Republican presidential debate, Cruz came in 2nd place with 13% overall, more than doubling his prior support. Cruz journeyed to the southern states in the days following the debate, eight of which being slated to cast ballots on March 1 on a day monikered the "SEC Primary". He courted voters while going on bus tours, his rivals spending time campaigning in Iowa. "Like the SEC does two-a-days, we're doing two-a-days here right now," Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe said. "Everybody comes in for

4961-501: The Presidency in the 2024 election has led to major speculation and discussions on a US political realignment. This is due to the voter demographic shifts towards his favor, along with a popular vote victory, the first for a Republican in 20 years since George W Bush 2004. Trump's victories in all swing states, dominance with white working class voters, historic Republican gains with Hispanics and Black men have produced conversations on

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5082-673: The Republican Leadership Conference and 43% of the vote at the Republican Party of Texas state convention. Cruz spoke at events in the summer of 2013 across Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, early primary states , leading to speculation that he was laying the groundwork for a run for President in 2016 . On April 12, 2014, Cruz spoke at the Freedom Summit, an event organized by Americans for Prosperity and Citizens United . The event

5203-529: The Republican field, shifting the public focus to foreign policy and immigration . Though front-runner Trump—with a record of populist statements that were perceived both as hawkish and isolationist —was largely unaffected in his frontrunner status, second-place Ben Carson lost significant support in the immediate aftermath of the attack, as he was perceived as soft and inexperienced on foreign policy. Establishment favorite Jeb Bush also had his hopes of

5324-644: The Trump campaign began in May 2017, and ended in March 2019. The investigation concluded that Russian interference in favor of Trump's candidacy occurred "in sweeping and systematic fashion" but it "did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government". Article Two of the Constitution of United States provides that the President and Vice President of

5445-547: The Tyler resignation. Analyzing the internal exit polling of the primary results, the impact of these accusations affected the evangelical Christian voters in the South Carolina candidate selection. Self-identified evangelicals did not agree with the candidate values of Donald Trump closely matching their values, but selected Donald Trump in a higher percentage than Cruz, the likely favored candidate among this group. By

5566-452: The U.S. in order to pay a lower tax rate overseas. Clinton promoted equal pay for equal work to address current alleged shortfalls in how much women are paid to do the same jobs men do, promoted explicitly focus on family issues and support of universal preschool , expressed support for the right to same-sex marriage , and proposed allowing undocumented immigrants to have a path to citizenship stating that it "[i]s at its heart

5687-423: 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,

5808-494: The Values Voter Summit Presidential straw poll with 42% of the vote, which was the highest percentage of any winning candidate in that poll's history. A year later, he won the same poll again by a smaller margin of 25%, becoming the first person to ever win more than one VVS straw poll. He came in first place in the two most recent Presidential straw polls conducted in 2014 with 30.33% of the vote at

5929-412: The anniversary of the campaign's announcement, calling Cruz a "principled conservative" and urging voters to reject Trump as a potential nominee. On March 25, Cruz responded to a National Enquirer allegation that "political operatives" are investigating whether Cruz had been involved in extramarital affairs. In Oshkosh, Wisconsin , Cruz denied the allegations as "complete and utter lies" and called

6050-404: 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. 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

6171-402: The article "garbage" and placed the blame for the falsehood on Donald Trump and his allies. On April 3, 2016, Cruz was interviewed by Megyn Kelly , and said that he had always been faithful to his wife. On April 3, 2016, North Dakota elected a slate of delegates that was dominated by pro-Cruz delegates. Cruz received the support of the majority of the delegates. Two days later, Cruz won

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6292-588: 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

6413-631: The beginning of his campaign through February 2016, Trump received almost $ 2 billion in free media attention, twice the amount that Clinton received. 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

6534-529: The campaign. At the New Hampshire ABC debate Donald Trump accused the Cruz campaign of "dirty tricks" for targeting Dr. Ben Carson during the caucusing in Iowa. Afterwards, Cruz's communications director, Rick Tyler, publicized a video with inaccurate subtitle captions portraying Marco Rubio criticizing the Bible . The next day, February 22, Tyler apologized to Rubio on his Facebook page for publishing

6655-467: The conclusion of the primary process, Clinton had won 2,204 pledged delegates (54% of the total) awarded by the primary elections and caucuses, while Sanders had won 1,847 (46%). Out of the 714 unpledged delegates or "superdelegates" who were set to vote in the convention in July , Clinton received endorsements from 560 (78%), while Sanders received 47 (7%). Although Sanders had not formally dropped out of

6776-504: The conference, Kevin Swanson called for the execution of homosexuals. For which later, Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler called Swanson's statements "reprehensible" and given the comments "it was a mistake for Senator Cruz to appear at the event", stating that Cruz is against hatred or violence against homosexuals. On November 24, a Quinnipiac University poll was released with Cruz in second place in Iowa at 23%, only surpassed by Donald Trump. This

6897-417: The criminals" instead of law enforcement. Cruz's opposition to ethanol led Iowa's governor, Terry Branstad to publicly express disapproval of him on January 19, arguing that his win would be at the expense of jobs for Iowans and reduce income for farms. Branstad's comments were a far cry from the behavior of previous governors of the state during the Iowa caucus, who typically remained neutral. Hours after

7018-450: The crowded early field, he chose not to directly confront the leading candidate, Donald Trump , who was also viewed as an outsider candidate. His cordial and sympathetic tone towards Trump contrasted with the more critical approach of rivals such as Jeb Bush , John Kasich , Marco Rubio , and Rand Paul . As the field narrowed, Cruz's position in the race strengthened, owing to his debate performances and strong field infrastructure. He won

7139-601: The emergence of the 7th Party system in the American landscape. Proponents of the shift to the Seventh Party System note several recent shifts in demographics and voting patterns. Non-white voters, who predominantly vote Democratic, have grown as a share of the population since the start of the Sixth Party System, and previously Republican-leaning secular college-educated white voters have moved to

7260-469: The event. In the days following the debate, Cruz defended himself against claims by Rubio during the debate that he supported an immigration reform proposal two years prior in 2013 that would have included amnesty for undocumented immigrants, outright stating during a rally on December 17, "I oppose amnesty. I oppose citizenship. I oppose legalization for illegal aliens. I always have and I always will." December 22, coincidentally Cruz's 45th birthday, saw

7381-436: The exterior in a bold red box. Some recipients stated they were intimidated by the content, which revealed their past voter participation and their adjacent neighbors' participation. During caucus evening in Iowa, news reports from CNN reporters indicated correctly that Carson's itinerary was to go home to Florida before the night's caucus results and then to Washington, DC prayer breakfast, not New Hampshire or South Carolina;

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7502-605: The first debate, Cruz did not participate in the "verbal combat" between the other candidates, only criticizing former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush for their appointments of David Souter and John Roberts to the Supreme Court, arguing the pair could have appointed conservatives in their place that would have voted "differently on cases that enraged the conservative base." In hindsight, Cruz's undistinguished Fox News and CNN debate performances were viewed as being purposeful, as he "was biding his time." In

7623-430: The first presidential debate of the election cycle, coming in 6th place in the overall list of the top 10 candidates. Cruz's performance was mostly well-received, although debate coach and strategist Michael Sheehan found him annoying and strategist Rick Wilson wondered if the performance, despite showing "Cruz-like brilliance", helped him as much as people thought. In an NBC News poll released on August 9, three days after

7744-415: The governor's comments, Sarah Palin , who had been a supporter of Cruz during his run for the U.S. Senate four years prior, endorsed Trump. These events propelled Theodore Schleifer of CNN to conclude that Cruz "has had better days." By late January, Trump had re-claimed the polling lead in Iowa, garnering 33% to Cruz's 27% in the polling averages just 6 days before the caucus. Cruz was a participant in

7865-661: The implication that both were vying for the status as the mainstream conservative challenger to Trump. In Nevada, Cruz and Rubio were part of another tight battle for second, with Rubio claiming 24% of the vote and Cruz 21%. Prior to the evening of the Iowa Caucus, the Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz campaigns used the published state voter roster entries to send targeted mailing to past Iowa voters. The mailing envelopes were designed to appear to originate from an election authority, with large wording announcing "VOTER VIOLATION" on

7986-505: The keynote speech at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. He tied for 7th place in the 2013 CPAC straw poll on March 16, winning 4% of the votes cast. He performed even more strongly in the 2014 CPAC straw poll, coming in second with 11% behind Kentucky senator Rand Paul . In the 2015 CPAC poll, he came in third with 11.5% behind Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and Paul. In October 2013, Cruz won

8107-535: The largest number of delegates earned from the Louisiana primary , with 18 delegates each. With his victories over Trump in Kansas and Maine, Cruz established himself as the candidate with the best opportunity to defeat Trump, the leading contender for the nomination. On March 6, 2016, in the Puerto Rico primaries , Cruz received 9% of the vote, placing him third behind Rubio and Trump. On March 8, 2016, Cruz won

8228-472: The left. At the same time, Republicans have made significant inroads with white voters without a college degree, while maintaining their favor with evangelical Christian voters. One of the biggest shifts is that of education, which is growing to become a bigger divide in politics than race. Since 2016, Democrats, while slightly losing support among Black and Latino voters, gained support among college-educated voters. Republicans have in turn gained support among

8349-461: 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. According to a wide range of representative polls, both Clinton and Trump had significant net-unfavorability ratings, and their controversial reputations set

8470-522: 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

8591-458: The nomination, becoming the first woman to ever clinch the presidential nomination of a major U.S. political party. On June 7, Clinton secured a majority of pledged delegates after winning primaries in California , New Jersey , New Mexico , and South Dakota , while Sanders won only Montana and North Dakota . Clinton also won the final primary in the District of Columbia on June 14. At

8712-457: The nomination, much less the general election, due to what was perceived as his lack of likability. Cruz, a freshman senator running for the presidency in his first term, faced comparisons to President Barack Obama who similarly ran for the presidency during his first term in the U.S. Senate. Cruz dispelled similarities by calling the president a "backbencher" who did not take positions on "whole lot of issues of consequence" during his tenure in

8833-533: The non-college-educated. 2016 United States presidential election Barack Obama Democratic Donald Trump Republican Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former secretary of state and former first lady Hillary Clinton and Virginia junior senator Tim Kaine , in what

8954-478: The notion that 'natural born Citizen' means one who is entitled under the Constitution or laws of the United States to U.S. citizenship 'at birth' or 'by birth,' including... those born abroad of one citizen parent who has met U.S. residency requirements." Several lawsuits and ballot challenges asserting that Cruz is ineligible have been filed. No lawsuit or challenge has been successful, and in February 2016

9075-432: 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

9196-533: The outcome of the primary. Following the Indiana primary on May 3, Cruz announced he was suspending his campaign. Questions have been raised as to whether Cruz meets the constitutional qualification that the President must be a natural born citizen as Cruz was born in Canada. Donald Trump , one of Cruz's opponents in the Republican primary, repeatedly questioned whether Cruz met the qualifications of being

9317-403: 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

9438-569: 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. Both

9559-843: The presidential race that day. On February 9, Sanders bounced back to win the New Hampshire primary with 60% of the vote. In the remaining two February contests, Clinton won the Nevada caucuses with 53% of the vote and scored a decisive victory in the South Carolina primary with 73% of the vote. On March 1, eleven states participated in the first of four " Super Tuesday " primaries. Clinton won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia and 504 pledged delegates, while Sanders won Colorado , Minnesota, Oklahoma , and his home state of Vermont and 340 delegates. The following weekend, Sanders won victories in Kansas , Nebraska , and Maine with 15- to 30-point margins, while Clinton won

9680-473: The press throughout her life in public service. Weeks before her official entry as a presidential candidate, Clinton attended a political press corps event, pledging to start fresh on what she described as a "complicated" relationship with political reporters. Clinton was initially criticized by the press for avoiding taking their questions, after which she provided more interviews. In contrast, Trump benefited from free media more than any other candidate. From

9801-415: 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

9922-461: 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

10043-451: 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. 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

10164-565: The race "with renewed vigor." Cruz went to Texas the day prior to the primary to secure votes. On primary day, March 1, 2016, Cruz won Texas by 17% (beating the expectations of final polling numbers) along with Alaska and Oklahoma , providing him with four state primary victories total. On March 5, 2016, Cruz won the Kansas and Maine caucuses, giving him six statewide wins. Cruz won his widest margin in Kansas, where he beat Trump by 25 points. Cruz also tied Trump in Louisiana for

10285-885: The race, he announced on June 16, 2016, that his main goal in the coming months would be to work with Clinton to defeat Trump in the general election. On July 8, appointees from the Clinton campaign, the Sanders campaign, and the Democratic National Committee negotiated a draft of the party's platform. On July 12, Sanders formally endorsed Clinton at a rally in New Hampshire in which he appeared with her. Sanders then went on to headline 39 campaign rallies on behalf of Clinton in 13 key states. [REDACTED] The following candidates were frequently interviewed by major broadcast networks and cable news channels or were listed in publicly published national polls. Lessig

10406-493: 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

10527-429: The release of a Quinnipiac poll where Cruz came in second place to Trump nationally, behind him by just four percentage points at 24%. By early January, Cruz continued to lead in Iowa, averaging 32%. However, a Quinnipiac University poll released on January 11 showed Cruz in second place to Trump at 29%, who had 31%. A Bloomberg/Des Moines Register poll released on January 13 showed Cruz in first place with 25%. Cruz

10648-410: The second DNC-sanctioned debate after adoption of a rule change negated polls which before might have necessitated his inclusion in the debate, Lessig withdrew as well, narrowing the field to Clinton, O'Malley, and Sanders. On February 1, 2016, in an extremely close contest, Clinton won the Iowa caucuses by a margin of 0.2 points over Sanders. After winning no delegates in Iowa, O'Malley withdrew from

10769-523: The second Fox News debate. He was seen by some pundits as losing due to his defensive positions on his prior positions on immigration as well as subsidies for ethanol and falling flat on his attempts at humor. On February 1, 2016, Cruz won the first Republican nomination contest, the Iowa Republican caucus. Cruz received 28% of caucus votes, with Donald Trump and Marco Rubio in second and third place at 24% and 23%, respectively. The clear victory

10890-462: The senate, which he argued could not be applied to him, in effect spending the first few days of his presidential campaign trying to distance himself from the incumbent president. On April 1, Public Policy Polling showed Cruz in third place at 16%, behind potential candidates Jeb Bush and Scott Walker who were at 17% and 20%. Cruz's name recognition significantly increased shortly after his campaign began, in April rising by 21 points to 82% from

11011-429: The state though believing his grassroots movement would suffice. In a poll released on February 28, Cruz maintained a lead in Texas by eleven points at 42%. Tom LoBianco of CNN said that a Cruz victory in Texas could slow Trump's momentum. Christopher Hooks of The Los Angeles Times stated that Cruz's campaign could be over with an underperformance in Texas, while viewing a large victory as allowing him to remain in

11132-399: The state was pivotal to stopping Trump. On April 29, Governor of Indiana Mike Pence (candidate Trump's eventual running mate) said he would be voting for Cruz in the state primary, effectively endorsing him. On May 1, a poll was released showing Cruz with 34% support of Republican voters in Indiana, 15 points behind Trump. The same day, Cruz swore the campaign would continue regardless of

11253-460: The state's caucus with 20%. A December 12, The Des Moines Register poll showed a 10-point lead for Cruz while a December 14 CNN poll showed a 1-point lead for Cruz. On December 15, Cruz participated in the second CNN Republican debate in Las Vegas, Nevada , the fifth overall of the election cycle, his overall performance being seen as strong and some commentators dubbing him the winner of

11374-415: The state's delegates and enlarging the gap between him and Cruz by over 300. The following day, April 20, Cruz said that no one would get the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination and foresaw a contested convention. On April 22, the Cruz campaign was accused by Governor of Maine Paul LePage , who is a Trump supporter, of reversing its position after promising to back a "unity slate that would honor

11495-781: The three states with the combined 46 electoral votes, was considered the catalyst that won him the Electoral College vote. Trump's surprise victories were perceived to have been assisted by Clinton's lack of campaigning in the region, the rightward shift of the white working class, and the influence of Sanders–Trump voters who refused to back her after Bernie Sanders dropped out. Ultimately, Trump received 304 electoral votes and Clinton 227, as two faithless electors defected from Trump and five from Clinton. Trump flipped six states that had voted Democratic in 2012 : Florida , Iowa , Michigan , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin , as well as Maine's 2nd congressional district . Trump

11616-511: The time of the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses, on March 1, the exit polling results of evangelical Christian voters were at the anticipated levels, selecting Cruz over Donald Trump, with the exception of Virginia. In Virginia, the selection was Rubio over Trump and Cruz, with Trump the declared winner. Cruz's campaign had positioned itself to rely heavily on his home state of Texas. Cruz also focused on Alaska, having never visited

11737-662: The time of the ad's release that it made him want to vomit and he was sure these feelings were shared by those who had also lived through Sandy Hook. On November 8, Cruz participated at the National Religious Liberties Conference in Des Moines, Iowa , alongside his father Rafael Cruz , Bobby Jindal and Mike Huckabee , and during a Q&A with the organizer of the event Kevin Swanson he said that "any president who doesn't begin everyday on his knees isn't fit to be commander-in-chief". In

11858-413: The tone of the campaign. Ted Cruz 2016 presidential campaign The 2016 presidential campaign of Ted Cruz , the junior United States senator from Texas , was announced on March 23, 2015. He was a candidate for the Republican Party's 2016 presidential nomination and won the second-most state contests and delegates. Cruz themed his campaign around being an outsider and a strict conservative. In

11979-491: The video. Shortly after that, Cruz requested Tyler's resignation. After Tyler's resignation, Marco Rubio called Cruz "a liar" during the Houston CNN/Telemundo debate held February 25; Donald Trump repeated the "a liar" phrase targeting Cruz in that CNN debate and the two campaigns attributed the threads of alleged past deceit in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Super Tuesday directly to Cruz, downplaying

12100-658: The vote in his home state of Utah, the highest share of the vote for a non-major party candidate in any state since 1992. On January 6, 2017, the United States Intelligence Community concluded that the Russian government had interfered in the 2016 elections , and that it did so in order to "undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency". A Special Counsel investigation of alleged collusion between Russia and

12221-459: The wishes of the thousands of Mainers who voted at caucus." He furthered that Cruz campaign affiliate David Sawyer "stabbed us in the back, reneged on the unity slate, and betrayed the people of Maine." Cruz subsequently obtained 19 of 20 delegate slots for Maine. On April 27, 2016, in a move unusual for a candidate in a contested primary, Cruz announced that Carly Fiorina would be joining his campaign as his vice presidential running mate. This

12342-542: 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. 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

12463-464: Was a participant in the second Fox Business debate on January 14, defending himself against the accusations of possible issues resulting from his birth in Canada while also indicating that the controversy was generated by his opponents due to his rise in the polls in the last few months as well as his senate record. During the second Fox Business debate, Cruz was questioned on his meaning when he stated beforehand that Trump embodied New York values. He

12584-406: Was a speaker at a Growth and Opportunity Party event in Iowa. It was commented that Cruz received the biggest showing of the ten candidates present at the event. In a poll released on November 2, Cruz came in second place for favorability among Iowans, only surpassed by Ben Carson. Two other polls released the same day showed Cruz in third place in Iowa at 15%, behind Donald Trump and Ben Carson. In

12705-414: Was a surprise to many; analysts attributed the performance to Cruz's extensive grassroots organization in Iowa, having borrowed from Barack Obama 's campaign in the 2008 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses , where Obama had similarly outperformed two rivals in a statistically tied race. Cruz became the first Hispanic person to win the Iowa caucus in either party. However, not all subsequent press for Cruz

12826-456: Was also considering Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack , retired Admiral James Stavridis , and Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado. In discussing her potential vice presidential choice, Clinton said the most important attribute she looked for was the ability and experience to immediately step into the role of president. On July 22, Clinton announced that she had chosen Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia as her running mate. The delegates at

12947-476: Was also criticized for the statement by New York Republicans and Democrats. The January 15 issue of Daily News , released the day after the debate, had a front page reading, "Drop dead, Ted." The cover also called on him to return to Canada. Cruz acknowledged the criticism and apologized to New Yorkers "who have been let down by the liberal politicians in that state." He also apologized on behalf of Bill de Blasio for what he called his standing with "looters and

13068-488: Was attended by several potential presidential candidates. In his speech, Cruz mentioned that Latinos, young people and single mothers are the people most affected by the recession, and that the Republican Party should make outreach efforts to these constituents. He also said that the words "growth and opportunity" should be tattooed on the hands of every Republican politician. Cruz, whose Canadian birth has prompted some to challenge his eligibility for presidential office under

13189-499: Was becoming the surrogate for most of his supporters, including voters and other office holders. On March 17, Lindsey Graham , who previously indicated his dislike for Cruz on several occasions, said that he would both support and fundraise for him due to his belief that Cruz was capable of besting Trump in the primary. Shortly afterward, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney expressed his support for Cruz over what he called "Trumpism". Jeb Bush endorsed Cruz on March 23,

13310-455: Was considered one of the biggest political upsets in American history. It was the fifth and most recent presidential election in which the winning candidate lost the popular vote . It was also the sixth and most recent presidential election in U.S. history in which both major party candidates were registered in the same home state; the others have been in 1860 , 1904 , 1920 , 1940 , and 1944 . Incumbent Democratic president Barack Obama

13431-445: 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

13552-939: Was ineligible to pursue a third term due to the term limits established by the Twenty-second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution . Clinton secured the nomination over U.S. senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary and became the first female presidential nominee of a major American political party. Initially considered a novelty candidate , Trump emerged as the Republican front-runner , defeating several notable opponents, including U.S. senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio , as well as governors John Kasich and Jeb Bush . 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. Clinton emphasized her extensive political experience, denounced Trump and many of his supporters as

13673-948: Was invited to one forum, but withdrew when rules were changed which prevented him from participating in officially sanctioned debates. Clinton received 16,849,779 votes in the primary. In April 2016, the Clinton campaign began to compile a list of 15 to 20 individuals to vet for the position of running mate, even though Sanders continued to challenge Clinton in the Democratic primaries. In mid-June, The Wall Street Journal reported that Clinton's shortlist included Representative Xavier Becerra from California, Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey , Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio , Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro from Texas , Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti from California , Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia , Labor Secretary Tom Perez from Maryland , Representative Tim Ryan from Ohio, and Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts . Subsequent reports stated that Clinton

13794-433: 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. Party for Socialism and Liberation Peace and Freedom Liberty Union Party Hillary Clinton focused her candidacy on several themes, including raising middle class incomes, expanding women's rights, instituting campaign finance reform, and improving

13915-399: Was not balanced, some candidates signed a list of debate demands. Cruz refused to sign, stating in a Fox News interview that he wasn't "interested in signing letters." In November, The Courageous Conservatives PAC published a radio ad, stating, "Ted Cruz makes things happen. … After Sandy Hook , Ted Cruz stopped Obama's push for new gun-control laws." Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said at

14036-445: Was notable as the first instance of Spanish being spoken in an American major party presidential debate; Beto O'Rourke later did the same in a 2019 Democratic debate. In the subsequent South Carolina Republican primary , Cruz narrowly finished 3rd behind Rubio by a tiny margin of 0.15%. The following day, Bush dropped out of the presidential race, while Cruz declared that he and Rubio had "effectively tied" for 2nd behind Trump, with

14157-495: Was one day after he lost a series of primaries in the northeast and later dropped out of the race. The Cruz campaign would later attribute their loss to not having selected Rubio as running mate, as hypothetical polling showed Cruz defeating Trump by a large margin with Rubio as the vice presidential candidate. However, Rubio denounced any interest at the time, which convinced the campaign to not approach him. On April 30, Former Governor of California Pete Wilson endorsed Cruz during

14278-484: Was positive; Cruz's campaign received significant criticism after it was revealed that it was responsible for a voicemail with the false claim that Carson had quit the race, presumably an attempt to rally Carson's evangelical supporters towards Cruz's side. February 9's New Hampshire primary, barely a week later, did not provide shocks; Cruz finished with 12% of the vote, behind Trump and Kasich, and ahead of Bush and Rubio. As Kasich and Bush had invested significantly in

14399-496: Was seen as evidence that Cruz was finally being able to garner the support of those who had supported candidates with no prior political experience such as frontrunners Trump and Carson, and establishing his credibility as a contender for the Republican Party's nomination. Additionally, it led some to believe that Cruz had made the right decision in avoiding conflicts with other candidates and focusing solely on his own substance. The November 2015 Paris attacks significantly altered

14520-456: Was the first president with neither prior public service nor military experience . With ballot access to the entire national electorate, Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson received nearly 4.5 million votes (3.27%), the highest nationwide vote share for a third-party candidate since Ross Perot in 1996 , while Green Party nominee Jill Stein received almost 1.45 million votes (1.06%). Independent candidate Evan McMullin received 21.4% of

14641-424: Was well-received, as he had "effectively articulated" his strategy of being the second choice for voters, enough of which would give him "the broadest base of support left when the dust clears." Cruz was also seen as having won the debate. Cruz was the most discussed of all candidates on Facebook the night of the debate and came in second to Donald Trump on Twitter for the most-talked about. On October 31, Cruz

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