Hillary has all-but declared her candidacy, Jeb’s started a super-PAC, and Mitt’s told donors to hold off on contributing to a Bush campaign until he makes up his mind. The 2016 Presidential Election, as of now, is set to include a face-off between two of America’s most prominent political families and a guest appearance by last time’s runner-up. The lack of fresh faces who have put their hat in the ring is set to make next year’s election one of the more boring ones in recent history.
Hillary Clinton continues to move closer to a presidential run. Last year, she wrote her memoirs and went on a tour to promote her book while also raking in big speaking fees and occasionally spending a free moment with her newborn granddaughter. It has been long speculated that Hillary will run for president, but no one knows when she will announce it. The former U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State, boasts an impressive resume, not to mention that her husband was also once president.
Jeb Bush, both the son and brother of former presidents’ George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, is another familiar face expected to run. He is a popular former two-term governor of Florida, and has since focused his time mainly in the private sector. To add to the speculation that he might run for president, Jeb recently stepped down from all his board positions on both non-profit organizations as well as corporations. He also started a super-PAC, Right to Rise, and has opened an account on Instagram to communicate with a younger audience.
At a meeting with potential political donors last week, Mitt Romney told them he was pondering a third run for the presidency. Romney’s career as a private equity investor was a source of great criticism in the 2012 election, in which he was cast as out-of-touch with the average American. While Romney did clinch the Republican Party’s nomination last time, the field has since changed, and the economy, his main source of expertise, will not be at the forefront of the next election.
While these are the main candidates who are predicted to put their name in the ring, who is to say that a lower profile politician won’t defeat them all? It happened in 2008, and 7 years later, President Obama is halfway through his second term.
A lot can and will change between now and then. While there seems to be unanimous support for Hillary among the Democrats, the Republicans will likely produce a slew of candidates, who must first survive a grueling round of primaries. For now, it looks like we will just have to wait and see!
Written by Oliver Kornberg’16
