Hillary. Marco. Ted. Rand. Bobby. Chris. Joe. Jeb. Ben. Lindsey.
To some of you, I’m just listing off some random names. To others, these are some of the many Democratic and Republican candidates who have announced that they’re running, as well as people that “may run”—I’m looking at you, Jeb Bush.
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has officially announced that she’ll be running. Former US Senator Jim Webb, former Governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley, and former Governor of Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee have all have expressed interest in running but have not made official statements.
Vice President Joe Biden actually said, “Honest to God, I haven’t made up my mind.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren has bipartisan support to run (Republicans want to ensure that Hillary Clinton will actually have to try) but won’t, because she doesn’t want to, and because Democrats need her in the Senate.
On the Republican side, Senator Rand Paul, Senator Ted Cruz, and Senator, but more importantly my Snapchat friend, Marco Rubio all announced that they are running. Having a Snapchat is an unconventional means of getting the youth vote, but he also talks about EDM and Nicki Minaj, so he’s trying really hard, you guys. Jeb Bush might also run, as well as Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, and Chris Christie.
“I’m so happy!” thought Hillary, when realizing that more Republican candidates will make her job much easier. It seems like every Republican feels like setting themselves up for a 2024 run.
Something that worries me (as well as political scientists and certified smart people) about this election is the amount of money involved. Super PACs allow both individuals and companies to donate unlimited funds to campaigns. On one hand, this gives special interest groups and lobbyists an incredulous amount of power. Others argue that those with the funds should be able to donate to causes that they believe in. The Supreme Court favored the latter argument in Citizens United vs FEC, because of the precedent set by the First Amendment.
When I hear that donors like the Koch brothers are deciding whether to contribute to Walker, Paul, Rubio, Cruz, or Bush, I get worried. At face value, there’s nothing wrong with the Koch brothers donating money to the politician they believe in. But when candidates have to try to impress rich billionaires, the interests of the people are not first priority.
This is a problem for both parties—Hillary Clinton’s campaign donors are as corporate as they get, yet she spoke angrily about excessive corporate compensation a few years back.
In summation, this is going to be a very exciting election, but hopefully politics won’t be tarnished by donors and corporations. Considering the billions of dollars being spent on this election, on both sides, this certainly won’t be the case.