On Wednesday November 9th, the 2016 Presidential Election season finally came to an end. This has arguably been one of the wildest presidential elections in American history, having been called nothing short of a circus or a reality show by major news outlets. It feels like this election has been going on for years, and it kind of has — remember when Ted Cruz was the first politician to announce his candidacy in March of 2015? We’ve come along way since then, so let’s take a look back at all the thoughts we had through the ups and downs of this election.
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How many Republican candidates are there now?
It seems like everybody and their mother was running for the Republican presidential nomination way back in the summer of 2015. Boasting 17 presidential hopefuls, the Republican candidates included Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
2. I think these debates might be better than Netflix…
The Republican primary debates pulled in a record number of viewers, as Americans across the country tuned in to see the candidates prove themselves as the best politician to ensure a Republican victory in the election (which at this point was over a year away). With 12 debates and even more forums, the candidates certainly gave the American people plenty to think about.
3. Donald Trump can’t be real
Despite the numerous other candidates, nobody quite dominated the election newscycle like Donald J. Trump. As one of the only candidates without a background in politics, the infamous businessman enchanted the American people, and the world, with his unrehearsed way of talking, anti-establishment ideas, and aversion for political correctness. Even his lack of concrete policy and tendency to say things that were plainly false didn’t shake his popularity.
4. Am I in love with Bernie?
The Vermont Senator gained popularity through his Democratic Socialist platform which included tuition free college and expanding Social Security. Despite being the longest running Independent in the US Congress, Bernie ran for the Democratic nomination and came further than many expected.
5. Are we still talking about Hillary’s emails?
Clinton’s email scandal, which entailed the use of a private server during her time as Secretary of State and the deletion of emails, was arguably the candidate’s largest hurdle during this election. The topic was brought up continually throughout her primary debates with Sanders, and well into her debates against Trump. The exact contents of the emails and if what Clinton did was a crime are still contested. However, a recent FBI investigation of the latest batch of emails to be released concluded that no further action against her was required.
6. Another week, another Super Tuesday
Primary season began early on February 1, 2016 with the Iowa Caucus. The weeks that followed included several “Super Tuesdays”, election days where a number of states held primaries, allowing candidates to rack up large amounts of delegates all at once. Primary season also saw many candidates drop out of the race as their comparatively low number of delegates made earning their party’s nomination an impossibility. The end of the primaries concluded that the two presidential nominees would be Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
7. I might cry because Hillary just became the first ever female nominee
Despite winning the primaries, Hillary didn’t become the official Democratic Presidential Nominee until the Democratic National Convention in July. She made history by becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major US political party. Political opinions aside, that’s pretty incredible.
8. Wait, did Trump really say that?
All throughout this long election season Trump has said some very, um, interesting things. First, Trump claimed that Mexicans brought drugs and crime to the US, and then went on to call them rapists. He also failed to disavow former Ku Klux Klan member David Duke and most recently, a video was released of him making lewd comments about women.
9. What was the question again?
The final three debates between the Republican and Democratic nominees often turned to the Trump and Clinton attacking each other, no matter what the actual question was. The debate was full of heat, sass, and even a bit of humor, but unfortunately did little in the way of discussing actual policy.
10. Thank You, Hillary.
Hillary didn’t win the election. But that doesn’t mean that she wasn’t an incredible candidate who worked her hardest every day to be the leader we needed. So thank you, Hillary. Thank you for being a voice for women, immigrants, children, LGBTQ+ folks, minorities and everybody in between. Thank you for proving that women can do anything. Thank you for not giving up even when it seemed that everything was going against you. And thank you for showing that love, hope, and kindness exist in this country. Because that love, hope, and kindness is what will keep America strong throughout the next four years. Thank you Hillary.
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