2016 Democratic Presidential Primary

Overview

The 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary is the preliminary round in the Democratic party’s candidate selection process for the upcoming 2016 general election for the presidency of the United States. The series of state caucuses and primaries will begin in February 2016 and end the following June.

Background

After President Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012, many began speculating about who would run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. Then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was widely anticipated as a potential candidate, having been defeated by Obama during the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. In December 2012, Clinton was rated favorably in several polls, including a Siena College poll with 54 percent of respondents saying she should run for president.^[1] Additionally, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden was expected to enter the 2016 race.

Notable Developments

Hillary Clinton’s Announcement

On April 10th, 2015, the Republican National Committee released a 30-second video titled “Stop Hillary,” featuring a silhouette of Clinton walking up to a lectern while voices criticizing her past political controversies play in the background (shown below).

On April 11th, Saturday Night Live aired a sketch parodying how Clinton would declare her candidacy for president (shown below, left). On the following day, Clinton announced her bid for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2016 U.S. presidential election in an YouTube video titled “Getting Started,” in which she expresses her desire to be America’s “champion” (shown below, right).

Bernie Sanders’ Announcement

In March 2014, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders revealed he was considering running for President of the United States but felt it was too soon for an official announcement. On May 26th, 2015, Sanders formally announced his bid for the Democratic Party’s nomination (shown below). Unlike other presidential candidates, Sanders did not pursue funding through a Super PAC, instead focusing on small individual donations.

Lawrence Lessig’s Announcement

On August 11th, 2015, Harvard Law School professor and political activist Lawrence Lessig announced he had formed an exploratory committee for a potential bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. In addition, Lessig declared that he would run if the leading Democratic candidates had not committed reforming elections and if his committee raised over $1 million by Labor Day. On September 6th, Lessig reached the $1 million crowdfunding goal and officially announced his bid for presidency (shown below).

Other Official Candidate Announcements

On May 30th, 2015, Governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley formally declared his bid for presidency as a Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election. On June 3rd, 2015, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. On June 15th, Virginia Senator Jim Webb declared he would be seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination.

Debates

CNN Debate: October 13th

On October 13th, 2015, the first debate for the Democratic presidential primary candidates will be held at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada and aired on the CNN 24-hour cable news channel. The event will be moderated by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper with additional questions from anchors Dana Bash, Juan Carlos Lopez and Don Lemon. Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley, Webb and Chafee are set to appear at the debate, with an additional spot reserved for Joe Biden if he were to declare candidacy.^[2]

Search Interest

External References