Top Candidates in Presidential Race
Voters will choose a new president in 2016, and the race is already in high gear as candidates compete for political party nominations.
Here are the positions of four top candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties.
Ben Carson
Dr. Benjamin Carson is a retired pediatric neurosurgeon and a Republican candidate for the 2016 presidential race. Carson’s poll numbers are steady and he is near the top of almost every poll so far in the race.
Carson believes that the federal government should not have a say in education. He wishes to repeal Common Core and focus more on the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Carson opposes illegal immigration, however, has suggested that undocumented people would remain in the country as guest workers as long as they pay taxes. He has proposed stricter measures for the border and immigration to be secured.
Carson has been somewhat unclear on his views of gun control. He has stated that people have the right to own weapons, however it depends on who is in control of the weapon and where they live.
Carson is against any abortion more than 20 weeks after fertilization and disagrees with abortion for convenience. An advocate for Christian theology, Carson has said he supports the beliefs that he has been brought up with.
Carson supports gay rights, but not same-sex marriage. He believes homosexuality is a choice but has expressed wanting to be fair to the gay community.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton has been in politics for a long time, serving as first lady, U.S. senator from New York, and secretary of state. She is a very popular candidate and is known as a strong advocate for women’s rights.
Clinton defends public schooling and charter schools, opposing school vouchers, which is government funding for private schools. She is a strong believer in Common Core and an advocate for supporting teachers and increasing their wages.
Clinton has a desire to fight for immigrants to gain equal citizenship and have a fair life in the United States. She is a supporter of immigration reform and has a strong stance on protecting and expanding health care for immigrant families.
Clinton strongly supports gun control and believes that cracking down on gun stores and ensuring weapons are off the streets will prevent gun violence. She wants to improve the system so that there are no loopholes for mentally ill people to possess a gun or weapon.
Clinton strongly favors abortion rights and a woman’s right to choose. She believes abortion should be legal, under safe circumstances. Clinton also supports the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, lowering costs and improving the quality of health care.
Clinton is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage, after changing her previous position on the issue. Clinton also believes in more funding and stricter sentencing for hate crimes.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders is a U.S. senator and Democratic candidate in the 2016 race. He is very liberal when it comes to economic and domestic issues and has strong views on increasing the minimum wage and legalizing marijuana.
Sanders believes in a high quality and affordable education for everyone and does not support any voucher system to support private schools. Sanders hopes to strive for all public colleges and universities to be eventually tuition-free and that loan interest rates to be dramatically reduced. He has never fully endorsed nor opposed Common Core standards.
Sanders strongly supports the immigration reform and strives for legal status and possibly citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He is a supporter of securing the border, however wishes to focus more on the immigrants already in the United States.
Sanders supports gun control as long as background checks and circumstances are secure and safe. He has voted in favor of the nation wide ban on assault weapons and believes that little harm will be caused as long as situations are secure and there is no loophole available to illegal sellers.
Sanders is a strong supporter of abortion rights. He is also an advocate for funding Planned Parenthood and accessing contraceptives. Sanders is a strong believer in women having the right to choose no matter their financial situation.
Sanders is a cosponsor of the Equality Act and is a big supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. He is also a believer in equal rights for gay people and a supporter of same sex marriage.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump is a reality TV star and the CEO of Trump Organization LLC, which develops luxury real estate. He has been doing very well in the polls and is the front-runner in the Republican party.
Trump opposes the Common Core system and has strong opinions on education in the U.S. He believes the government should not run schools and supports the voucher system to support private schools. Trump finds education to be an important matter to be addressed and a large issue in the country.
Trump strongly opposes the immigration reform and has controversial opinions on the matter. He believes there should be extreme security at the border even for legal immigration. Trump has called for mass deportations for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S..
Trump strongly favors gun rights and believes in the absolute right to gun ownership. He wishes to improve the background system on guns and weapons and supports concealed carry with a permit in all 50 states.
Trump opposes abortion rights. He wishes to ban partial-birth abortion. He has said the Affordable Care Act must be repealed and replaced.
Trump strongly opposes gay marriage though he calls it a dead issue.
Although many of us at CVHS are not old enough to vote, it is still important to be aware of who is running for president, since it makes a large impact on our lives.
“Paying attention to what happens in this election isn’t limited to what is just going to happen in the next year,” said government teacher Carmelina Frasca. “Students should be involved and knowledgeable,” she said.