Fifth Time's the Charm: Donald Trump Running for President
By 270toWin Staff
June 16, 2015
Businessman Donald Trump is entering the 2016 presidential race, becoming the 12th Republican to vie for that party's nomination. He made the announcement late this morning at Trump Tower, part of his self-reported $9 billion net worth.
This is the fifth time Trump has considered running for president, but the first time he has launched a formal campaign. He previously floated the idea in 1988, 2000, 2004 and 2012.
Trump has polled around 5% when included in 2016 Republican nomination surveys. That puts him in a group that includes New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Texas Governor Rick Perry. More importantly, if this ranking holds, it places him within the top 10 candidates that will qualify for the first Republican debate this August.
An update on the Republican field follows. On the Democratic side the four announced candidates are former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. Unlike the tightly bunched Republican field, Mrs. Clinton has a commanding lead in Democratic nomination polling.
2016 Republican Field: Running or Actively Considering
Dates displayed are those when campaign launched or when an announcement is scheduled. The MAP link, where available, goes to an electoral map of that candidate vs. Hillary Clinton based on state-level polling conducted so far.
Announced
Jeb Bush | June 15 | Former Governor, Florida | MAP |
Ben Carson | May 4 | Former neurosurgeon | |
Ted Cruz | March 23 | U.S. Senator, Texas | MAP |
Carly Fiorina | May 4 | Former CEO, Hewlett-Packard | |
Lindsey Graham | June 1 | U.S. Senator, South Carolina | |
Mike Huckabee | May 5 | Former Governor, Arkansas | MAP |
George Pataki | May 28 | Former Governor, New York | |
Rand Paul | April 7 | U.S. Senator, Kentucky | MAP |
Rick Perry | June 4 | Former Governor, Texas | |
Marco Rubio | April 13 | U.S. Senator, Florida | MAP |
Rick Santorum | May 27 | Former U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania | |
Donald Trump | June 16 | Businessman |
Pending Decision
Bobby Jindal | June 24 | Governor, Louisiana |
No Announcement Date Set
Chris Christie | Governor, New Jersey | MAP |
John Kasich | Governor, Ohio | |
Scott Walker | Governor, Wisconsin | MAP |