By Thomas Pan ’14, Staff Writer

Although the actual voting process is more than a year away, the 2012 election is currently underway. Over the past months, the candidates have already spent more than $45 million campaigning. As the election approaches, who the candidates are becomes an even more pressing issue. In alphabetical order, here are the top candidates in the race today:

Michelle Bachman

Michelle Bachman, 55, a representative from Minnesota, is one of the only women to have formally announced a Republican bid for the White House. Bachman is and has been very critical of Obama. She voted against his economic policies, including bills that would raise the debt ceiling. She also strongly opposes the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” and believes Obama has “prematurely” ended the Middle Eastern Conflict. Bachman holds very conservative views on immigration, same-sex marriage, and abortion. She does not believe that illegal immigrants should be granted amnesty, thinks that toleration of same-sex marriage could lead to polygamy, and has a history for voting against funds for abortion. Bachman is known for being a foster mother of 23 children. She is also often called the next “Sarah Palin” because of a record of factual mistakes in her interviews and public speeches. Bachman is also noted for having a close affiliation with the Tea Party movement.

It seems that to students of the NA community Bachman is not much of a competitor. Jake Cohen ’14 is quite critical of Bachman, saying, “I think that Michelle Bachman is not one of the stronger Republican candidates and do not believe she will even win the primaries”

Herman Cain

Often described as the “anti-Obama”, 65 year old Herman Cain has never held elected office. His tenure in the private sector is marked by his time as the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. But, he uses his private sector background and lack of government experience as major points in his campaign. To turn around the economy, Cain favors lowering taxes and making tax changes permanent, as illustrated by his “999 Plan”. To improve health care, Cain wants to repeal the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” and make free-market reforms. On immigration and abortion, Cain holds relatively conservative views. He believes that we should enforce our borders “with whatever means necessary” and is “pro-life from conception”. However, in foreign policy and same-sex marriage, he takes a more liberal stance. He is against Americans being the “policemen of the world” and believes that individual states should determine legality of same-sex marriage.  Herman Cain was at one point leading the race, but his support has slightly dipped after several sexual harassment charges emerged. Cain is currently polling at second place.

For Herman Cain, it seems we are unsure about the legitimacy of his campaign. When asked what would happen to NA if Cain was elected, Mr. Gilbreath says, “I don’t know how exactly his election would affect the school. I feel if you were to distill his views to his slogan, he would seem disconnected to his values. It will be interesting to see how the sexual abuse case will affect his campaign.”

Newt Gingrich

Former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, 68, was in office during the Clinton presidency, and notably opposed Clinton fiercely during the time. Gingrich firmly opposes Obama’s economic policies and favors Bush-era tax cuts. Gingrich wants to replace the Democratic health care reform with a pro-job, pro responsibility health plan. Gingrich is a strong supporter of a strong military and a continued war on terror. In Immigration, same-sex marriage, and abortion, Gingrich is quite conservative, believing in strict border policies, and prohibition of same-sex marriage and abortion. Gingrich is noted for his powerful speaking skills and his experience in power. Many have questioned his fidelity, as he has married three times, twice ending in divorce. Gingrich is currently listed as slightly above Governor Rick Perry in polls, and his support is rapidly growing.

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman, 51, is a former governor of Utah and former U.S. Ambassador to China. Like Romney, he is a Mormon and usually described as moderate. Huntsman is critical of Obama’s handling of the struggling economy as well as of some Republican’s refusal to raise the debt ceiling. Like most other Republicans, Huntsman would like to repeal the Democratic health care reform bill and “harness the free market [to] give consumers more control over their health care.” He argues that Washington has not adequately addressed the problem of immigration and if elected he will secure the entirety of the southern border. He is pro-life and, as governor, signed a law prohibiting abortion. However, on the foreign policy and same-sex marriage, he is much more liberal than his Republican counterparts. Additionally, he remains skeptical about the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan – rather liberal view. He also believes in traditional marriage, but advocates for civil unions. He backs this view by arguing that “we as a nation can do a better job when it comes to equality.” He in the end thinks that states should discuss same-sex marriage. Huntsman is currently polling slightly below Santorum.

Huntsman is much more liberal than the other republican candidates, so some Republicans are skeptical when deciding to support him. He was Ambassador to China under President Obama, which is also a potential liability when it comes to hardline conservatives. In the end, it could give him some votes from Democrats. He has focused his campaign on the Northeast, and even skipped a debate to stay in New Hampshire. He certainly has the experience, but it will be interesting to see if he can make a run to the top.

Rick Perry

Rick Perry, the 61 year old Texas governor has served three terms, is currently the nation’s longest-serving governor. Texas’ successful economy under Perry demonstrates his economic prowess. He believes in tax cuts, and spending cuts as a means to job creation. Perry, like most other Republican candidates wants to repeal the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” describing it as the “greatest intrusion on individual freedom in a generation”  On foreign policy, immigration, same-sex marriage, and abortion, he takes conservative stances. He has experience supervising border patrol, is against same-sex marriage, and is pro-life. Rick Perry has been rather unpredictable these past few months, especially during debates. However, despite these setbacks, Perry’s experience in office still sets him apart from other candidates.

Perry doesn’t seem to be a solid candidate to NA students. When asked about Perry, Jake Faber ’14 stated, “Rick Perry’s political views are so vague that it’s difficult to have a clear opinion of him. That said, I’m not entirely sure how he’ll change Newark Academy but we might see a distinct change in the ever-present liberal demographic at the school.”

Ron Paul

Ron Paul, 76, is the oldest Republican candidate and has run for President three times. He is a congressman from Texas. Paul is a self described libertarian. He wants to repeal “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” and is a longstanding critic of the Federal Reserve Bank. He wants all corporations to be able to perform a check on legality of potential employees. Paul does not believe that government should have a hand in marriage, traditional or homosexual, and is pro-life. The one issue that he is notably liberal on is foreign policy. An outspoken critic of American foreign involvement, Paul has voted against bills allowing the US to be involved in Libya and many other countries. The area of foreign policy is a place where he frequently clashes with other Republicans. Although he is experienced, Paul is generally not considered a very strong candidate because of his previous failed attempts for presidency. Yet, many people respect his public speaking skills and his ability to stick with his ideas despite dissent within his own party. He has a large and fervent following, particularly in the online community.

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney is the 64 year old former governor of Massachusetts. Notably a Mormon, he was a very successful business man with Bain Capital and is the most wealthy candidate in the election. Economically, Romney has an abundance of experience and is mainly interested in cutting government spending. On health care, Romney wants to repeal the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” although he did advocate a health plan similar to Obama’s during his term as governor. Romney also takes a conservative stance on abortion and same-sex marriage. He believes a home should consist of “a mom and a dad” and is “firmly pro-life.” In terms of foreign policy and immigration, Romney wants to “pursue a strategy of American strength,” secure American borders, and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Romney is currently in the lead of the Republican candidates, and is tied with Obama in the polls.

Although Romney is the current front-runner, he seems to be somewhat controversial. Nick Verilli ’14 believes that Romney is an interesting character because “he is trying to win support from one side, yet his Romney care health plan is very similar to Obama’s health care plan.”

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum, the 53 year old former senator of Pennsylvania, has a solid conservative record. He firmly believes in lowering taxes and eliminating taxes in some cases. He believes in strong military. Santorum is against giving any government services to illegal immigrants and opposes same-sex marriage and abortion. Fervently opposed to Obama’s healthcare plan, Santorum holds similar views on Romney’s plan. As of now, he is polling last among the major candidates but has presented himself reasonably well in the past few debates.

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In general, the election of the Republican candidates would not affect Newark Academy much in terms of the administration. NA is an independent school and does not rely on the government.  But many, such as Mr. Gilbreath, believe that some of the economic ideas presented by the candidates could potentially be good for the school. He predicts that “Republican plans probably will boost the economy, and when business is good, we get more applicants.” The election can even play a role in our academic life. Elections are historical events and learning about elections is often a great step for students to approach politics and the different issues that surround it. In fact, the 6^th grade is currently involved in a “mock election” in which all students play a role, ranging from the actual candidates to campaign managers. All in all, the election is not to be ignored or taken lightly by NA students.