By Andrew Hutchinson ’17, Staff Writer and Abbey Zhu ’18, Staff Writer

With some candidates beginning their campaigns as early as March, the 2016 Presidential Race has been tense for the Republican Party. The GOP has a current total of nineteen candidates, almost twice as many as the Democratic Party, undermining their apparent unity. New Jersey’s own governor Chris Christie announced that he would be entering the race on June 30. Newark Academy Physics teacher and self-declared Christian conservative Mr. Bitler expressed the pride he felt when a fellow New Jerseyan entered the race. However, Mr. Bitler does not believe Christie has a chance of winning the nomination: “[Christie] has never been particularly well-liked in the more conservative states. While Christie is somewhat conservative on fiscal issues for New Jersey, he’s not particularly conservative on religious freedom issues, social issues, Second Amendment issues, foreign policy, illegal immigration, etc. It’s very hard for Christie to win over those who are conservative on all those issues, who play a huge role in the GOP nomination process.”

The most recent Republican debate took place on September 15, hosted by CNN. Although Donald Trump’s position in the debate was cited as “unclear,” polls reveal that Trump remains the most popular candidate. While it may seem bewildering to some as to why such a controversial figure leads the GOP race, Mr. Bitler explained why he thinks Trump is so well-liked by voters: “Donald Trump is outspoken, cuts through the PC obfuscations like a knife, talks about big bold solutions, and is rich and famous. He’s got star power, automatically captures huge amounts of news air time, and bends the press to his will.”

A Briefing On The Top Three Candidates:

1. Donald Trump

Trump’s collection of brash and blunt statements have portrayed him as an extremely radical candidate. Elias Neibart ’16, president of the Young Republicans club said, “Though Donald Trump uses the rhetoric of an anti-establishment conservative, in reality, Mr. Trump is a big government progressive. He supports higher taxes on the rich, universal healthcare, the legality of eminent domain, and high tariffs. As a conservative, I cannot support these policies, nor do I consider Trump part of the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party. “

2. Ben Carson

Previously a pediatric neurosurgeon, Carson has stated that he is “unabashedly and entirely pro-life.” He goes on to say, “human life begins at conception and innocent life must be protected.” Carson does not explicitly mention whether or not he thinks the allowance of abortions depends on circumstance (ex: rape, health of mother). When asked about Carson, Liz Merrigan ’16 said, “He just seems like another Reagan to me – stubbornly pro-life and super religious.”

3. Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina was the first woman to run a Fortune 50 business; she became CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 1999. She believes that The United State’s potential lies in God, saying, “…everyone should have the right to fulfill their potential, and that right comes from God, and shouldn’t be taken away by man or government”.

Three candidates with no prior political experience are leading in the polls. Jared Caputo ’17, member of the Young Republicans Club, believes this is because, “people are upset with the political nature of the United States and want someone who is not afraid to bash and try to redo the political system.” While it may be true that some want to see immediate change in the federal government, one must take into consideration the marketability of outsiders and their relatable success stories – both contribute to an advantage that many of the other candidates running for the nomination do not have.

Be sure to watch the next GOP debate, which airs on CNBC on Wednesday, October 28^th!