By Ethan Susilo ‘23, Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered why everyone seems to be talking about politics? Why is this election cycle so different than the others, anyway? First, though, who even are the presidential candidates this year and what do they want? So far, there have been 20 candidates that have declared that they’re running for president, but only 5 have actually stayed on the ballot now. That’s 15 candidates who have dropped out of the race! But who are the remaining candidates? Well, there’s actually one for each party. Hillary Clinton with running mate Tim Kaine, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, Jill Stein with Ajamu Baraka, Gary Johnson, alongside William Weld, and Evan McMullin along with running mate Mindy Finn, who are in the Democratic, Republican, Green, and Libertarian for the first four, respectively, and the independent, McMullin. This is really different than all previous elections, since 16 candidates have dropped out, with many more candidates who have dropped out even earlier in the race.

How about politics in Newark Academy? Let’s see what a few people think about who they want to win in the presidential election. Certain individuals responded either Clinton or Trump more than Johnson or Stein. However, some decided to choose other responses, such as “None of the above” or even an answer like, “I do not care who as long as it is not Trump”.

So, what are the candidates’ thoughts on the issues? Well, my answer could go on and on, but here is a summarized version of it. Hillary Clinton focuses on protecting illegal immigrants and helping them become American citizens, while securing borders. She wants to maximize safety in abortion, and supports Planned Parenthood and reproductive health care. Clinton wants to require background checks and close “loopholes that allow guns to fall into the wrong hands”. She plans to strengthen our partnerships with allies to defeat ISIS, otherwise known as the Islamic State or ISIL, and enforce the Iran nuclear deal. She wants to relieve taxes for middle and low-class and higher taxes for the wealthy.

Donald Trump wants to deport illegal immigrants and refugees, and build a border wall to keep immigrants from coming into America. He opposes using government funds to pay for abortions except for protecting the life of the mother. Trump wants to empower law-abiding gun owners and “expand mental health programs [to] keep the violently mentally ill off of our streets”. In foreign policy, he wants to end the Iran nuclear deal and end ransom payments for supporters of terrorists. Donald Trump plans to lower taxes to brackets of 12%, 25%, and 33%.

So on Tuesday, November 6, make sure to watch the election!