2016 United States presidential election

2016 United States presidential election
Gage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Election name	2016 United States presidential election
Country	United States
Type	presidential
Previous election	2012 United States presidential election
Previous year	2012
Election date	November 8, 2016
Next election	2020 United States presidential election
Next year	2020
Votes for election	538 members of the Electoral College
Needed votes	270 electoral
Turnout	55.7% (voting age)
Nominee1	Donald Trump
Party1	Republican Party (United States)
Home state1	New York
Running mate1	Mike Pence
Electoral vote1	304
States carried1	30 + ME-02
Popular vote1	62,984,828
Percentage1	46.1%
Nominee2	Hillary Clinton
Party2	Democratic Party (United States)
Home state2	New York
Running mate2	Tim Kaine
Electoral vote2	227
States carried2	20 + DC
Popular vote2	65,853,514
Percentage2	48.2%
Title	President
Before election	Barack Obama
Before party	Democratic Party (United States)
After election	Donald Trump
After party	Republican Party (United States)

2016 United States presidential election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, defeated the Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia. Trump's victory, considered an upset by most pre-election forecasts, marked a significant shift in American politics, as he lost the national popular vote but secured a majority in the Electoral College. The outcome had profound consequences for federal policy, Supreme Court appointments, and the nation's political discourse.

Background

The election followed the two-term presidency of Democrat Barack Obama, whose administration had navigated the aftermath of the Great Recession and passed the Affordable Care Act. Political polarization intensified during Obama's tenure, exemplified by the rise of the Tea Party movement and contentious debates over issues like immigration and gun control. Public sentiment reflected widespread anti-establishment and populist anger, with many voters expressing frustration with Washington insiders and global economic forces like globalization. Key events shaping the political landscape included the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide and ongoing investigations into Clinton's use of a private email server while at the State Department.

Candidates and nominations

The Republican primaries featured an unusually large field of seventeen major candidates, including prominent figures like former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Ted Cruz from Texas. Donald Trump, a real estate developer and television personality with no prior political experience, defeated his rivals by leveraging his fame from *The Apprentice* and employing a brash campaign style focused on issues like illegal immigration and trade deals. He secured the nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. The Democratic primaries were largely a contest between former First Lady Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who energized the party's progressive wing with calls for a single-payer healthcare system and free college tuition. Clinton narrowly prevailed and was nominated at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

General election campaign

The general election campaign was historically contentious and dominated by personal attacks. Key themes included economic inequality, Supreme Court appointments following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, and national security. Trump's campaign rallies, often marked by controversial statements, emphasized slogans like "Make America Great Again" and promised to build a wall on the Mexico–United States border. Clinton's campaign emphasized her experience and presented Trump as temperamentally unfit for office. The campaign was heavily influenced by external events, including the FBI's investigation into Clinton's emails, which was reopened and closed again in the final days, and the release of the Access Hollywood tape featuring Trump. Foreign interference, later confirmed by the U.S. Intelligence Community and the Mueller Report, involved Russian operatives using social media platforms like Facebook to sow discord.

Results

On Election Day, Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton's 227, despite Clinton winning the national popular vote by nearly 2.9 million votes. Trump's victory was built on narrow wins in the Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, Michigan Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin and , and , and , and , and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and , and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and , ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and , ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and , ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ] and ]