US real estate titan Donald Trump made his presidential campaign official Tuesday, becoming the 12th Republican to officially jump into the increasingly crowded 2016 pool.
Hillary Clinton leads a far smaller field of Democrats.
With four additional GOP candidates still seen as likely to enter the race, no fewer than 16 Republicans have emerged in the most wide-open nomination contest in decades.
– The declared –
– Jeb Bush: Florida’s ex-governor, who announced his bid Monday after months as a de facto candidate, is son and brother to two former presidents. The 62-year-old is the Republican most open to immigration reform. His network has raised vast sums of money, but he has been unable to break away from the pack.
– Marco Rubio: The 44-year-old US senator from Florida, elected in 2010, is the son of Cuban immigrants and, like Bush, speaks fluent Spanish. He advocates muscular foreign policy and US military re-engagement in the world.
– Ted Cruz: The senator from Texas, also 44, is an excellent orator, former lawyer, and flagbearer of arch-conservative causes.
– Rand Paul: A first-term senator like Rubio and Cruz, the 52-year-old Kentuckian represents the party’s libertarian wing, opposing mass NSA data collection and skeptical of military interventions abroad. His strategy includes drawing support from young people, African-Americans and Hispanics.
– Lindsey Graham: The 59-year-old foreign policy hawk is the fourth Senate Republican to run. He has backing from the likes of former nominee John McCain, but lags behind in polls.
– Ben Carson: A retired neurosurgeon who has never held public office, the conservative Tea Party favorite, 63, is the only African-American in the race.
– Mike Huckabee: The former Arkansas governor, preacher and television host makes his second presidential run. Huckabee, 59, hopes to capitalize on his rural evangelical following.
– Carly Fiorina: Hewlett-Packard’s ex-CEO spent millions from her personal fortune in an unsuccessful 2010 Senate bid. Fiorina, 60, is the only Republican woman running.
– Rick Santorum: The 57-year-old former senator from swing-state Pennsylvania and champion of the religious right and blue-collar Americans, won the Iowa caucuses in 2012 but ultimately lost the nomination.
– George Pataki: The three-term governor guided New York through the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Pataki, who turns 70 next week, calls himself a moderate who can overcome “partisan division.”
– Rick Perry: The three-term former governor of Texas, 65, botched his 2012 presidential bid. This time he cites his lengthy governing experience and lashes younger rivals for lacking it.
– Donald Trump: “The Donald,” 69, is America’s opinionated tycoon and brusque TV personality. On Tuesday he threatened to bring his business savvy into play if president, huffing: “I beat China all the time.”
– The all-but-declared –
– Scott Walker: Wisconsin’s fresh-faced governor, 47, earned national fame busting public unions, and claims as other conservative accomplishments tax cuts and legalizing the concealed carrying of firearms.
– Chris Christie: The blunt-talking New Jersey governor, 52, wants to reform the tax system, broaden national energy policy and “re-establish American leadership” worldwide.
– John Kasich: This fiscal conservative, 63, is governor of politically crucial Ohio. He has national security experience, having served on the House Armed Services Committee.
– Bobby Jindal: The Louisiana governor, 44, is son of Indian immigrants. Wonkish on policy, he has become chief advocate for repealing national educational standards.
