Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was the first politician to formally declare his candidacy for the 2016 presidential nomination on March 22.
Some people have said this is too early for anyone to announce anything officially. Others, like associate professor of political science Dr. Steven Breezeel, said there are positives to announcing at a time like this.
“I think Cruz is trying to capture attention,” Breezeel said. “By being the first one to announce, you capture a news cycle. You get some publicity and get a chance to maybe move up in those trial polls they keep running. But I don’t know how far it’s going to take him. It’s pretty early.”
Even though Cruz is the first to make any official announcement, there are other politicians who people believe are highly likely to declare. Jeb Bush and Hilary Clinton are two examples of this.
According to a CBS News poll, Bush is in the lead on the Republican side. On the Democratic side, Clinton is in the lead. Because the Bush and Clinton names are familiar to the American public, opinions are split with whether that will serve to hinder or benefit the two.
Lori Klein, assistant professor of political science, said she believes the American people are cautious about having dynasties in the White House. She said the Bush and Clinton names, will be something the two will have to ultimately overcome.
“They may be able to overcome it, but they have to provide a satisfactory answer to the American public about why they should put away their concerns about dynastic government and vote for them anyway,” Klein said. “If they can do that successfully, they have a chance. If they cannot do that successfully, then you’re going to learn who somebody like O’Malley is.”
Martin O’Malley is the Democratic governor of Maryland, who many believe is second to Clinton. O’Malley, like Klein, is worried about having two previous White House families take the presidency again. According to CNN, he discussed this on March 29.
“Let’s be honest here,” O’Malley said in an article. “The presidency of the United States is not some crown to be passed between two families.”
While O’Malley and Clinton are the two big contenders for the Democratic side, the Republican side has three main possible candidates, according to Breezeel: Bush, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
One issue all potential candidates on both sides will have to face is the Supreme Court decision in June about same sex marriage. Breezeel and Klein said the decision itself is important, but more so may be what the decision states about the members on the court. They said since presidents will most likely appoint someone to the court, the decision could have some influence in the race.
“I think (presidential candidates) might run on this just to say, ‘This is important. Pay attention to the makeup of the Supreme Court. Put someone in the White House who will make those kinds of decisions that you want to have made,'” Klein said.
The Supreme Court will start hearing arguments about same sex marriage on April 28.
