The 2016 election has been one of the more unique presidential races in American history as two main candidates brought new traits to the table. Republican candidate, Donald Trump, a self-funded business man, gave people a new option to vote for a nominee who does present himself how some voters may expect a politician to.  Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, is a seasoned politician who aimed to be the first woman president to lead the country.  Both candidates, being rather unpopular among Americans due to past controversy, fought vigorously in the 18 month election campaign up until Nov. 8 when Trump won with a surprising lead of over 60 electoral votes.

Trump, a business man worth $3.7 billion, aimed to take the mantle and “make America great again.” He has been famously outspoken and unpredictable, considering he has not had to lean on anyone, on account of being self-funded, and has never shied away from giving his strong opinions. Trump claims not to keep his mouth shut like an “ordinary politician” would. Many voters have favored Trump for his audacity and strong policies regarding trade and illegal immigration that are intended to show America’s strength and independence. He was chosen as the Republican party’s nominee on July 9, even splitting the party in half due to his controversy.

 Clinton, the nation’s first lady from 1993-2001, stood by her husband’s side throughout his presidency, and kept him by her’s throughout the 2016 campaign. Clinton led a career as a lawyer, senator, and Secretary of State. Her political background is existential, her policies considered somewhat liberal, having less foreign policies and opposing guns, for example. Clinton gained the Democratic nomination on July 26.  Many young voters, minorities, and members of the LGBT community favored Clinton over many presidential candidates.  She too faced controversy that led to voters opposing her.

Leading up to election day, many polls predicted that Clinton would have a comfortable win over Trump. Although, when election day came, Trump surprisingly overtook Clinton’s early lead and kept ahead of her throughout the night. The end results favored Trump with 279 electoral votes to Clinton’s 228. Clinton came close, even winning the popular vote with 59,938,290 votes to Trump’s 59,704,886 votes.  After getting battleground states including Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio, Trump claimed victor.  Defying all odds, Trump proved most predicted polls wrong.  Trump will have his presidential inauguration day on Jan. 20.