The Presidential Election 2016

The 58th US presidential election was held on 8 November 2016. The Republican candidate was businessman and property tycoon Donald Trump, with Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate. The Democratic candidate was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with US Senator for Virginia, Tim Kaine, running for vice president. After an acrimonious campaign, Trump won a decisive victory in the Electoral College, winning 30 states, including the ‘swing’ states of Florida, Iowa and Ohio, contrary to predictions by pollsters. He also swept to victory in ‘rust belt’ states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, where he promised jobs and economic recovery. Trump was elected despite losing the nationwide popular vote – Clinton won over 2.8 million more votes than Trump, a margin of 2.1 per cent. Much of Trump’s popularity was rooted in the fact that he was the ultimate outsider, with no experience of public office, pitted against a candidate from within a resented political establishment.