2016 Presidential Election: The Candidates So Far
This entry is the first installment of what will likely be a regular feature here on PeekYou between now and a year from this upcoming November, where we rank the candidates according to their PeekScores. For this first list we’re only including those who have officially thrown their hats into the ring.
As candidates drop in and out of the race, it can be enlightening to observe who among them is the most well adapted to, and involved in, the online sphere. There’s little question that the internet will play a huge part in this upcoming election — as it did in both 2008 and 2012 — so we believe it will be tremendously useful to see which candidates are using it best to their advantage. Observing how certain candidates’ online presences increase as their campaigns evolve and the field grows more competitive, and conversely how others may decrease their digital footprints as their campaigns begin to wane, will give readers a unique perspective on the contemporary political landscape.
As more Democratic party candidates throw their hats into the ring, we will break this out into two lists. For now, though, there are few enough that it made more sense to throw them in with the Republicans.
Here’s the breakdown so far, by party.
DEMOCRATS:
Lincoln Chafee
Hillary Clinton
Martin O’Malley
Bernie Sanders
REPUBLICANS:
Jeb Bush
Ben Carson
Chris Christie
Ted Cruz
Carly Fiorina
Lindsey Graham
Mike Huckabee
Bobby Jindal
John Kasich
George Pataki
Rand Paul
Rick Perry
Marco Rubio
Rick Santorum
Donald Trump
Scott Walker
Clicking on the items featured on the below list will lead you the corresponding candidate’s PeekYou profile, from where you can further investigate his or her life, career, and campaign, via links to social pages, campaign sites, home pages, articles, interviews, videos, photos, and much more.
Quick Disclaimer: As is probably the case in most workplaces throughout the country, the political inclinations of the PeekYou staff run the gamut. These rankings are entirely objective and impartial.
| Rank | Picture | Name | Résumé | PeekScore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Hillary Clinton | Former Secretary of State, former Senator from New York, and former First Lady | 10.00 / 10.00 |
| 2 |  |
Scott Walker | Governor of Wisconsin | 10.00 / 10.00 |
| 3 |  |
Chris Christie | Governor of New Jersey | 10.00 / 10.00 |
| 4 |  |
Rand Paul | Senator from Kentucky | 9.89 / 10.00 |
| 5 |  |
Ted Cruz | Senator from Texas | 9.76 / 10.00 |
| 6 |  |
Bobby Jindal | Governor of Louisiana | 9.59 / 10.00 |
| 7 |  |
Donald Trump | Real estate mogul and TV personality | 9.48 / 10.00 |
| 8 |  |
Rick Perry | Former Governor of Texas | 9.27 / 10.00 |
| 9 |  |
Jeb Bush | Former Governor of Florida | 9.10 / 10.00 |
| 10 |  |
George Pataki | Former Governor of New York | 9.09 / 10.00 |
| 11 |  |
Marco Rubio | Senator from Florida | 9.08 / 10.00 |
| 12 |  |
Rick Santorum | Former Senator from Pennsylvania | 9.08 / 10.00 |
| 13 |  |
Mike Huckabee | Former Governor of Arkansas | 9.01 / 10.00 |
| 14 |  |
Ben Carson | Retired, famous neurosurgeon | 8.73 / 10.00 |
| 15 |  |
Carly Fiorina | Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard | 8.71 / 10.00 |
| 16 |  |
Bernie Sanders | Senator from Vermont | 8.70 / 10.00 |
| 17 |  |
Lindsey Graham | Senator from South Carolina | 8.16 / 10.00 |
| 18 |  |
Lincoln Chafee | Former Senator from, and former Governor of, Rhode Island | 7.89 / 10.00 |
| 19 |  |
Martin O’Malley | Former Governor of Maryland | 7.09 / 10.00 |
| 20 |  |
John Kasich | Governor of Ohio | 7.02 / 10.00 |