Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016 facts for kids
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2,472 delegates to the Republican National Convention 1,237 delegates votes needed to win |
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First place (popular vote or delegate count)
Donald Trump Ted Cruz Marco Rubio John Kasich
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The 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries and caucuses were special elections held by the Republican Party. These elections took place across all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories. They happened between February 1 and June 7, 2016.
The main goal of these elections was to choose 2,472 "delegates." These delegates would then go to the Republican National Convention. At the convention, they would officially pick the Republican Party's candidate for President of the United States. On May 4, 2016, Donald Trump from New York became the likely candidate. This happened after his main rivals, Ted Cruz of Texas and John Kasich of Ohio, stopped their campaigns.
Who Ran for President?
Many people wanted to become the Republican candidate for president in 2016. On March 23, 2015, Senator Ted Cruz from Texas was the first to officially announce he was running. After him, 16 more people joined the race. This made a total of 17 candidates, which was the largest group for one political party in American history!
Some of the well-known candidates included:
- Former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida
- Neurosurgeon Ben Carson of Florida
- Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey
- Businesswoman Carly Fiorina of Virginia
- Governor John Kasich of Ohio
- Senator Marco Rubio of Florida
- Businessman Donald Trump of New York
Before the first big vote in Iowa on February 1, some candidates dropped out. These included Rick Perry, Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham, and George Pataki. They left the race because they weren't getting enough support in polls. Even though Donald Trump was leading in many polls before Iowa, he came in second there, behind Senator Ted Cruz.
How the Race Ended
After the first votes in Iowa, some more candidates decided to stop their campaigns. These included Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, and Rick Santorum. They didn't do well in the voting.
Then came the New Hampshire primary, which Donald Trump won easily. After this, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, and Jim Gilmore withdrew. After the South Carolina primary, which Trump also won, Jeb Bush left the race.
Ben Carson dropped out on March 4, 2016. Marco Rubio stopped his campaign on March 15, 2016. This happened after he lost to Donald Trump in his home state of Florida. Finally, Ted Cruz dropped out on May 3, 2016, after losing to Trump in Indiana. With Cruz and Kasich gone, Donald Trump became the clear winner and the Republican Party's choice for president.
Images for kids
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Map showing the results of the 2016 Republican primaries by county.
See also
In Spanish: Primarias presidenciales del Partido Republicano de 2016 para niños
