The presidential election is still 13 months away, but some are already tired of the hype, negative campaigning or the candidates themselves.
Yet, the interest will continue to grow with each passing month.
Even though millions of dollars have already been spent, the candidates and the voters still have a long campaign trail to reach the 2016 election.
It will be an interesting year in the circles of presidential politics through 2016.
At this point, the Democratic presidential race appears to be either a two-horse race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders or a three-horse race if Vice President Joe Biden jumps in.
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There other Democratic candidates running are former governors Lincoln Chafee, Martin O’Malley and Jim Webb. They are not registering signficant numbers in the presidential polls recently.
The Republican presidential lineup remains a big horse race with a large number still in the running.
Businessman Donald Trump is currently leading with Dr. Ben Carson, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush in pursuit.
The list of the remaining candidates includes: Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Gov. Jim Gilmore, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Rand Paul, Gov. John Kasich, former Gov. George Pataki, Gov. Chris Christie and former Sen. Rick Santorum.
The Democrat race, Clinton and Sanders are in a campaign cash duel.
Clinton is facing a critical month with the first Democratic presidential debate, Benghazi testimony and a high-profile speech scheduled.
Sanders’ surge in the polls is helping build support and is boosting his fundraising. He too faces the first Democratic presidential debate this month.
Biden remains undecided whether he will jump into the 2016 race and he has said he will not appear in the first Democratic presidential debate in October. If he does jump in, it will shake up the Democratic race.
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On the Republican side, Trumps poll leads have begun to drop slightly. The question remains how long he will stay in the lead, yet he has proved many a skeptic wrong as he still is the Republican front runner.
Carson has been polling strong since the second GOP debate, but has stepped into the political mud with his recent comments on Muslims. However, his fundraising jumped after his Muslim statements as well.
Fiorina has been on the upsurge following her strong performances in the GOP debates. She continues to display self-confidence and intensity, which is gaining her support.
Rubio has been gaining support, despite trailing in polls and fundraising. His supporters are banking on his record of comebacks, much like 2010 when he won the Florida Republican Senate primary and went on to win his seat in the Senate.
Bush certainly should not be counted out yet despite recent lower poll results. He has gained some staff from the teams of former candidates Rick Perry and Scott Walker. He also has a lot of support from the Republican establishment.
The rest of the Republican candidates are striving to break out of the pack and gain traction on the campaign trail.
There likely will be many twists and turns to come in the 2016 presidential race. It will be interesting to watch the dustups as new history is written for our democracy.
