The following is a timeline of major events leading up to, during, and after the

2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticke ...

. The election was the 58th

quadrennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

United States presidential election The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not dir ...

, held on November 8, 2016. The presidential primaries and caucuses were held between February 1 and June 14, 2016, staggered among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. The

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

certified the electoral result on January 6, 2017, and the new President and Vice President were

inaugurated In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...

on January 20, 2017.

2014

November 2014

* November 20 – Jim Webb, former

US Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

from Virginia, forms an

exploratory committee In the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to candidates for pre ...

for a possible run for president

December 2014

* December 16 – Former Florida Governor

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...

announces the formation of a political action committee (PAC) for a possible run for president

2015

January 2015

* January 26 –

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in N ...

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

, forms a PAC in preparation for a possible run for president * January 27 –

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...

, former

Governor of Maryland The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

, forms a PAC in preparation for a possible run for president * January 29 –

Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

from

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, forms an exploratory committee in preparation for a possible run for president * January 30 –

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts ...

, former

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

Republican

presidential nominee In United States politics and government, the term presidential nominee has two different meanings: # A candidate for president of the United States who has been selected by the delegates of a political party at the party's national convention ( ...

, declines to run in the 2016 election after considering it

February 2015

* February 9 –

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...

, former

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor h ...

, forms a PAC in preparation for a possible run for president

March 2015

* March 2 –

Ben Carson Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgeon and politician who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. A pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, he ...

, a retired neurosurgeon, forms an exploratory committee in preparation for a possible run for president * March 5 –

Mark Everson Mark Whitty Everson (born September 10, 1954) is an American politician who is currently the Vice Chairman of alliantgroup and served as the 46th Commissioner of Internal Revenue from 2003 until 2007. Prior to his appointment as Commissioner of th ...

, former

Commissioner of Internal Revenue The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury. The office of Commissioner was created by Congress as part of the Revenue Act of 1862. Section ...

, formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

* March 18 –

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, CEO of The Trump Organization since 1971, forms an exploratory committee in preparation for a possible run for president on the

ticket * March 23 –

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas fro ...

, of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, formally announces his

candidacy Candidacy is a rite which takes place during Roman Catholic seminary formation, by which the Church recognizes the seminarian as worthy of being ordained (hence, they become a "candidate" for ordination to the priesthood). With the liturgical ref ...

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party

April 2015

* April 7 – U.S. Senator

Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American physician and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, U.S. senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party (Un ...

, of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, officially declares his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * April 9 ** Former

Rhode Island Governor The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capacity ...

Lincoln Chafee Lincoln Davenport Chafee ( ; born March 26, 1953) is an American politician. He was mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island from 1993 to 1999, a United States Senator from 1999 to 2007, and the 74th Governor of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015. He was a m ...

announces the formation of an exploratory committee for a possible run for president ** Former

Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania forms a "testing the waters" account for a possible run for president * April 12 – Former Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

formally announces her

for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party * April 13 – U.S. Senator

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the ...

, of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, officially declares his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * April 30 – U.S. Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...

, of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

, formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party

May 2015

* May 4 ** Former business executive

Carly Fiorina Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina (''née'' Sneed; born September 6, 1954) is an American businesswoman and politician, known primarily for her tenure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HP). As chief executive officer of HP from 1999 to 2005, Fiorina was ...

, of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

officially declares her

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party ** Neurosurgeon

, of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * May 5 – Former

Governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Mike Huckabee Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nominati ...

officially declares his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * May 27 – Former U.S. Senator

Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third ...

, of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * May 28 – Former

officially declares his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * May 30 – Former

formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party * May 31 –

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as ...

of Massachusetts confirms she will not be running for president

June 2015

* June 1 – U.S. Senator

, of

, officially declares his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * June 3 – Former

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...

formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party * June 4 – Former

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, w ...

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republic ...

officially declares his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * June 15 – Former

Governor of Florida A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * June 16 – Business magnate

, of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, officially declares his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * June 22 – Massachusetts physician Jill Stein officially declares her

for the presidential nomination of the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

* June 24 –

Governor of Louisiana A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Bobby Jindal Piyush "Bobby" Jindal (born June 10, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. The only living former Louisiana governor, Jindal also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives ...

formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * June 30 –

officially declares his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party

July 2015

* July 2 – Former U.S. Senator Jim Webb, of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party * July 13 –

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscon ...

Scott Walker formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * July 21 –

Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...

officially announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * July 30 – Former

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

Jim Gilmore James Stuart Gilmore III (born October 6, 1949) is an American politician, diplomat, statesman, and former attorney who was the 68th Governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002 and Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2001. A native Vir ...

formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party

August 2015

* August 3 – First presidential forum, featuring 14 Republican candidates, was broadcast on

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

from the

New Hampshire Institute of Politics The New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) is an academic institute at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 2001, the institute has hosted hundreds of potential candidates for the U.S. presidency. History The New H ...

Goffstown, New Hampshire Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 census. The compact center of town, where 3,366 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goff ...

* August 4 –

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...

announced which 10 candidates were invited to the first official Republican debate * August 6 – First official presidential debate, featuring 10 Republican candidates, is held in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

Fox News includes the other seven Republican candidates in a separate debate held earlier on the same day * August 11 –

Lawrence Lessig Lester Lawrence Lessig III (born June 3, 1961) is an American academic, attorney, and political activist. He is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the former director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard ...

forms an exploratory committee for a possible run for president, stating that if he raised $1 million by Labor Day he would run * August 16 –

Andy Martin Anthony Robert Martin-Trigona, usually known as Andy Martin (born 1945), is an American perennial candidate who has never been elected to office, running as both a Democrat and a Republican. He has filed over 250 political lawsuits nationwide ...

formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party * August 22 –

Jimmy McMillan James McMillan III (born December 1, 1946) is an American political activist, perennial candidate, and Vietnam War veteran. McMillan is best known as the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, a New York-based political party. McMillan h ...

formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party

September 2015

* September 6 –

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

law professor, formally announces his

for the Democratic presidential nomination * September 8 –

John McAfee John David McAfee ( ; 18 September 1945 – 23 June 2021) was a British-American computer programmer, businessman, and two-time presidential candidate who unsuccessfully sought the Libertarian Party nomination for president of the United States ...

, antivirus software developer, formally announces his candidacy for president under the banner of the newly formed Cyber Party * September 11 –

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination * September 16 – Second Republican debate is held in

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it ...

* September 21 – Scott Walker formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination * September 30 – South Carolina finalizes ballot for primary; 15 Republican candidates qualify

October 2015

* October 13 – First Democratic debate is held in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

at the

Wynn Casino Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Wynn Resorts, and was built on the former site of the Desert Inn resort ...

* October 16 –

announces he is dropping his much-derided promise to resign after passing his signature legislation. He stated he would to serve a full term as president and would flesh out his policy agenda accordingly * October 20 – Jim Webb formally withdraws his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination * October 21 – Vice President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for president in 2016 * October 23 –

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination * October 28 – Third Republican debate is held in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Colora ...

at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

November 2015

* November 2 –

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination * November 4–20 – Candidate registration for

New Hampshire primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest (the first being the Iowa caucuses) held in the United States every four years as part of the process of choos ...

* November 5 –

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination * November 6 ** Deadline for filing for the Alabama primary ** First in the South Democratic Forum featuring Martin O'Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton is broadcast on

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

from

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...

Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...

* November 9 – Deadline for filing for the Arkansas primary * November 10 – Fourth Republican debate is held in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

* November 13–14 –

Republican Party of Florida The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Florida. It is currently the state's favored party, controlling the majority of Florida's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, supermajori ...

's Sunshine Summit event is held in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

* November 14 – Second Democratic debate is held in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

* November 17 –

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination * November 20 – The Presidential Family Forum is held in Des Moines, Iowa * November 24 –

MoveOn MoveOn (formerly known as MoveOn.org) is a progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee. Formed in 1998 around one of the first massively viral email petitions, MoveOn has since grown into one of the largest grassroots ...

.org Democratic forum featuring Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders

December 2015

* December 3 – The Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Candidates Forum is held in Washington, D.C. * December 9 –

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination * December 15 – Fifth Republican debate is held in Las Vegas, Nevada * December 19 – Third Democratic debate is held in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...

* December 21 –

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination * December 24 –

, antivirus software developer, formally announces his candidacy for the Libertarian presidential nomination * December 29 –

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination

2016

January 2016

* January 6 – Former

Governor of New Mexico , insignia = Seal of the Governor of New Mexico.svg , insigniasize = 110px , insigniacaption = Seal of the Governor , image = File:Michelle Lujan Grisham 2021.jpg , imagesize = 200px , alt = , incumbent = Michelle Lujan Grisham , inc ...

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...

formally announces his

for the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party * January 9 – The Republicans' Kemp Forum is held in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the cit ...

* January 11 – Third Democratic forum is held in

* January 14 – The sixth Republican debate is held in

North Charleston, South Carolina North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...

* January 17 – The fourth Democratic debate is held in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

* January 25 – A Democratic forum, a town hall event, is held in

* January 28 – Seventh Republican debate is held in

February 2016

* February 1 ** The Iowa Democratic caucus is won by

** The Iowa Republican caucus is won by

formally withdraws his

for the Democratic presidential nomination **

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination * February 3 **

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination **

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination ** A Democratic Town Hall forum event is held in

Derry, New Hampshire Derry is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 34,317 at the 2020 census. Although it is a town and not a city, Derry is the most populous community in Rockingham County and the fourth most populous in th ...

* February 4 – Fifth Democratic debate is held in

Durham, New Hampshire Durham is a New England town, town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 15,490 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,638 at the 2010 census.United States Censu ...

* February 6 – Eighth Republican debate is held in Manchester, New Hampshire * February 9 ** The New Hampshire Republican primary is won by

** The

New Hampshire Democratic primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest (the first being the Iowa caucuses) held in the United States every four years as part of the process of choosi ...

is won by

* February 10 **

formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination **

formally withdraws her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination * February 11 – Sixth Democratic debate is held in

* February 12 –

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination * February 13 – Ninth Republican debate is held in

* February 17–18 – CNN Republican town halls are held in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the county seat, seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenvil ...

and

* February 18 – Democratic Town Hall forum event is held in

* February 20 ** Nevada Democratic caucuses are won by Hillary Clinton ** South Carolina Republican primary is won by Donald Trump **

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination * February 23 ** Nevada Republican caucuses are won by Donald Trump ** CNN Democratic town hall is held in

* February 24 – Republican town hall is held in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

* February 25 – 10th Republican debate is held in Houston, Texas * February 27 – South Carolina Democratic primary is won by Hillary Clinton

March 2016

* March 1 –

Super Tuesday Super Tuesday is the United States presidential primary election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses. Approximately one-third of all delegates to the presidential nominating co ...

** Democratic primaries/caucuses: *** Alabama Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Arkansas Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Colorado Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders *** Georgia Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Massachusetts Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Minnesota Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders *** Oklahoma Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders *** Tennessee Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Texas Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Vermont Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders *** Virginia Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** Alabama Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Alaska Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz *** Arkansas Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Georgia Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Massachusetts Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Minnesota Republican caucus won by Marco Rubio *** Oklahoma Republican primary won by Ted Cruz *** Tennessee Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Texas Republican primary won by Ted Cruz *** Vermont Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Virginia Republican primary won by Donald Trump * March 3 – Eleventh Republican debate is held in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

* March 4 –

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination * March 5 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses: *** Kansas Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders *** Louisiana Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Nebraska Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** Kansas Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz *** Kentucky Republican caucus won by Donald Trump *** Louisiana Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Maine Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz * March 6 ** Maine Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders **

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

Republican primary won by Marco Rubio ** Seventh Democratic debate is held in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of ...

* March 8 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses: *** Democratic Michigan primary won by Bernie Sanders *** Democratic Mississippi primary won by Hillary Clinton ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** Republican Michigan primary won by Donald Trump *** Republican Mississippi primary won by Donald Trump *** Hawaii Republican caucus won by Donald Trump *** Idaho Republican primary won by Ted Cruz * March 9 – Eighth and final Democratic debate is held in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

* March 10 ** Twelfth Republican debate is held in Miami, Florida **

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Cro ...

Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz * March 12 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses: ***

Northern Marianas The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwe ...

Democratic caucus won by Hillary Clinton ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** Washington D.C. Republican caucus won by Marco Rubio *** Wyoming Republicans' county conventions are won by Ted Cruz ***

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Republican caucus is held. Ted Cruz is awarded one delegate. The remaining eight delegates are uncommitted, pending a future meeting * March 15 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses: *** Florida Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Illinois Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Missouri Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** North Carolina Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Ohio Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** Florida Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Illinois Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Missouri Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** North Carolina Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Ohio Republican primary won by John Kasich *** Northern Marianas Republican caucus won by Donald Trump **

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination * March 21 **

Democrats Abroad Democrats Abroad is the official organization of the Democratic Party for United States citizens living temporarily or permanently abroad. The organization is given state-level recognition by the Democratic National Committee. Democrats Abroa ...

primary won by Bernie Sanders * March 22 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses: *** Arizona Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Idaho Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders *** Utah Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** Arizona Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Utah Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz *** American Samoa Republican caucus is held; Ted Cruz and Donald Trump respectively secure one delegate each, majority of delegates remain uncommitted. * March 26 ** Democratic caucuses: *** Washington Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders *** Alaska Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders *** Hawaii Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders * March 29 – Republican town hall

April 2016

* April 1 – First ever nationally televised Libertarian presidential debate hosted by

John Stossel John Frank Stossel (born March 6, 1947) is an American libertarian television presenter, author, consumer journalist, and pundit. He is known for his career as a host on ABC News, Fox Business Network, and Reason TV. Stossel's style combines ...

airs on

Fox Business Network Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenu ...

(Part 1) * April 2 – Delegate count at the North Dakota Republican State Convention is won by Ted Cruz * April 5 ** Wisconsin Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders ** Wisconsin Republican primary won by Ted Cruz * April 8 – Part 2 of first ever nationally televised Libertarian presidential debate hosted by John Stossel airs on Fox Business Network * April 9 – Delegate count of the Colorado Republican convention is won by Ted Cruz * April 9 – Wyoming Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders * April 14 – Ninth Democratic debate is held in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

* April 19 ** New York Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton ** New York Republican primary won by Donald Trump * April 26 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses: *** Connecticut Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Delaware Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Maryland Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Pennsylvania Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Rhode Island Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** Connecticut Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Delaware Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Maryland Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Pennsylvania Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Rhode Island Republican primary won by Donald Trump

May 2016

* May 3 ** Indiana Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders ** Indiana Republican primary won by Donald Trump **

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination * May 4 –

formally withdraws his

for the Republican presidential nomination * May 7 – Guam Democratic caucuses won by Hillary Clinton * May 10 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses: *** West Virginia Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** West Virginia Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Nebraska Republican primary won by Donald Trump * May 12 – Second nationally televised Libertarian presidential debate airs on

RT America RT America was a U.S.-based news channel headquartered in Washington, D.C. Owned by TV Novosti and operated by production company T&RProductions, it was a part of the RT network, a global multilingual television news network based in Moscow fun ...

. * May 17 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses: *** Kentucky Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Oregon Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders ** Republican primaries/caucuses: *** Oregon Republican primary won by Donald Trump **

announces he has chosen former

Massachusetts governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

William Weld William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

as his vice presidential running mate * May 20 – Third nationally televised Libertarian presidential debate airs on

TheBlaze Blaze Media is an American conservative media company. It was founded in 2018 as a result of a merger between TheBlaze and CRTV LLC. The company's leadership consists of CEO Tyler Cardon and president Gaston Mooney. It is based in Irving, Tex ...

. * May 24 – Washington Republican primary won by Donald Trump * May 26–30 – The Libertarian National Convention is held in

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

is chosen as the party's presidential nominee and

is chosen as the party's vice presidential nominee * May 26 – Donald Trump officially passes 1,237 pledged delegates, the minimum amount of delegates required to secure the 2016 Republican presidential nomination

June 2016

* June 4 – Virgin Islands Democratic caucuses won by Hillary Clinton * June 5 – Puerto Rico Democratic caucuses won by Hillary Clinton * June 6 – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially passes 2,383 pledged delegates, the minimum amount of delegates required to secure the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. * June 7 ** Democratic primaries/caucuses *** California Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** Montana Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders *** New Jersey Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** New Mexico Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton *** North Dakota Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders *** South Dakota Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton ** Republican primaries/caucuses *** California Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** Montana Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** New Jersey Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** New Mexico Republican primary won by Donald Trump *** South Dakota Republican primary won by Donald Trump * June 9 ** President Barack Obama officially endorses Hillary Clinton ** At

Trump Tower Trump Tower is a 58-story, mixed-use skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well ...

, Donald Trump, Jr.,

Paul Manafort Paul John Manafort Jr. (; born April 1, 1949) is an American lobbyist, political consultant, and Lawyer, attorney. A long-time Republican Party (United States), Republican Party campaign consultant, he chaired the Donald Trump 2016 presidential ...

and

Jared Kushner Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He served as a senior advisor to 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Since leaving the White House, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a priv ...

meet with a Russian lawyer who has promised to provide material embarrassing to Hillary Clinton. * June 14 – Washington, D.C. Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton * June 15 – Jill Stein reaches the necessary number of delegates for the Green nomination and becomes presumptive nominee * June 22 – Libertarian presidential town hall hosted and aired by CNN

July 2016

* July 12 –

endorses

* July 15 – Republican presumptive nominee

announces Indiana governor

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

as his vice presidential running mate * July 18–21 –

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

is held in

and

are formally nominated for President and Vice President, respectively, by the party's state delegations ** July 21 –

formally accepts the Republican nomination * July 22 – Democratic presumptive nominee

announces

and former Virginian governor

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgi ...

as her vice presidential running mate * July 23 –

Wikileaks WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...

leaks 20,000 emails from the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

, revealing a systematic bias against

from the Democratic Party leadership, leading to the resignation of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz * July 25–28 –

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

is held in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and

are formally nominated for President and Vice President, respectively, by the party's state delegations ** July 28 –

accepts the nomination from the Democratic Party, becoming the first female presidential nominee of a

major party A major party is a political party that holds substantial influence in a country's politics, standing in contrast to a minor party. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Major parties hold a significant percentage of the vote in elect ...

in U.S. history.

August 2016

* August 1 – Green Party presumptive nominee Jill Stein announces

Human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

activist

Ajamu Baraka Ajamu Sibeko Baraka ( ; born October 25, 1953) is an American political activist. In 2016, he was the Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States on the ballot in 45 states and received 1,457,216 votes (1.07% of the popular vote). ...

as her vice presidential running mate * August 4–7 –

Green National Convention The Green National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS). Though the Green National Committee (GNC) meets annually in a "national meeting", the convention is convened by the GNC once ...

is held in

. Jill Stein is chosen as the party's presidential nominee and

is chosen as the party's vice presidential nominee * August 8 – Former chief policy director for the

House Republican Conference The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The Conference produces a daily pu ...

and former

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

operations officer

Evan McMullin David Evan McMullin (born April 2, 1976) is an American politician and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. McMullin ran as an independent in the 2016 United States presidential election and in the 2022 United States Senate electio ...

formally announces his presidential candidacy as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

September 2016

* September 7 – Arrest warrants are issued for

presidential candidate Jill Stein and running mate

for trespass and vandalism during a North Dakota protest. * September 26 – First presidential general election debate between the two major candidates was held at

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New ...

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, o ...

. (The first debate was originally going to be held at

Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...

, but the location was changed due to rising security costs that were being incurred by the school.) Hillary Clinton ends up taking the majority support after the debate.

October 2016

* October 4 – Only vice presidential general election debate was held at

Longwood University Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia. Founded in 1839, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of the hundred oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Previously a college, Lo ...

Farmville, Virginia Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County. Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox ...

( Trump's running mate) ends up narrowly winning favor over

( Clinton's running mate). * October 7 ** Tapes are leaked out from

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...

showing

and

Billy Bush William Hall Bush (born October 13, 1971) is an American radio and television host. He is a member of the Bush family, a nephew of President George H. W. Bush and cousin of President George W. Bush and Florida governor Jeb Bush. After appearin ...

bragging about sexual exploits in 2005. **

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...

begins publishing thousands of

emails Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" mean ...

from the personal Gmail account of Clinton campaign manager

John Podesta John David Podesta Jr. (born January 8, 1949) is an American political consultant who has served as Senior Advisor to President Joe Biden for clean energy innovation and implementation since September 2022. Podesta previously served as Whit ...

, revealing excerpts from Clinton's paid speeches to Wall Street. * October 9 – Second presidential general election debate was held at Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri.

ends up narrowly winning over

. * October 19 – The third and final presidential debate between the two major candidates was held at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the f ...

ends up winning with a very close margin over

. * October 25 – The Free & Equal Election Foundation

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

was held at the

, allowing all candidates with major ballot access to participate. Gary Johnson publicly declined the offer. * October 28 –

James Comey James Brien Comey Jr. (; born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his dismissal in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adul ...

announces that the FBI will be investigating newly discovered emails pertinent to its previous investigation of Hillary Clinton's private server. Hillary's lead in the polls drops heavily within days. * October 31 – PBS airs the first part of a presidential forum with major third-party candidates

and Jill Stein, moderated by Tavis Smiley.

November 2016

* November 6 –

tells Congress there is no evidence in the recently discovered emails that Clinton should face charges over handling of classified information * November 8 – US Election Day. ** A shooting at a residential area near a polling place in

Azusa, California Azusa (Tongva: ''Asuksa-nga'') is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was 50,000 in 2020, ...

, leaves one dead and three injured and some polling places in the city locked down. ** Pre-6 p.m *** 12:30 a.m: Polls close in

Dixville Notch, New Hampshire Dixville Notch is an unincorporated community in Dixville township, Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population of the township, all of whom live in Dixville Notch, was 4 as of the 2020 census. The village is known for being one o ...

. The vote is 4 for Clinton, 2 for Trump. *** Approximately 1:30a.m: In the Guam straw poll, which has historically predicted the election winner, Clinton defeats Trump by approximately three to one. ** 6 a.m. to 12p.m: Polls open throughout the country, with the last being

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, which opens up 12p.m. EST (7a.m. AHST). *** 8 a.m: Hillary Clinton votes in

Chappaqua, New York Chappaqua ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of New Castle, in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. It is approximately north of New York City. The hamlet is served by the Chappaqua station of the Metro-N ...

. ** 11 a.m: Donald Trump votes in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. ** 6 p.m *** The Eastern Time zone sections of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

and

close their polls. ** 7 p.m *** The Eastern Time zone of

close their polls. ***

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and most places in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

close their polls. ** 7:30 p.m ***

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

, and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

close their polls. ** 8 p.m *** The latest time to close the polls in New Hampshire. *** The Eastern Time zone of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

close their polls. *** The Central Time zone of Florida,

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

, and

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

close their polls. ***

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, and

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

close their polls. ** 8:30 p.m ***

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

closes their polls. ** 9 p.m *** The Central Time zone of Michigan close their polls. *** The Mountain Time zones of Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota close their polls. ***

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

close their polls. ** 10 p.m *** The Mountain Time zones of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

close their polls. ***

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

close their polls. ** 11 p.m *** The Pacific Time zones of Oregon and Idaho close their polls. ***

, and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

close their polls. * November 9 ** 12 a.m ***

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

closes its polls. ** 2:45 a.m. Eastern time *** Donald Trump is the projected winner of the election, becoming president-elect. **Morningtime ***The

2016 Portland, Oregon riots On November 10, 2016, three days of protests in Portland, Oregon, turned into a riot, when a group of anarchists broke off from a larger group of peaceful protesters who were opposed to the election of Donald Trump as president of the United State ...

begin ***The 2016 Oakland riots begin ***Protests begin in numerous other cities * November 23 – Jill Stein starts fundraising for a recount effort in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

December 2016

* December 19 – The electors of the Electoral College meet in their respective capitals and formally cast their ballots. Trump receives 304 electoral votes, Clinton receives 227. Seven faithless electors cast their votes for other candidates.

2017

January 2017

* January 6 – Electoral votes formally counted before a Joint session of the United States Congress#Counting electoral votes, joint session of Congress; the Vice President of the United States, President of the Senate Joe Biden formally announces the electoral result. * January 20 – Inauguration of Donald Trump, Inauguration of

as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States and

as the List of vice presidents of the United States, 48th Vice President of the United States, vice president.

Election results by state

^★Two states (Maine and Nebraska) allow for their electoral votes to be split between candidates. The winner within each congressional district gets one electoral vote for the district. The winner of the statewide vote gets two additional electoral votes. Results are from the Associated Press.

Election campaign 2016 candidate participation timeline

Candidate announcement and, if applicable, withdrawal dates are as follows:

References

External links

*
2016 Presidential Form 2 Filers
at the Federal Election Commission (FEC) {{U.S. presidential primaries 2016 United States presidential election, Timeline United States presidential election timelines, 2016 Articles which contain graphical timelines

2014

November 2014

December 2014

2015

January 2015

February 2015

March 2015

April 2015

May 2015

June 2015

July 2015

August 2015

September 2015

October 2015

November 2015

December 2015

2016

January 2016

February 2016

March 2016

April 2016

May 2016

June 2016

July 2016

August 2016

September 2016

October 2016

November 2016

December 2016

2017

January 2017

Election results by state

Election campaign 2016 candidate participation timeline

See also

References

External links