2016 United States Senate elections, Idaho
Perennial candidate Pro-Life ran as an independent. He was defeated in the Constitution Party primary on May 17, 2016 to Ray J. Writz.


2016 United States Senate elections, Illinois
One-term Senator Mark Kirk (Republican) was elected with 48% of the vote in 2010. He was 57 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election. Kirk suffered a stroke in January 2012 that kept him away from the Senate until January 2013. In June 2013, he confirmed that he was planning to run for re-election, but speculation he might retire persisted. In November 2014, Kirk reiterated that he was going to run for re-election, saying: "No frickin' way am I retiring."


2016 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Joe Walsh, a former U.S. Representative and conservative talk radio host, declined to challenge Kirk in the Republican primary. Two others filed for the right to challenge Senator Kirk in the primary: businessman James Marter, and Elizabeth Pahlke, but Pahlke was disqualified, so only Marter was on the ballot running against Kirk. On March 15, Kirk won the primary with 71% of the vote.


2016 United States Senate elections, Illinois
U.S. Representative Tammy Duckworth, President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, Andrea Zopp, and State Senator Napoleon Harris ran for the Democratic nomination. On March 15, Duckworth won the primary with 64% of the vote.


2016 United States Senate elections, Illinois
In December 2015, Jim Brown, a teacher and former businessman, announced he was running as an independent.


2016 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Chris Aguayo, an Iraq/Afghan War veteran and Veterans Party State Chair, announced he was running, representing the Veterans Party.


2016 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Rep. Duckworth unseated Sen. Kirk with 55% compared to his 40%.


2016 United States Senate elections, Indiana
Three-term Senator Dan Coats (Republican) was elected with 55% of the vote in 2010; Coats served in the Senate from 1989 to 1999 and then returned to serve another term from 2011 to 2017. Coats did not run for re-election. Republican candidates include U.S. Representatives Marlin Stutzman and Todd Young. Coats's chief of Staff Eric Holcomb was a candidate, but withdrew from the race.


2016 United States Senate elections, Indiana
Former U.S. Representative Baron Hill won the Democratic nomination on May 3, but withdrew in July 2016 in favor of Evan Bayh. Bayh held the seat from 1999 until his retirement in 2011, and also served as Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Former non-profit director John Dickerson also announced he was going to run, but suspended his campaign in early 2016.


2016 United States Senate elections, Indiana
Former Sen. Bayh lost his bid to regain his seat to Rep. Young. Rep Young garnered 52% to Bayh's 42%


2016 United States Senate elections, Iowa
Six-term Senator Chuck Grassley was re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2010. He was 83 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election. Talk radio host Robert Rees announced he was going to challenge Grassley for the nomination, but later withdrew.


2016 United States Senate elections, Iowa
Former Lt Governor Patty Judge earned the Democratic nomination by defeating State Senator Rob Hogg, former state Senator Tom Fiegen, and former state representative Bob Krause. Former state representative Ray Zirkelbach briefly ran but ended his campaign soon after.


2016 United States Senate elections, Kansas
One-term Senator Jerry Moran (Republican) was elected with 70% of the vote in 2010. He was 62 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election. Radiologist and 2014 Senate candidate Milton R. Wolf and U.S. Representative Tim Huelskamp declined to run.


2016 United States Senate elections, Kansas
Patrick Wiesner, an attorney and a candidate for the Senate in 2010 and 2014, defeated Monique Singh-Bey for the Democratic nomination. Potential candidates who declined to run included Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, 2014 Governor nominee Paul Davis, former Kansas City Mayor Joe Reardon, former U.S. Representative and 2008 nominee Jim Slattery, and 2014 KS-02 nominee Margie Wakefield.


2016 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
One-term Senator Rand Paul (Republican) was elected with 56% of the vote in 2010. He was 53 years old in 2016. Paul filed for re-election, although he was also running for President of the United States in 2016. Although Kentucky law did not allow for a candidate to appear twice on the same ballot, Paul successfully convinced the Kentucky GOP to adopt a caucus system for 2016, allowing Paul to run for president and for the Senate simultaneously. Kentucky law still bars Paul from appearing twice on the ballot in the general election.


2016 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
However, on February 3, 2016, Paul ended his campaign for the presidency and ran for reelection. James Gould and Stephen Slaughter filed to run against Paul. Paul won the Republican primary, receiving 169,180 votes (about 85%); James R. Gould received 16,611 (about 8%) and Stephen Howard Slaughter received 13,728 (about 7%).


2016 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, Rory Houlihan, Ron Leach, Sellus Wilder Jeff Kender, Tom Recktenwald (who was a candidate in 2014), and Grant Short ran for the Democratic nomination. Gray won the nomination.


2016 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
Paul won re-election with 57% of the vote to Gray's 43%.


2016 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
Two-term Senator David Vitter (Republican) was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2010. After losing the 2015 gubernatorial race, Vitter chose to retire from the Senate at the end of his term.


2016 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
Republicans who ran for the seat included U.S. Representatives Charles Boustany and John Fleming, former U.S. Representative Joseph Cao, State Treasurer John Kennedy, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Rob Maness, and former Louisiana State Representative David Duke. Other potential Republican candidates included Public Service Commissioner Erik Skrmetta, 2014 candidate for LA-05 Zach Dasher, state representative Paul Hollis, and former President of Jefferson Parish John Young.


2016 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
Democratic candidates included Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, attorney Derrick Edwards, Caroline Fayard, an attorney and candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2010, and businessman Josh Pellerin. Other potential Democratic candidates included state legislators Robert Johnson, Eric LaFleur, and Gary Smith Jr., and Mayor of Alexandria Jacques Roy. Former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu and her brother, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, declined to run.


2016 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
As no candidate won a majority of the vote in the "jungle primary", a runoff election was held on December 10 to choose between Kennedy and Campbell (the 2 candidates with the most votes in the primary). John Kennedy was declared the winner of the runoff election with 61% of the vote to Campbell's 39%.


2016 United States Senate elections, Maryland
Five-term U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski of the Democratic Party was re-elected with 62% of the vote in 2010. She is the longest-serving female Senator and the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress. She did not seek re-election.


2016 United States Senate elections, Maryland
The candidates who filed for the Democratic nomination were: U.S. Representatives Donna Edwards and Chris Van Hollen, Freddie Donald Dickson Jr., Ralph Jaffe, Theresa Scaldaferri, Charles Smith, Violate Staley, Blaine Taylor, Ed Tinus, and Lih Young. Van Hollen won the April 26 primary.


2016 United States Senate elections, Maryland
The Republican candidates who filed were former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and Senate candidate in 2012 Richard Douglas, Chrys Kefalas, State Delegate Kathy Szeliga, Chris Chaffee, Sean Connor, John Graziani, Greg Holmes, Joseph David Hooe, Mark McNicholas, Lynn Richardson, Anthony Seda, Richard Shawver, Dave Walle, and Garry T. Yarrington. Szeliga won the primary and will face Van Hollen in the general election.


2016 United States Senate elections, Maryland
Rep. Van Hollen won election to the Senate with 61% of the vote to Szeliga's 36%.


2016 United States Senate elections, Missouri
One-term Senator Roy Blunt (Republican) was elected with 54% of the vote in 2010. He was 66 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election. Former U.S. Representative and 2012 Senate nominee Todd Akin was rumored to be a possible candidate, but declined to run. Three candidates ran against Blunt for the Republican nomination, the best-known being sales manager, Tea Party activist, and 2010 candidate Kristin Nichols, but Blunt won decisively with 72% of the vote.


2016 United States Senate elections, Missouri
For the Democrats, Secretary of State Jason Kander easily won the nomination, defeating Robert Mack, Pastor Cori Bush and activist Chief Wana Dubie. Governor Jay Nixon and State Treasurer Clint Zweifel chose not to seek election to the Senate.


2016 United States Senate elections, Missouri
Sen. Blunt won re-election with 49% of the vote to Kander's 46%.


2016 United States Senate elections, Nevada
Five-term Senator and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat) was re-elected with 50% of the vote in 2010. Reid did not seek re-election. Former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto earned the Democratic nomination, defeating Bobby Mahendra, Liddo Susan O'Briant, and Allen Rheinhart in the primary on June 14, 2016.


2016 United States Senate elections, Nevada
Congressman Joe Heck defeated eight candidates, including 2010 nominee Sharron Angle, who ran against Reid in 2010, for the Republican nomination.


2016 United States Senate elections, Nevada
Jarrod M. Williams, an independent candidate ran for the seat. He describes himself as a Democratic Socialist, a supporter of Bernie Sanders, and is a member of the Socialist Party USA, although the party doesn't have a chapter in the State of Nevada. Cortez Masto was elected with 47.1% of the vote to Heck's 44.7%.


2016 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
One-term Senator Kelly Ayotte (Republican) was elected with 60% of the vote in 2010. She was 48 years old in 2016. Ayotte ran for re-election. Jim Rubens, a former state senator, candidate for Governor in 1998 and for the Senate in 2014, announced a challenge to Ayotte in the primary, but Ayotte won the nomination.


2016 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
Brian Chabot is the Libertarian candidate for US Senate in 2016. He is a relative newcomer to politics, having run for US Senate in 2010 and US Representative in 2014.


2016 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
Governor Maggie Hassan ran for the Democratic nomination. Other potential candidates include Executive Councilor Chris Pappas, State Senators Dan Feltes and Donna Soucy, Portsmouth City Councilor and daughter of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen Stefany Shaheen, and campaign manager for Senator Shaheen Mike Vlacich.


2016 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
A series of polls taken by WMUR/UNH in February, April, and July 2016, as well as WBUR polls taken in May and July/August, show Hassan gaining support over time and now leading Ayotte.


2016 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
Gov. Hassan won a very close election, 353,978 or 47.97%, to Sen. Ayotte's 353,262 or 47.87%, a difference of 716 votes. Sen. Ayotte conceded the race to Gov. Hassan around noon Wednesday November 9, 2016.


2016 United States Senate elections, New York
Three-term Senator Chuck Schumer (Democrat) was re-elected with 66% of the vote in 2010. He was 66 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election. Chuck Schumer had been elected leader of the Senate Democrats on November 16, 2016, succeeding Harry Reid.


2016 United States Senate elections, New York
Wendy Long, the Republican nominee in 2012, ran as the nominee of Republican, Conservative, and Reform Parties. Other potential Republican candidates included U.S. Representatives Chris Gibson and Peter T. King. U.S. Representative Richard L. Hanna, Manhattan Republican Party Chairwoman Adele Malpass, and former CNBC television host Larry Kudlow were also mentioned as possible candidates, but all have declined to run.


2016 United States Senate elections, New York
Robin Laverne Wilson, the Green Party of New York nominee, received 1.5% of the vote. Alex Merced, the Libertarian Party candidate, received 0.7% of the vote.


2016 United States Senate elections, North Carolina
Two-term Senator Richard Burr (Republican) was re-elected with 55% of the vote in 2010. He was 61 years old in 2016. There had been speculation that Burr might retire, but he ran for re-election.


2016 United States Senate elections, North Carolina
Three Republicans challenged Burr in the primary: Greg Brannon, Larry Holmquist, and former Superior Court Judge Paul Wright. On March 15, Burr won the primary with 61% of the vote.


2016 United States Senate elections, North Carolina
Former state representative Deborah Ross, Spring Lake Mayor Chris Rey, businessman Kevin Griffin, and retired U.S. Army Captain Ernest Reeves ran for the Democratic nomination. Former U.S. Senator Kay Hagan, state treasurer Janet Cowell, and Anthony Foxx, the United States Secretary of Transportation and former Mayor of Charlotte, declined to run. On March 15, Ross won the primary with 62% of the vote.


2016 United States Senate elections, North Dakota
One-term Senator John Hoeven (Republican) was elected with 76% of the vote in 2010. He was 59 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election.


2016 United States Senate elections, North Dakota
Democrats endorsed state representative Eliot Glassheim On November 7, 2015, the Libertarian party nominated Robert Marquette.


2016 United States Senate elections, Ohio
One-term Senator Rob Portman (Republican) was elected with 57% of the vote in 2010. He was 60 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election. He had considered running for President, but decided not to.


2016 United States Senate elections, Ohio
Two candidates filed to challenge him: Don Elijah Eckhart, who ran for OH-15 as an independent in 2008, and Melissa Strzala, but Strzala was disqualified. On March 15, Portman won the primary with 82% of the vote.


2016 United States Senate elections, Ohio
Former Governor and Congressman Ted Strickland, Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, and occupational therapist Kelli Prather ran for the Democratic nomination. Former State Representative Bob Hagan had filed papers to run, but later withdrew from the race. On March 15, Strickland won the primary with 65% of the vote.


2016 United States Senate elections, Ohio
Joseph DeMare, a machinist from Bowling Green, is the Green Party candidate. He ran unopposed in the March 15, 2016 primary, and received enough votes to substantially increase the number of enrolled Green Party members. In Ohio, the only way to join a political party is to vote in that Party's primary.


2016 United States Senate elections, Oklahoma
Two-term Senator Tom Coburn (Republican) was re-elected with 71% of the vote in 2010, but chose to leave office before the end of his term after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. James Lankford won the 2014 special election to serve the remainder of Coburn's term. Lankford ran for re-election.


2016 United States Senate elections, Oklahoma
Former Congressman Dan Boren was viewed by some Oklahoma political operatives as the only Democrat who could make the 2016 race competitive, but was seen as unlikely to run. Lankford's 2014 special election opponent Constance N. Johnson had also declined to run.


2016 United States Senate elections, Oregon
Three-term Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat) was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2010. He was 67 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election.


2016 United States Senate elections, Oregon
Medford City Councilor Kevin Stine and retired locomotive engineer Paul Weaver challenged Wyden for the Democratic nomination. Wyden won the Democratic nomination.


2016 United States Senate elections, Oregon
Information technology consultant and 2014 candidate Mark Callahan, businessman Sam Carpenter, business consultant Dan Laschober, Steven Reynolds, and Lane County commissioner Faye Stewart ran for the Republican nomination. Callahan won the Republican nomination.


2016 United States Senate elections, Pennsylvania
One-term Senator Pat Toomey (Republican) was elected with 51% of the vote in 2010. He was 54 years old in 2016. Toomey ran for re-election.


2016 United States Senate elections, Pennsylvania
Everett Stern, a security intelligence consultant and whistleblower of the HSBC money laundering scandal, announced that he would challenge Toomey for the Republican nomination, but has missed the filing deadline, so Toomey was unopposed in the primary.


2016 United States Senate elections, Pennsylvania
Democratic candidates included Katie McGinty, former Chief of Staff to Governor Tom Wolf and former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, former Congressman Joe Sestak, who defeated incumbent Senator Arlen Specter (a Democrat turned Republican turned back to Democrat) for the 2010 Democratic nomination, but lost to Toomey in the general election, the current mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, who is an AmeriCorps alum and Harvard University graduate, and small businessman and senate candidate in 2010 and 2012 Joseph Vodvarka. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski announced his candidacy for the seat but suspended his campaign due to an FBI investigation of Allentown. McGinty won the primary and faced Toomey in the general election on November 8, 2016. Toomey defeated McGinty and retained the seat.


2016 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
Two-term Republican Senator Jim DeMint (Republican) was re-elected with 61% of the vote in 2010. He resigned at the start of 2013 to become President of The Heritage Foundation and U.S. Representative Tim Scott (Republican) of South Carolina's 1st congressional district was appointed to replace DeMint by Governor Nikki Haley.


2016 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
Scott subsequently won the special election in 2014 for the remaining two years of the term. Scott ran for re-election and he was a potential Republican vice presidential nominee.


2016 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
Other potential Republican candidates include Congressmen Mick Mulvaney, Jeff Duncan and Mark Sanford, along with State Senator Tom Davis, State Treasurer Curtis Loftis and State Attorney General Alan Wilson. Darla Moore was mentioned as a potential candidate for either party.


2016 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
On the Democratic side, pastor Thomas Dixon ran in the general election on November 8, 2016 but was defeated by the incumbent, Scott.


2016 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
Two-term Senator John Thune (Republican) ran unopposed and was re-elected with 100% in 2010.


2016 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
Jay Williams, Chair of the Yankton County Democratic Party, and candidate for the State House in 2010 and 2014, is running for the Democratic nomination. Other potential Democratic candidates include State Senator Bernie Hunhoff and filmmaker and former television news producer Sam Hurst.


2016 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
Former U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Heuther, and 2014 nominee Rick Weiland all declined to run.


2016 United States Senate elections, Utah
One-term Senator Mike Lee (Republican) was elected with 62% of the vote in 2010. He was 45 years old in 2016. He ran for re-election. State party chair Thomas Wright, former State Senator Dan Liljenquist, State Senator Aaron Osmond, Congressman Jason Chaffetz, Congressman Chris Stewart, former Governor of Utah Mike Leavitt, and Mitt Romney's son Josh Romney were mentioned as potential primary challengers, but all declined to run. Lee ran unopposed at the Utah Republican convention and is the Republican nominee.


2016 United States Senate elections, Utah
Marriage therapist Jonathan Swinton and grocery store clerk Misty Snow, a transgender woman, ran for the Democratic nomination. Snow defeated Swinton by more than 20 percentage points, running to the left of Swinton, criticizing him for supporting limitations on abortion rights. She became the first transgender woman to become a major party's nominee for the Senate.


2016 United States Senate elections, Vermont
Seven-term Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy was re-elected with 64% of the vote in 2010. Leahy won re-election in 2016, aged 76.


2016 United States Senate elections, Vermont
Scott Milne, the Republican nominee who narrowly lost the 2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, ran unsuccessfully against Leahy.


2016 United States Senate elections, Washington
Four-term Senator Patty Murray (Democrat) was re-elected with 52% of the vote in 2010. She ran successfully for re-election against Republican candidate Chris Vance. Congressman Dave Reichert was considered a potential Republican candidate but chose to run for reelection.


2016 United States Senate elections, Wisconsin
One-term Senator Ron Johnson (Republican) defeated three-term Senator Russ Feingold (Democrat) with 52% of the vote in 2010.


2016 United States Senate elections, Wisconsin
On May 14, 2015, Feingold announced that he would seek a rematch against Johnson for his former Senate seat. Immediately after his announcement, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee endorsed Feingold's candidacy. Businesswoman and 2014 gubernatorial nominee Mary Burke has declared that she is not seeking statewide office in 2016.


2016 United States Senate elections, Wisconsin
Johnson and Feingold faced each other again, and Johnson again defeated Feingold, in what many observers and pundits considered to be a surprising and uphill victory.


2016 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia
The 2016 Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia took place on November 8, 2016, to elect a shadow member to the United States House of Representatives to represent the District of Columbia. Unlike non-voting delegates, the Shadow Representative is only recognized by the District of Columbia and is not officially sworn or seated. Incumbent Shadow Representative Franklin Garcia won reelection unopposed.


2016 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia, Primary elections
Primary elections were held on June 14, 2016 concurrent with the presidential primary.


2016 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia, Primary elections, Other primaries
The Republican and Statehood Green parties held primaries, but no candidates declared and the contests saw only write-in votes.


2016 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia, General election
The general election took place on November 8, 2016. Garcia was the only candidate on the ballot and won reelection to a second term.


2016 United States Virgin Islands general election
The United States Virgin Islands general election  was held on November 8, 2016. Voters chose the delegate to the United States House of Representatives and all fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands.


2016 United States Virgin Islands general election, U.S. House of Representatives
Incumbent Delegate Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat, sought re-election to her congressional seat. Her Republican opponent, Gordon Ackley, was kept off the ballot after election officials canceled the primary election.


2016 United States Virgin Islands general election, U.S. House of Representatives
Running without an opponent on the ballot, she won re-election with 97.51% of vote.


2016 United States Virgin Islands general election, Legislature of the Virgin Islands
All fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands were contested. Controversy erupted after allegations surfaced that a candidate for the St. Thomas-St. John District, Kevin Rodriquez lied about his residency. Rodriquez was barred from taking a seat in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands after a ruling from the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands. A special election was called by the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, Kenneth Mapp to be held on April 8, 2017.


2016 United States Women's Curling Championship
The 2016 United States Women's Curling Championship was held from February 6 to 13 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It was held in conjunction with the 2016 United States Men's Curling Championship.


2016 United States Women's Curling Championship, Teams
There will be seven teams participating in this year's national championship. The teams are listed as follows:


2016 United States attorney general elections
The 2016 United States attorney general elections were held on November 8, 2016, in 10 states. The previous Attorney General elections for this group of states took place in 2012, except in Vermont where Attorneys General only serve two-year terms and last elected their Attorney General in 2014. Six state attorneys general ran for reelection and four did not. Missouri was only state that changed partisan control — where Republican Josh Hawley won the open seat, replacing outgoing Democrat Chris Koster.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Statistics, Closest races
States where the margin of victory was between 1% and 5%:


2016 United States attorney general elections, Statistics, Closest races
States where the margin of victory was between 5% and 10%:


2016 United States attorney general elections, Statistics, Closest races
Blue denotes offices won by Democrats; red denotes those won by Republicans.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Indiana
The 2016 Indiana Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of the U.S. state of Indiana.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Indiana
Incumbent Republican Attorney General Greg Zoeller declined to run for a third term in order to run for Congress. Republicans chose Curtis Hill, Elkhart County Prosecutor since 2002 over former Attorney General Steve Carter, State Senator Randall Head, and then-deputy Attorney General Abby Kuzma at the Republican state convention on June 11, 2016


2016 United States attorney general elections, Indiana
Democrats nominated Lorenzo Arredondo, former Lake County Circuit Judge from 1976 to 2010


2016 United States attorney general elections, Missouri
The 2016 Missouri Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of Missouri, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Republican Josh Hawley defeated the Democratic nominee Teresa Hensley.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Missouri
Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster did not run for re-election to a third term in office, but was instead the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Montana
The 2016 Montana Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of Montana, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the governorship and other statewide offices. Republican Incumbent Tim Fox defeated Democratic nominee and state senator Larry Jent.


2016 United States attorney general elections, North Carolina
The 2016 North Carolina Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of North Carolina, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.


2016 United States attorney general elections, North Carolina
Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper chose not to run for re-election to a fifth term in office, but instead successfully ran for Governor.


2016 United States attorney general elections, North Carolina
Democratic former state senator Josh Stein defeated Republican state senator Buck Newton in the general election.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Oregon
The 2016 Oregon Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of Oregon.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Attorney General election of 2016 took place on November 8, 2016, to elect a new Pennsylvania Attorney General. Democratic incumbent Kathleen Kane originally indicated her intention to seek re-election, but dropped out after she was criminally charged with violating grand jury secrecy laws stemming from alleged leaks of grand jury investigation details to embarrass a political enemy. Democratic nominee and Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro defeated Republican state senator John Rafferty Jr. by a margin of 2.78%.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Utah
The 2016 Utah Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of Utah.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Vermont
The 2016 Vermont Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of Vermont.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Vermont
Incumbent Democratic Attorney General William Sorrell, the state's longest-serving Attorney General (since 1997), did not run for reelection. Democratic nominee T.J. Donovan won the general election.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Washington
The 2016 Washington Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of Washington.


2016 United States attorney general elections, Washington
Incumbent Attorney General Bob Ferguson, elected in 2012 as a Democrat, sought reelection, opposed by Joshua B. Trumbull, who ran as a Libertarian. In the general election, Ferguson won reelection, defeating Trumbull.


2016 United States attorney general elections, West Virginia
The 2016 West Virginia Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Attorney General of West Virginia.


2016 United States attorney general elections, West Virginia
Republican incumbent Patrick Morrisey successfully sought re-election, defeating State Representative Doug Reynolds, and capturing 51.63% of the vote.


2016 United States elections
The 2016 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Republican nominee Donald Trump defeated Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, while Republicans retained control of Congress. This marked the first (and, as of 2020, most recent) time Republicans won or held unified control of the presidency and Congress since 2004.


2016 United States elections
Trump won his party's nomination after defeating Ted Cruz and several other candidates in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. With Democratic president Barack Obama term-limited, Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries. Trump won the general election with 304 of the 538 electoral votes, though Clinton won the popular vote by a margin of 2.1 percentage points (2,868,686 votes). The United States government's intelligence agencies later concluded that the Russian government had interfered in the elections.


2016 United States elections
Wall Street banks and other big financial institutions spent a record $2 billion trying to influence the 2016 United States elections.


2016 United States elections
Democrats won a net gain of two seats in the Senate and six seats in the House of Representatives, but Republicans retained control of both chambers. In the gubernatorial elections, Republicans won a net gain of two seats. Various other state, territorial, and local races and referenda were held throughout the year.


2016 United States elections, Federal elections, Presidential election
The United States presidential election of 2016 was the 58th quadrennial presidential election. The electoral vote distribution was determined by the 2010 census from which presidential electors electing the president and vice president were chosen; a simple majority (270) of the 538 electoral votes were required to win.


2016 United States elections, Federal elections, Presidential election
In one of the greatest election upsets in U.S. History, businessman and reality television personality Donald Trump of New York won the Republican Party's presidential nomination on July 19, 2016, after defeating Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and several other candidates in the Republican primary elections. [ 1] Former Secretary of State, First Lady and New York Senator Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on July 26, 2016, after defeating Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and others in the Democratic primary elections.


2016 United States elections, Federal elections, Presidential election
This was the first election with a female presidential nominee from a major political party, as well as the first election since 1944 that had major party presidential nominees from the same home state. Clinton won the popular vote, taking 48% of the vote compared to Trump's 46% of the vote, but Trump won the electoral vote and thus the presidency. Libertarian Gary Johnson won 3.3% of the popular vote, the strongest performance by a third party presidential nominee since the 1996 election. Trump won the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, and Iowa, all of which were won by Obama in 2008 and 2012. The election is one of five presidential elections in American history in which the winner of the popular vote did not win the presidency.


2016 United States elections, Federal elections, Presidential election, Russian interference
The United States government's intelligence agencies concluded the Russian government interfered in the 2016 United States elections. A joint US intelligence review stated with high confidence that, "Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. In May 2019, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Russians hacked voting databases in two Florida counties prior to the 2016 presidential election and no election results were compromised.


2016 United States elections, Federal elections, Congressional elections, Senate elections
All seats in Senate Class 3 were up for election. Democrats won a net gain of two seats, but Republicans retained a majority with 52 seats in the 100-member chamber.


2016 United States elections, Federal elections, Congressional elections, House of Representatives elections
All 435 voting seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election. Additionally, elections were held to select the delegates for the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories, including the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.


2016 United States elections, Federal elections, Congressional elections, House of Representatives elections
Democrats won a net gain of six seats, but Republicans held a 241-to-194 majority following the elections. Nationwide, Republicans won the popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 1.1 percent.


2016 United States elections, State elections, Gubernatorial elections
Regular elections were held for the governorships of 11 U.S. states and two U.S. territories. Additionally, a special election was held in Oregon after the resignation of John Kitzhaber as governor. Republicans won a net gain of two seats.


2016 United States elections, State elections, Legislative elections
In 2016, 44 states held state legislative elections; 86 of the 99 chambers were up for election. Only six states did not hold state legislative elections: Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Virginia, Alabama, and Maryland.


2016 United States elections, State elections, Other elections and ballot measures
Many states also held elections for other elected offices, such as attorney general. Many states held ballot measures.


2016 United States elections, Table of state, territorial, and federal results
This table shows the partisan results of Congressional, gubernatorial, presidential, and state legislative races held in each state and territory in 2016. Note that not all states and territories hold gubernatorial, state legislative, and United States Senate elections in 2016; additionally, the territories do not have electoral votes in American presidential elections, and neither Washington, D.C. nor the territories elect members of the United States Senate. Washington, D.C., and the five inhabited territories each elect one non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives. Nebraska's unicameral legislature and the governorship and legislature of American Samoa are officially non-partisan. In the table, offices/legislatures that are not up for election in 2016 are already filled in for the "after 2016 elections" section, although vacancies or party switching could potentially lead to a flip in partisan control.


2016 United States federal budget
The United States Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2016 began as a budget proposed by President Barack Obama to fund government operations for October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016. The requested budget was submitted to the 114th Congress on February 2, 2015.


2016 United States federal budget
The government was initially funded through a series of three temporary continuing resolutions. The final funding package was passed as an omnibus spending bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, enacted on December 18, 2015.


2016 United States federal budget, Background
The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) had established spending caps on defense and non-defense spending. These were first applied in FY2013; they resulted in across-the-board sequestration cuts because that budget was funded through a full-year continuing resolution that exceeded the budget caps. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 increased the budget caps for FY2014 and FY2015 by $45 billion and $18 billion, respectively.


2016 United States federal budget, Background
Concern was expressed that the BCA caps for defense were far below the Obama administration's budget request and would lead to cuts relative to these increased levels. Although the word "sequestration" was widely applied to refer to these cuts, even a continuing resolution would not cause another round of across-the-board sequestration cuts as in 2013 because the FY2016 discretionary defense cap is still slightly larger than the FY2015 cap in nominal terms.


2016 United States federal budget, Background
The budget and appropriations legislation will be the first passed since Republicans gained majorities in both houses of the United States Congress in the 2014 midterm elections.


2016 United States federal budget, Budget proposals
The Obama administration's budget was transmitted to Congress on February 2, 2015. The administration requested funding levels for discretionary spending that were 7% over the budget caps specified in the Budget Control Act of 2011, roughly equally split between defense and non-defense programs. It envisioned large tax increases on corporations and the wealthy, which were expected to be opposed by Congress, to fund programs in education and infrastructure.


2016 United States federal budget, Budget proposals
Congress passed its budget resolution in May 2015. It was the first budget resolution successfully passed by Congress in over five years. Congressional budget resolutions are non-binding and largely symbolic, in that the actual spending levels are specified in much greater detail in the appropriations bills to be passed later in the year. The bill envisioned increasing military spending and decreasing social programs, with the goal of having a balanced budget by 2025. The passage of a budget resolution opened the way for budget reconciliation procedures to be used to repeal the Affordable Care Act on a simple majority vote, although a presidential veto of such legislation was expected.


2016 United States federal budget, Related legislation
It was expected that a continuing resolution would be required to fund the government past October 1, 2015. However, conservative Republicans were expected to oppose any funding bill that did not defund Planned Parenthood as a result of the recent controversy. In addition, the chances of a government shutdown were thought to be increased due to controversies over reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, the need to increase the debt limit, disagreements over changing the defense and non-defense spending caps, continuing debate over the Iran nuclear deal, and keeping the Highway Trust Fund from running out of money.


2016 United States federal budget, Related legislation
However, the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2016 was passed on September 30, 2015, funding the government through December 11 at roughly the same levels as FY2015, without any other policy provisions favored by conservatives. The bill was passed in large part due to the announcement a week earlier of John Boehner's resignation as Speaker of the House.


2016 United States federal budget, Related legislation
The House passed the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 on October 23, 2015 under the budget reconciliation process, which prevents the possibility of a filibuster in the Senate. The bill would partially repeal the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, notably the individual and employer mandates as well as the taxes on Cadillac insurance plans. Some conservatives in both the House and Senate opposed the bill because it did not completely repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would have been inconsistent with the rules governing budget reconciliation bills. The bill was the 61st time that the House had voted to fully or partially repeal the Affordable Care act. The bill also would remove federal funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. The bill was expected to be vetoed by President Obama should it pass the Senate.


2016 United States federal budget, Related legislation, Budget agreement
Just before midnight on October 26, 2015, Republican and Democratic leaders reached an agreement to increase the budget caps imposed by the Budget Control Act of 2011 for fiscal years 2016 and 2017, and temporarily suspend the debt limit until March 15, 2017.


2016 United States federal budget, Related legislation, Budget agreement
The agreement authorizes $80 billion in increased spending over two years, which is to be offset by changes in Medicare, Social Security disability insurance, selling off oil from the strategic petroleum reserves, and other changes. The deal also repeals a provision of the Affordable Care Act, not yet in effect, which would require businesses that offer one or more health plans and have more than 200 employees to automatically enroll new full-time employees in a health plan. John Boehner said the compromise was intended to "clean out the barn" before Paul Ryan took over as Speaker of the House.


2016 United States federal budget, Related legislation, Budget agreement
The bill, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, passed the House with a vote of 266–167, with just over two-thirds of Republicans voting against the bill, and all Democrats and the remaining Republicans voting for passage, with one not voting. The bill passed the Senate with a vote of 64–35, with 35 Republicans voting against. It was signed by the President on November 2, 2015. The Treasury had estimated that extraordinary measures used to fund the government beyond October 1 would likely be exhausted no later than November 3.


2016 United States federal budget, Related legislation, Subsequent developments
Congress passed a five-day extension of the continuing resolution on December 11, 2015. A bipartisan deal to pass the appropriations legislation, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, was announced on December 15.


2016 United States federal budget, Related legislation, Subsequent developments
In early December, the Senate passed an amended version of the healthcare reconciliation bill, sending it back to the House. It was passed by the House on January 6, 2016, and vetoed by President Obama on January 8, only the sixth veto of his presidency. The House failed to override the President's veto on February on a vote of 241–186, which did not meet the required two-thirds supermajority.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections
The 2016 United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2016, in 12 states and two territories. The last regular gubernatorial elections for nine of the 12 states took place in 2012. The last gubernatorial elections for New Hampshire, Oregon, and Vermont took place in 2014, as Oregon held a special election due to the resignation of Governor John Kitzhaber, while the governors of New Hampshire and Vermont both serve two-year terms. The 2016 gubernatorial elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, including the presidential election, Senate, and House elections.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections
The Republican Party won open Democrat-held governorships in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Missouri; and they also held their open seats in Indiana and North Dakota, increasing its total to 33, a record high last seen in 1922. Democrats finished with 16 governorships, defeating incumbent Pat McCrory in North Carolina and holding open seats in Delaware and West Virginia, with one independent governor in Alaska accounting for the 50th gubernatorial seat. However, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia switched his party affiliation to Republican shortly after his inauguration, thereby increasing the number of Republican governors to an all-time record of 34.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Election predictions
Several sites and individuals publish predictions of competitive seats. These predictions look at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent is running for re-election), the strength of the candidates, and the partisan leanings of the state (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assign ratings to each seat, with the rating indicating the predicted advantage that a party has in winning that seat.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Election predictions
Most election predictors use "tossup" to indicate that neither party has an advantage, "lean" to indicate that one party has a slight advantage, "likely" or "favored" to indicate that one party has a significant but not insurmountable advantage, and "safe" or "solid" to indicate that one party has a near-certain chance of victory. Some predictions also include a "tilt" rating that indicates that one party has an advantage that is not quite as strong as the "lean" rating would indicate.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Statistics, Closest races
States where the margin of victory was between 1% and 5%:


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Statistics, Closest races
States where the margin of victory was between 5% and 10%:


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Statistics, Closest races
Red denotes states won by Republicans. Blue denotes states won by Democrats. Dark Blue denotes race won by New Progressives


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Statistics, Partisan control of states
All of the states that held gubernatorial elections in 2016 also held state legislative elections in 2016, although some legislative seats were not up for election in states that stagger legislative elections.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Delaware
Two-term incumbent Governor Jack Markell was term-limited in 2016. Former Democratic Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, announced his intention to run and was seen as the front-runner in the Democratic primary and general election, but he died of brain cancer at the age of 46 on May 30, 2015. Representative John Carney, a former Lieutenant Governor of Delaware who also ran for governor in 2008, won the Democratic nomination. State senator Colin Bonini won the Republican nomination.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Delaware
Carney won the election, taking 58.3% of the vote compared to Bonini's 39.2%.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Indiana
One-term incumbent Governor Mike Pence announced his bid for re-election. Pence won in 2012 with 49.6% of the vote. Pence previously served as a U.S. Representative from 2001 to 2013 and was Chairman of the House Republican Conference from 2009 to 2011. Pence had expressed interest in running for President of the United States in the 2016 presidential election, but declined. However, Pence withdrew his bid for a second term on July 15, 2016, to run for vice president as running mate to Donald Trump. Pence was replaced as the gubernatorial nominee by Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Indiana
The 2012 Democratic nominee, former State House Speaker John R. Gregg, won the Democratic nomination. State Representative Karen Tallian and Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz both withdrew their candidacies. State Representative Terri Austin, South Bend Mayor Peter Buttigieg, former Lieutenant Governor Kathy Davis, Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight, Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski, and House Minority Leader Scott Pelath declined to run for governor.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Indiana
Potential Democratic candidates include former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and former Secretary of State of Indiana Joe Hogsett, President and CEO of the Biocrossroads Initiative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2000 David Johnson, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr., physician, former Commissioner for the Indiana State Department of Health and candidate for Indiana's 7th congressional district in 2008, Woody Myers, former State Senate Minority Leader and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2012 Vi Simpson, U.S. Representative Pete Visclosky and former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. Former Governor and Senator Evan Bayh had considered running, but has since announced he is running for the U.S. Senate in 2016.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Indiana
Holcomb won election with 51.4% of the vote, while Gregg took 45.4%.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Missouri
Two-term incumbent Governor Jay Nixon was term-limited in 2016. U.S. Senator and 2004 gubernatorial nominee Claire McCaskill and State Treasurer Clint Zweifel declined to run for governor. On August 3, 2016, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster won the nomination with a dominating 79% of the primary vote.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Missouri
Former Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives Catherine Hanaway, businessman John Brunner, State Senator Bob Dixon, former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, and Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder ran for the Republican nomination. State Representative Bart Korman and U.S. Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer declined to run for governor. Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich had been a candidate for governor before he committed suicide in February 2015. On August 3, 2016, Greitens won the nomination with 35% of the vote.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Missouri
Greitens won the election, taking 51.3% of the vote compared to Koster's 45.4%.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Montana
One-term incumbent Governor Steve Bullock ran for re-election. Bullock was elected in 2012 with 48.9% of the vote. He previously served as Attorney General of Montana from 2009 to 2013.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Montana
Former Secretary of State Brad Johnson and businessman Mark Perea ran for the Republican nomination, but were defeated by businessman Greg Gianforte. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox had been speculated as a potential candidate, but instead chose to run for re-election.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Montana
Bullock won re-election, taking 50.2% of the vote. Gianforte won 46.4% of the vote.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, New Hampshire
Two-term Democratic incumbent Governor Maggie Hassan ran for the U.S. Senate, narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Ayotte, instead of running for a third term as governor. She won a second term in 2014 with 53% of the vote against Republican businessman Walt Havenstein. Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern defeated Deputy Secretary of State and Director of Securities Regulation Mark Connolly for the Democratic nomination.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, New Hampshire
Executive Councilor Chris Sununu, state representative and entrepreneur Frank Edelblut, and Jon Lavoie ran for the Republican nomination. Sununu defeated his challengers for the Republican nomination.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, New Hampshire
Despite most pre-election polling suggesting a Democratic win, Sununu narrowly won election with 49% of the vote. Van Ostern won 46.7% and Libertarian Max Abramson won 4.3% of the vote.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, North Carolina
One-term incumbent Governor Pat McCrory ran for re-election. McCrory was elected in 2012 with 54.7% of the vote. McCrory previously served as Mayor of Charlotte from 1995 to 2009.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, North Carolina
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper defeated former State Representative Kenneth Spaulding to win the Democratic nomination for governor. James Protzman, a former Chapel Hill town council member, had declared his candidacy, but later withdrew from the race. United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx declined to run for governor.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, North Carolina
After a dispute in results, Cooper won the election. Cooper won 49% of the vote, while McCrory won 48.9%.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, North Dakota
One-term incumbent Governor Jack Dalrymple declined to seek re-election. Dalrymple was elected to his first full term with 63.1% of the vote in 2012, after first taking the seat in 2010 after John Hoeven resigned to become a U.S. Senator. Dalrymple was previously Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota from 2000 to 2010.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, North Dakota
Republican candidates included Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, businessman Doug Burgum, and State Representative and plastic surgeon Rick Becker. Burgum won the nomination.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, North Dakota
Potential Democratic candidates included former Congressman Earl Pomeroy, state Senator George B. Sinner and state Senate Minority Leader Mac Schneider. Former Agriculture Commissioner Sarah Vogel formed an exploratory a campaign but announced on Jan. 28, 2016 that she will not run for governor. Senator Heidi Heitkamp declined to run for governor. State representative Marvin Nelson won his party's nomination.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, North Dakota
Burgum won the election, taking 76.7% of the vote, while Nelson won 19.4%.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Oregon (special)
Governor John Kitzhaber, who won reelection in 2014 with 49.9% of the vote, announced his pending resignation on February 13, 2015, amid controversy surrounding his fiancée's consulting contracts and work within his administration. Kate Brown, Oregon's Secretary of State, was sworn in as governor on February 18, 2015 upon Kitzhaber's resignation. In accordance with the Constitution of Oregon, a special election was held in 2016 for the remainder of the term to which Kitzhaber was elected in 2014. Brown ran against Republican Bud Pierce, an Oncologist from Salem.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Oregon (special)
Brown won the election, taking 50.5% of the vote compared to Pierce's 43.8%. In winning, Kate Brown became the first openly LGBTQ Governor elected in the United States.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Utah
Incumbent Governor Gary Herbert ran for re-election. He was the Lieutenant Governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009 and became governor after Jon Huntsman, Jr. resigned to become United States Ambassador to China. He won the seat in a 2010 special election and was elected to his first full term with 68.4% of the vote in 2012. Herbert defeated businessman Jonathan Johnson to win the nomination.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Utah
Businessman Michael Weinholtz won the Democratic nomination. Former Congressman Jim Matheson declined to run.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Utah
Herbert won re-election, taking 66.6% of the vote compared to Weinholtz's 28.9%.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Vermont
Three-term incumbent Governor Peter Shumlin declined to seek re-election. He was re-elected with 46.4% of the vote in 2014. As he did not receive a majority of the vote, the Vermont General Assembly was required to choose the winner. The Vermont Assembly chose Shumlin over Republican nominee Scott Milne by 110 votes to 69.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Vermont
Sue Minter defeated former state senator Matt Dunne for the Democratic nomination for governor. House Speaker Shap Smith withdrew from the race. Former lieutenant governor Doug Racine declined to run for governor.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Vermont
Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott won the Republican nomination. Former state senator and former Vermont Auditor of Accounts Randy Brock and 2014 Republican nominee Scott Milne declined to run for governor. Former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dan Feliciano was a potential candidate.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Vermont
Scott won the election, taking 52.9% compared to Minter's 44.2%.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Washington
One-term incumbent Governor Jay Inslee ran for re-election. Inslee was elected in 2012 with 51.5% of the vote against Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna. Inslee previously served as a U.S. Representative from 1993 to 1995 and from 1999 to 2012. Seattle Port Commissioner Bill Bryant advanced to the November general election. Potential Republican candidates include U.S. Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, State Senator Michael Baumgartner, and former State Representative Cathy Dahlquist.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Washington
Inslee won re-election, taking 54.2% of the vote. Bryant won 45.5%.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, West Virginia
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin was term-limited in 2016. Tomblin was first elected in a 2011 special election after Joe Manchin resigned after being elected to the United States Senate. Tomblin then won election to a full term in 2012.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, West Virginia
Democratic candidates included former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, state Senator Jeff Kessler, and businessman Jim Justice. Former Senator Carte Goodwin, former Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates Rick Thompson, West Virginia State Treasurer John Perdue, State Senator Mike Green and State Delegates Doug Reynolds, Doug Skaff and West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant declined to seek the nomination. On May 10, 2016, Justice won the Democratic primary and became the nominee.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, West Virginia
President of the Senate Bill Cole, college student and former candidate for Mayor of Pineville Andrew Utterback, and former Bramwell Police Chief and former Democratic candidate for House of Delegates Edwin Vanover ran for the Republican nomination. U.S. Representatives David McKinley and Evan Jenkins declined to run for governor. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey had been considered a potential Republican candidate, but instead chose to run for re-election. Potential Republican candidates included State Delegate Erikka Storch and Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton. Cole won the Republican nomination.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, West Virginia
Justice won the election, taking 49.1% of the vote. Cole won 42.3%, while Charlotte Pritt of the Mountain Party won 5.9% of the vote. Just months after assuming office, Justice switched to the Republican Party.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Territories, Puerto Rico
One-term incumbent Governor Alejandro García Padilla was eligible to run for re-election, but chose to retire. García Padilla is a member of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP).


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Territories, Puerto Rico
David Bernier, former Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and former President of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, won the PDP nomination for governor.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Territories, Puerto Rico
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Pedro Pierluisi, who is affiliated with the New Progressive Party (PNP). and activist and political commentator Ricky Rosselló sought the PNP nomination for governor, and Rosselló won the nomination.


2016 United States gubernatorial elections, Territories, American Samoa
One-term incumbent Governor Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga ran for re-election. Moliga was elected in 2012 with 52.9% of the vote in the second round, after taking 33.5% of the vote in the first round. American Samoa requires a second round of voting if no candidate takes a majority of the vote in the first round.


2016 United States men's Olympic basketball team
The men's national basketball team of the United States won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They automatically qualified for the Olympics by winning the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014. The team was coached by Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University, with assistant coaches Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Tom Thibodeau (New York Knicks), and Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns).


2016 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Roster
The 2016 team consisted of just two returning players from the  2012 Olympic gold-medal winning team, Kevin Durant and the new team captain, Carmelo Anthony.


2016 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Roster
The following is the United States roster in the men's basketball tournament of the 2016 Summer Olympics.


2016 United States men's Olympic basketball team, 2015 Basketball Showcase
On August 12, 2015, USA Basketball announced 19 NBA players to participate in the following day's 2015 USA Basketball Showcase in Las Vegas, where they will be divided into two squads, USA Blue, and USA White, where USA Blue Team will be coached by USA National Team assistant coach Monty Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder) while USA White Team will be coached by USA National Team assistant coach Tom Thibodeau (Minnesota Timberwolves).


2016 United States men's Olympic basketball team, 2015 Basketball Showcase
The Blue Team included starters Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), and Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), with reserve players Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets), Rudy Gay (Sacramento Kings), Amir Johnson (Boston Celtics), Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic), and Elfrid Payton (Orlando Magic).


2016 United States men's Olympic basketball team, 2015 Basketball Showcase
The White Team included starters Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), and Michael Carter-Williams (Milwaukee Bucks), with reserve players Mason Plumlee (Portland Trail Blazers), Terrence Jones (Houston Rockets), Arron Afflalo (New York Knicks), and Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors). C. J. Watson (Orlando Magic) was included in the roster announcement but did not play.


2016 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Exhibition games
The United States' 12-man roster began its exhibition schedule against 2004 Olympic champion Argentina. They also faced 2015 FIBA Asia gold medalist China and 2015 FIBA Americas champion Venezuela. The schedule concluded with 2015 FIBA Africa champion Nigeria in Houston. The United States Olympic Committee used Houston as a departure point for many Olympic teams, providing them with credentials and provisions on their way out to Brazil.


2016 United States presidential debates
The 2016 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held for the presidential election. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a bipartisan organization formed in 1987, organized three debates among the major presidential candidates. The first of these presidential debates took place on September 26, 2016, and set the record as the most-watched debate in American history, with 84 million viewers. The second debate took place on October 9, and the third took place on October 19. All CPD debates occurred from approximately 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PDT).


2016 United States presidential debates
Only the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and the Republican nominee Donald Trump met the criteria for inclusion in the debates, and thus were the only two to appear in the debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The CPD-sponsored vice presidential debate took place on October 4, 2016. Only Democratic nominee Tim Kaine and Republican nominee Mike Pence appeared in it.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates
The Commission on Presidential Debates stipulates three criteria for eligibility for the presidential debates: constitutional eligibility to serve as president, appearance on enough ballots to potentially reach 270 electoral votes, and an average at least 15% on five selected national polls. For the vice-presidential debate, the running mates of the presidential candidates qualifying for the first presidential debate will be invited. By mid-September Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Gary Johnson, and Jill Stein were on enough ballots to reach 270 electoral votes; however, only Clinton and Trump had reached the 15% polling threshold. As of August 2016, Johnson and Stein had polled as high as 13% and 7%, respectively, and had an average of 8.3% and 3%, respectively.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates
On August 15, the CPD announced that it would use the most recent CBS/The New York Times, Fox News, CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, NBC/The Wall Street Journal, and ABC/The Washington Post polls for the debate criteria and that candidates must be at an average of 15% in these polls.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates
On September 16, the commission announced the official invitation of both Clinton and Trump to participate in the first debate to be held on September 26 at Hofstra University, but Johnson and Stein did not meet the established criteria, and would not be participants in the debate. The commission also confirmed that Clinton and Trump had committed to participate. It was also announced that Mike Pence and Tim Kaine would be participating in the only scheduled vice presidential debate, to take place at Longwood University on October 4. The 15% threshold was reapplied with polling numbers following the first debate in order to judge the participants in the second debate on October 9.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates
Moderators for the four debates were announced September 2, 2016.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Topics addressed and not addressed
Over the combined six hours of debate time at the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate, the issues most raised in moderators' questions were the Syrian civil war (six questions) and terrorism (four questions). U.S.-Russia relations, immigration, job creation, Trump's taxes, and Trump's lewd leaked recording controversy were each asked about in three questions, and Clinton's emails, the Supreme Court, Social Security, taxation of the wealthy, the national debt, Iraq, the Affordable Care Act, "uniting the country," nuclear weapons, and the legitimacy of the election, were each the subject of two questions.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Topics addressed and not addressed
A number of issues were the subject of a single question, including expectations of police conduct, race relations, abortion, gun policy, "birtherism," jobs in the energy industry, cyberterrorism, Islamophobia, the Clinton Foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, the strengths of the candidates' opponents, the skills of the vice presidential nominees, the candidate's faith, the low favorability ratings of both candidates, the paid speeches given by Clinton, Trump's Twitter posts, Clinton's "basket of deplorables" remark, Clinton's "look," and the candidates' behavior.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Topics addressed and not addressed
The debate moderators failed to ask a question about climate change at any of the three debates, although Clinton did touch on the issue twice as part of responses to other questions. The moderators' failure to address the issue prompted complaints by commentators. David Leonhardt of The New York Times termed it "a failure of journalism" and a "a grievous error." Prominent climate scientists Kerry Emanuel and Michael E. Mann, as well as activist group 350.org, criticized the failure of the debates to address the issue.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Topics addressed and not addressed
A number of other issues were either addressed sparingly or not at all:


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Polling
The following polls were conducted prior to each of the respective debates, and determined the candidates who participated in each debate.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Polling
Candidates in green participated in the debate, while those in red were excluded. Italics denotes the leading candidate in the respective poll.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Polling, First presidential debate
The following polls were the most recent conducted prior to September 16, 2016, the polling deadline for both the first presidential debate and only vice presidential debate:


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Polling, Second presidential debate
The following polls were the most recent conducted prior to October 4, 2016, the polling deadline for the second presidential debate:


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Polling, Third presidential debate
The following polls were the most recent conducted prior to October 14, 2016, the polling deadline for the third presidential debate:


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Debate list
All presidential debates (including the vice presidential debate) ran from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDT.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University)
The first debate took place on Monday, September 26, at New York's Hofstra University, moderated by Lester Holt of NBC. It was originally scheduled to take place at Wright State University, but the venue was changed due to security and financial concerns.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Format
The first presidential debate was divided into six segments, each of approximately 15 minutes in length, with the moderator introducing a topic and giving each candidate two minutes, followed by approximately 8 minutes and 45 seconds of facilitated discussion between the two candidates, with both candidates receiving approximately equal time. The questions discussed during the 90 minutes were at the sole discretion of the moderator, and were not shared beforehand with the commission or with either campaign. Each candidate spoke in front of a podium. Besides applause at the beginning and end of the debate, there was no audience participation allowed, but sporadic applause occurred at various points throughout the 90 minutes.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Format
The segments were on the economy and job creation, trade, the federal deficit, race relations and policing, the war on terror, the foreign policy of the United States, and each candidate's experience in the political and business realm.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
Writing on September 28, FiveThirtyEight found that every scientific poll to that point had suggested that voters thought Hillary Clinton performed better than Donald Trump in the debate. A CNN/ORC poll of debate viewers found that 62% believed Clinton won, compared to 27% for Trump. A poll conducted by Public Policy Polling found that 51% thought Clinton won the debate, while 40% thought Trump won. A YouGov poll found that 57% of Americans declared Clinton the winner, while 30% declared Trump the winner.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
A Politico/Morning Consult poll showed that 49% of likely voters thought that Clinton won the debate, while 26% thought that Trump won, and 25% were undecided. Echelon Insights polling showed that Clinton won the debate 48–22, and that the debate made 41% of respondents more likely to vote for Clinton while 29% were more likely to vote for Trump. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 56% of Americans thought Clinton did better, while 26% thought Trump did.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
An NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll shows that 52% of likely voters who followed the debate chose Clinton was the winner, 21% chose Trump, and 26% did not choose either candidate. A Gallup poll showed that more respondents thought Clinton did a better job than Trump by a margin of 61% to 27%. A Fox News poll shows that 61% of respondents thought that Clinton won the debate while 21% said Trump did. An ABC News/The Washington Post poll shows that 53% of respondents thought that Clinton won the debate while 18% said Trump did. A CBS News poll shows that 32% of likely voters say that they thought better of Clinton after watching the debate, but only 10% of voters said that they thought better of Trump afterward.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
A panel of Los Angeles Times analysts consisting of Doyle McManus and two others found that Clinton won all six of the debate segments. Among swing-state party officials and strategists surveyed by Politico, 79% agreed that Trump did not win the debate.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
The performance of Lester Holt as moderator of the debate received mixed reactions, with political critics stating that Holt struggled to keep control of the debate, and although he challenged both candidates, Holt's repeated attempts to get the candidates to adhere to the time restrictions were ignored.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
Michael M. Grynbaum of The New York Times described Holt's performance by stating "He was silent for minutes at a time, allowing Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump to joust and bicker between themselves—and sometimes talk right over him—prompting some viewers to wonder if Mr. Holt had left the building." He continued, "Being less conspicuous often means attracting less criticism, and Mr. Holt's conservative approach seemed designed to avoid the opprobrium that befell his NBC colleague, Matt Lauer, whose performance at a forum this month was widely panned after he repeatedly interrupted Mrs. Clinton and failed to challenge Mr. Trump."


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
Hadas Gold of Politico wrote "Lester Holt was on an island on Monday night. And for most of the first presidential debate, he stayed there, letting the battleships of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump shoot their missiles at one another. It made for some memorable exchanges between Trump and Clinton, matched in close-up on most networks. For some debate watchers, that’s what they want their moderators to do: say 'go' and let them run. But it also left some gaps where viewers probably expected sharp questions."


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
The debate set the record as the most-watched debate in television history, with 84 million viewers across the 13 channels that carried it live and were counted by Nielsen, surpassing the previous record of 80.6 million viewers set by the debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in 1980. These numbers do not account for the millions of viewers who watched the debates online and the people who watched the debate at parties, bars, restaurants, and offices.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, September 26 presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
Two million concurrent viewers watched it live on YouTube, while there were 8 million views on Facebook (whose numbers do not break down into unique viewers); in addition, 1.4 million unique viewers watched it live on CBS's streaming service. All debate-related video on YouTube exceeded 88 million views on October 3, 2016. CNN Digital reported 2.4 million live streams, and Yahoo News reported 5 million views, both live and on-demand.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Vice presidential debate (Longwood University)
The vice presidential debate took place on Tuesday, October 4, at Virginia's Longwood University, moderated by Elaine Quijano of CBS.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Vice presidential debate (Longwood University), Format
The candidates were seated at a table with Quijano. The debate consisted of nine segments, each 10 minutes in length. Both candidates were given two minutes to respond to questions, with the remaining time used for a deeper discussion of the topic. Quijano asked questions about Donald Trump's temperament, the economy, Social Security, police and race relations, nuclear weapons, abortion and religious faith.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Vice presidential debate (Longwood University), Reception
A CNN instant-poll found that 48% of viewers believed Pence had won while 42% thought Kaine won. Pence was criticized after the debate for not defending Donald Trump's comments, while Kaine was criticized for being too aggressive and interrupting.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Vice presidential debate (Longwood University), Reception
Two hours before the debate took place, the website of the Republican National Committee declared Pence the clear winner, writing "During the debate we helped fact check and monitor the conversation in real time @GOP." The post went on to say that his strong points concerned the economy and Clinton's alleged "scandals". The post was removed prior to the start of the debate, but not before getting widespread press and social media attention.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Vice presidential debate (Longwood University), Reception
Rachel Maddow of MSNBC said that the debate was occasionally "incomprehensible" due to the number of times that the candidates interrupted each other. According to ABC News, Kaine interrupted seventy times throughout the debate, while Pence interrupted forty times.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Vice presidential debate (Longwood University), Moderation
Elaine Quijano moderated and thereby became the first Asian American to moderate a U.S. debate for national elected office in the general election, and the youngest journalist to moderate a debate since 1988. It was also the first time a digital network anchor had been selected to moderate a national debate.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, Vice presidential debate (Longwood University), Viewership
According to Nielsen, the four broadcast networks and the three largest cable news channels averaged around 36 million viewers.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis)
The second presidential debate took place on Sunday, October 9, at Washington University in St. Louis, moderated by Martha Raddatz of ABC News, and Anderson Cooper of CNN.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Format
The debate was conducted in a "town meeting" format on Sunday, October 9, with an audience of uncommitted voters selected by the Gallup Organization. The CPD originally stipulated that half of the questions come from the audience, while the other half would come from the moderators "based on topics of broad public interest as reflected in social media and other sources." The Commission subsequently invited members of the public to submit and vote on questions through the bipartisan Open Debate Coalition's website. Moderators chose from the 30 most popular questions. CNN's Anderson Cooper and ABC's Martha Raddatz were the moderators. Candidates had two minutes to respond with an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate further discussion.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Content
Members of the audience were allowed to ask questions. The eight questions, in order, were:


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Content
The first portion of the content was dominated by discussion of a tape of Trump making lewd comments about women to Billy Bush, which had been leaked two days earlier. Trump attempted to deflect criticism by making counter-accusations of sexual misconduct against Bill Clinton. Trump had invited four people who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault to a press conference prior to the debate and accused Hillary Clinton of attacking those same women. At one point in the debate, Trump raised the issue of Hillary Clinton's emails.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Content
Trump stated that if elected, he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Secretary Clinton in relation to the matter. Clinton responded by remarking that the country was lucky that someone with Trump's temperament was not in charge of the law, to which Trump promptly responded, "because you'd be in jail." The audience cheered this line. An array of scholars, including political scientists and law professors, criticized Trump's pledge to imprison Clinton, saying that it reflected an anti-democratic impulse.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Reception
A Politico/Morning Consult poll showed that 42% of respondents considered Clinton the winner of the debate, while 28% considered Trump the winner, and a slightly higher percentage (30%) were undecided. A CNN/ORC poll found that 57% of viewers believed Clinton won, compared to 34% for Trump, despite the fact that most respondents felt that the latter exceeded expectations. An NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll showed that Clinton won the debate with 44% to Trump's 34%, while 21% said neither won. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 53% of viewers said Clinton won while 32% said Trump won.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Reception
According to a Gallup poll, 53% of viewers considered Clinton to be the winner while 35% considered Trump the winner. A Fox News poll of debate watchers found 52% considered Clinton the winner compared to 39% for Trump, with 9% saying they tied or did not know. A Baldwin Wallace University Community Research Institute (CRI) poll of likely Ohio voters showed that 52% found that Clinton won the debate, 31% that Trump won, and 17% found that it was a tie. According to a Qriously poll of likely voters in eight key battleground states, 44% gave the win to Clinton while 33% gave it to Trump. According to a Fox 2 Detroit/Mitchell Poll of likely Michigan voters, 48% gave the win to Clinton while 36% gave it to Trump.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Reception
Trump's claim that he won the second debate with Hillary Clinton "in a landslide" in "every poll" was found to be false by Politifact, which noted that "not only did Trump not win by a landslide margin, he didn’t win any of the polls at all".


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Reception
Questioner Ken Bone, a power plant operator from Illinois, had a media presence and became an Internet meme in the days following the debate. His rise to popularity was due to his name, his red sweater, and his use of a disposable camera prior to and after the debate. Bone appeared on ESPN College GameDay and @midnight. He was portrayed by Bobby Moynihan during the cold open of NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live's October 15 episode, dancing to the song "Get Ready for This". Bone received a short-term endorsement deal with American transportation network company Uber to promote the launch of Uber Select in St. Louis. A backlash against Bone happened after controversial posts under his username on Reddit were revealed.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 9 presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Viewership
According to Nielsen, approximately 66.5 million people watched the second presidential debate on television across 11 networks. YouTube reported 1.5 million peak live streams and 124 million views on debate-related videos as of October 11.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 19 presidential debate (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
The third debate took place on Wednesday, October 19, at 6:00 PM PDT at Nevada's UNLV campus between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 19 presidential debate (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Format
The format mirrored that of the first debate: 90 minutes divided into six topical segments of approximately 15 minutes each. The moderator began each segment with a question and gave each candidate two minutes, followed by  facilitated discussion between the two candidates, with each receiving approximately equal time. Questions were at the sole discretion of the moderator. Each candidate was stationed at a podium. Audience participation was confined to applause at the beginning and end of the debate.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 19 presidential debate (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Moderation
The debate was moderated by Chris Wallace of Fox News Channel's Fox News Sunday. This marked the first instance when a Fox News host moderated a presidential debate.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 19 presidential debate (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Moderation
The topics, announced in advance of the debate, were: debt and entitlements, immigration, economy, Supreme Court, foreign hot spots, and fitness to be president.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 19 presidential debate (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Reception
A Morning Consult/Politico poll found that 43% of respondents considered Clinton the winner of the debate, with 26% saying Trump. An  NBC/SurveyMonkey poll showed that 46% of respondents considered Clinton as the winner, where as 37% considered Trump the winner. An ABC News poll found that 52% of likely voters thought that Clinton was the winner, with 29% saying that Trump won the debate. A Gallup poll showed that Clinton beat Trump 60% to 31% in perceptions of who won debate. A poll by the CBS News Battleground Tracker of viewers in 13 swing states found that 49% of voters in those states thought that Clinton won the debate, while 39% thought Trump won, with 12% calling it a tie.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 19 presidential debate (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Reception
Trump's use of the phrases "bad hombres" and "nasty woman" spurred massive viral backlash.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 19 presidential debate (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Reception
An Associated Press/GfK poll, which asked respondents about the candidates' performance in all three debates, found that 69% thought that Clinton performed better while 29% thought that Trump did.


2016 United States presidential debates, Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates, October 19 presidential debate (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Viewership
According to Nielsen, approximately 71.6 million people watched the third presidential debate on television across 13 networks. YouTube reported 1.7 million peak live streams and 140 million views on debate-related videos as of October 20.


2016 United States presidential debates, Free & Equal Elections Foundation-sponsored debate
The Free & Equal Elections Foundation hosted a single presidential debate in 2016. It was held at the University of Colorado Boulder's Macky Auditorium on October 25, 2016. The debate was co-hosted by Student Voices Count. Originally, all presidential candidates with ballot access sufficient to represent a majority of electoral votes were invited. In October 2016, Free and Equal extended the invitation to all candidates with ballot lines representing at least fifteen percent of potential voters: the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green, Constitution, Reform, and Socialism and Liberation parties, as well as independent candidate Evan McMullin. Gary Johnson, who participated in the 2012 debate, had already publicly declined in July 2016 to debate Jill Stein on The Young Turks because of a matter of "just time".


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 ticket of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and U.S. senator from Virginia Tim Kaine, in what was considered one of the greatest upsets in American history. Trump took office as the 45th president, and Pence as the 48th vice president, on January 20, 2017. It was the fifth and most recent presidential election in which the winning candidate lost the popular vote.


2016 United States presidential election
Per the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, incumbent president Barack Obama was ineligible to seek a third term. Clinton defeated self-described democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, and became the first female presidential nominee of a major American political party. Trump emerged as his party's front-runner amidst a wide field of candidates in the Republican primary defeating Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Marco Rubio, and Ohio Governor John Kasich among other candidates. The Libertarian Party nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, and the Green Party nominated Jill Stein.


2016 United States presidential election
Trump's right-wing populist nationalist campaign, which promised to "Make America Great Again" and opposed political correctness, illegal immigration, and many United States free-trade agreements garnered extensive free media coverage due to Trump's inflammatory comments. Clinton emphasized her extensive political experience, denounced Trump and many of his supporters as a "basket of deplorables", bigots and extremists, and advocated the expansion of President Obama's policies; racial, LGBT, and women's rights; and inclusive capitalism.


2016 United States presidential election
The tone of the general election campaign was widely characterized as divisive and negative. Trump faced controversy over his views on race and immigration, incidents of violence against protestors at his rallies, and numerous sexual misconduct allegations including the Access Hollywood tape. Clinton's popularity and public image were tarnished by concerns about her ethics and trustworthiness, and an FBI investigation of her improper use of a private email server, which received more media coverage than any other topic during the campaign.


2016 United States presidential election
Clinton led in almost every nationwide and swing-state poll with some experts predicting a landslide, however as the election neared her margins decreased. On Election Day, Trump over-performed his polls, winning several key swing-states, while losing the popular vote by 2.87 million votes. Trump received the majority in the Electoral College and won upset victories in the pivotal Rust Belt region. Ultimately, Trump received 304 electoral votes and Clinton 227, as two faithless electors defected from Trump and five from Clinton. Trump was the first president with neither prior public service nor military experience.


2016 United States presidential election
On January 6, 2017, the United States Intelligence Community concluded that the Russian government had interfered in the 2016 elections in order to "undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency." A Special Counsel investigation of alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign began in May 2017 and ended in March 2019. The investigation concluded that Russian interference to favor Trump's candidacy occurred "in sweeping and systematic fashion", but it "did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government."


2016 United States presidential election, Background
Article Two of the United States Constitution provides that the President and Vice President of the United States must be natural-born citizens of the United States, at least 35 years old, and residents of the United States for a period of at least 14 years. Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the political parties, in which case each party devises a method (such as a primary election) to choose the candidate the party deems best suited to run for the position.


2016 United States presidential election, Background
Traditionally, the primary elections are indirect elections where voters cast ballots for a slate of party delegates pledged to a particular candidate. The party's delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party's behalf. The general election in November is also an indirect election, where voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College; these electors in turn directly elect the president and vice president.


2016 United States presidential election, Background
President Barack Obama, a Democrat and former U.S. senator from Illinois, was ineligible to seek reelection to a third term due to the restrictions of the American presidential term limits established by the Twenty-second Amendment; in accordance with Section 1 of the Twentieth Amendment, his term expired at noon eastern standard time on January 20, 2017.


2016 United States presidential election, Background
Likewise, ineligible to run for re-election for an additional term as president were past two-term presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. While neither of them ran, former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush, each having served only one term, were both eligible to run for a second term as president.