This summer has been the summer of long shot candidates. On the Democrat side, there is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and on the Republican (and possibly Independent, but we'll get back to that later) side, there is real estate mogul Donald Trump.
Senator Bernard Sanders, who is in fact an Independent Senator (not a Democrat Senator) and is a self-proclaimed socialist, started his presidential campaign with very little name recognition. Many thought he was just in the race to be a possible running mate option to Hillary Clinton. However, he has been gaining record crowds across the US and despite not having a Super PAC and instead having contributions from supporters, he is now the sole major contender to Hillary Clinton (unless Vice President Joe Biden jumps in). In fact, in the latest poll in New Hampshire (which neighbors his home state of Vermont and holds the first primary in the nation), he leads Hillary 44%-37%.
On the other side, almost his complete opposite, there is billionaire Donald Trump. Known for making outlandish and insulting statements, he seems to be gaining a cult-like following of people who are frustrated with the government. Tapping into this anger seems to be the main reason he is leading the crowded GOP pack. In the latest poll, he is way ahead with 23% of the support in a crowded Republican field with 17 candidates. Despite having no political experience, or maybe because of that, he is becoming a favorite among the Republicans. He, like Sanders, doesn't have a PAC and instead is financing his own campaign.
Both of these candidates are challenging the norm of their parties and started their campaigns as long shots, but are slowly becoming major contenders. The expected Bush-Clinton election may now be overhauled and turned into a Trump-Sanders election!
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