When a person becomes a presidential candidate they must file a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. This starts the official campaign for the presidency. Potential candidates often form exploratory committees even earlier to see if they can raise the money and make the commitment needed for a nationwide campaign.
Once the campaign begins, candidates from the two major political parties – Republicans and Democrats – set up their teams and start traveling around the country. They will try to win the support of people who share their ideas and beliefs. In the early stages of the race, they will compete in a series of debates. During these events, candidates will be asked tough questions about their policies and their views on issues and politicians.
Eventually, the candidates will try to win over delegates who will vote for them at their party’s national convention. Those delegates will then select the person who will represent their party in the election for president. The candidate that gets more than half of the 538 electoral votes – 435 for the House of Representatives and 100 for the Senate plus 3 for Washington DC – wins.
The most popular candidate in a given year typically receives a landslide victory in the general election. The size of that margin, along with how much a candidate has won in each state, determines whether the new president will be able to introduce enduring changes in politics and policy.
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