How the 2016 Presidential Announcements Stack Up
The long-awaited announcement from Jeb Bush rounds out a crowded field.
— -- The 2016 presidential field has grown significantly in the past few weeks and the candidates are trying to differentiate themselves -- though only in minor ways -- during their respective announcements.
Whether it’s in the free ice cream handed out to supporters or in the symbolism behind the venue location, political observers are reading the tea leaves.
One quality that appears to be completely sidelined this year is secrecy, with many of the candidates teasing their "big announcements" with tweets in the days and hours ahead of the actual announcement.
Here’s a rundown of the candidates' announcements -- starting from the most recent -- and what made each of them stand out.
Name: Jeb Bush, Former Governor of Florida
Party: Republican
When: June 15
Floridian Flavor: The longest-awaited candidate finally put an end to his not-so-veiled candidacy by announcing that he is running to a packed crowd of supporters at Miami-Dade University.
Familial Support: Though he made references to his father and brother, describing himself as "from a guy who met his first president on the day he was born, and his second on the day he was brought home from the hospital." Neither were in the audience, however, with only his mother Barbara Bush appearing in person at today's event.
Slip of the Tongue: On May 13, he had a Freudian slip and proclaimed himself a candidate ... for about three seconds. "I’m running for president in 2016, and the focus is going to be about how we -- if I run -- how do you create sustained economic growth,” Bush said at an event in Reno, Nevada.
Hillary Clinton held her kick off rally on June 13 but she technically announced her candidacy two months earlier, so she is listed on the original date.
Name: Lincoln Chafee, Former Governor of Rhode Island
Party: Democrat
When: June 3, 2015
Setting the Tone: Rather than staging any grand ceremony, Chafee announced his candidacy during a foreign policy speech at George Mason University, indicating what is expected to be one of the major themes of his campaign.
Paying No Deference: While his predecessors in the Democratic field have shied away from directly criticizing the former Secretary of State and frontrunner, but Chafee proudly mentioned how he was one of the 23 Senators who voted against the War in Iraq, unlike Clinton.
Measuring Up: One of Chafee's big policy pushes is that the U.S. "join the rest of the world" and convert to the metric system. "It's easy...it doesn't take long before 34 degrees is hot," he said during his announcement speech.
Name: Lindsey Graham, Senator for South Carolina
Party: Republican
When: Monday, June 1
Humble Roots: In front of a loud crowd of supporters, Graham made a modest concession about how even he didn't see this run happening years ago. "I’m pretty sure no one here, including me, ever expected to hear me say, 'I’m Lindsey Graham, and I’m running for president of the United States,'" he said.
Running Without a Mate: Though much has been made of his relationship status since he announced, his sister was the one who played a big role by his side during the rally in his hometown of Central, South Carolina. Should he win, Graham would be the third unmarried president.
Fearful of Foreign Threats: Much of Graham's career has been focused on foreign policy and he spent much of his announcement speech highlighting some of those threats. "Simply put, radical Islam is running wild," he said. "They are large, they are rich, they're entrenched. As president I will make them small, poor and on the run.”
Name: Martin O’Malley, Former Governor of Maryland
Party: Democrat
When: Saturday, May 30
Old Stomping Grounds: Though Baltimore's riots have kept the city on the forefront of the news in recent months, O'Malley chose to launch his campaign there since he was the city's mayor for two terms at the beginning of his political career.
Early Exchange of Ideas: O'Malley technically announced his campaign on his designated Twitter account before taking the stage in Baltimore, and Hillary Clinton's team responded swiftly, welcoming him to the field.
Anti-Establishment: O'Malley took a swipe at Clinton and then-yet-undeclared candidate Jeb Bush, saying that "the presidency is not a crown to be passed back and forth by you between two royal families."
Name: George Pataki, Former Governor of New York
Party: Republican
When: Thursday, May 28
Use of Social Media: Pataki’s first announcement came via a YouTube video on his campaign’s social media platforms, which showed a highlight reel of his three terms as governor, including his time leading in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, with intermittent cut away shots of him looking out of an apartment window and tying his tie.
Big Display: Shortly after the video was released, he addressed a crowd of about 150 supporters in the pivotal primary state of New Hampshire.
An Early Oops: At the end of his kick-off speech in New Hampshire, he mistakenly said that they were fighting for young children “whether in downtown Baltimore or here in Nashua, New Hampshire.” He was speaking in Exeter, about an hour’s drive from Nashua.
Name: Rick Santorum, Former Senator for Pennsylvania
Party: Republican
When: Wednesday, May 27
Full Court Press: Santorum, who came in second to Mitt Romney during the 2012 Republican primary, sat down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos the morning before his announcement, portions of which were released ahead of Santorum’s speech.
Symbolic Setting: Both the interview and Santorum’s formal speech later that day took place inside a cinderblock warehouse in Cabot, Penn., near his boyhood home.
Fashion Fix: Though he was known for the sweater vests that he wore throughout his last presidential run, he promised a sharper look this go round. "I have two daughters, who are the fashion consultants -- they’ve appointed themselves as the fashion consultants to the campaign, and so you’re going to be seeing attire that reflects their tastes, not mine,” he said to Stephanopoulos.
Name: Bernie Sanders, Senator for Vermont
Party: Democrat
When: Tuesday, May 26
Confirming the Rumors: The senator, who is a member of the Independent Party, became Hillary Clinton’s first formal opponent when he verbally confirmed that he would run as a Democratic candidate on April 30 during a news conference outside Capitol Hill.
Hometown hoedown: More than a month later, he hosted his formal kick-off event in Burlington, Vermont, where he served as mayor for four terms early in his career.
Party atmosphere: The approximately 5,000 people who turned out for Sanders' launch event celebrated with bluegrass music and benefited from one of Sanders' best-known supporters. Ben Cohen, half of the Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s, brought along some of his ice cream that was handed out to the crowd.
Party: Republican
When: Tuesday, May 5
Setting up the Big Day: Huckabee tried to make sure that people were paying attention amid the growing field of candidates by putting out a Tweet counting down to his announcement.
Not the First: His launch event in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas, played up his small-town upbringing. The town may be better known for a different politician, however, as it is also Bill Clinton's hometown. Screens onstage at Huckabee’s event read "Hope to Higher Ground" while Clinton's 1992 campaign dubbed Clinton "The Man from Hope."
Coming Out Swinging: Without mentioning any of his competitors by name, he took swipes at Hillary Clinton -- mentioning her “family foundation” -- and Sens. Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders (though he still hadn’t announced at that point), since they are all living off a “taxpayer-funded paycheck” during the campaign since they have not resigned from their current positions.
Name: Ben Carson, Former Neurosurgeon
Party: Republican
When: Monday, May 4
Setting His Tone: When Carson formally announced his candidacy in his hometown of Detroit, he became the first -- and widely expected to be the only -- African-American candidate in the 2016 race. Known for his no-nonsense attitude, he played up his lack of political experience. “I'm probably never going to be politically correct because I'm not a politician," he said in the speech.
Setting the Schedule: Even though his announcement came hours after one of his would-be rivals, Carly Fiorina, he made up for the time delay by scheduling three public events around Detroit throughout the day.
Mash-up of Mathers: A gospel choir paid tribute to another Detroit hero, Marshall "Eminem" Mathers, by singing his hit "Lose Yourself" during Carson’s announcement event at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts.
Name: Carly Fiorina, Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard
Party: Republican
When: Monday, May 4
Good Start to the Morning: Fiorina became the first, and so far, only, female Republican candidate when she announced her candidacy live on ABC News' "Good Morning America."
Talking Tech: She sent tweets the morning before, hours before, moments before and immediately after the "GMA" appearance touting her announcement.
Taking Aim at Hillary: Fiorina didn’t waste any time targeting the only other female candidate, saying Clinton “clearly is not trustworthy, about a whole set of things.”
Party: Republican
When: Monday, April 13
At Home, Inside and Out: Rubio first announced his candidacy during a phone call to donors, but his first public announcement came during an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that was filmed inside the Florida senator’s Miami home hours before his formal speech to supporters in downtown Miami.
Background of His Forefathers: Rubio chose to hold his official, public announcement in front of the Freedom Tower, a building with historical significance for thousands of Cuban Americans.
Talking About Time: In his interview with Stephanopoulos, Rubio -- who is tied with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as the youngest candidates in the current field -- said that he thinks “this country’s at a generational moment.” Later in his public announcement, he took a swipe at Clinton’s candidacy, calling her a “leader of yesterday.”
Name: Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State
Party: Democrat
When: Sunday, April 12
Announcing the Obvious: Clinton has been widely seen as the Democratic frontrunner essentially since she lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 primary, and her reintegration into public life after a short break following her time as secretary of state seemed to shore up her candidacy. She decided to announce her candidacy via video, just as she did in 2007, that was shared on her social media accounts.
Scooby Doo Adventure: After releasing the video, Clinton and her team hit the road bound for Iowa in a van named after the cartoon car "The Mystery Machine."
Kicking off the Theatrics: Her self-described listening tour lasted almost exactly two months before she held her first major event on June 13 with a few thousand people trekking out to New York City's Roosevelt Island. Two very familiar faces who were in the crowd but off the stage until after her speech? Her daughter Chelsea and husband Bill.
Name: Rand Paul, Senator for Kentucky
Party: Republican
When: Tuesday, April 7
Quite a Production: The senator announced his candidacy in front of an estimated 1,000 supporters and constituents inside a ballroom at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.
Family Affair: Paul’s father, three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul, was at the event but not center stage. Ron Paul ran as a Republican in 2012 but is known for largely libertarian views, which marks a difference between him and his son, who tends to lean towards more mainstream conservative views.
Personal Moment: The senator’s wife Kelley was featured in a video played at the announcement and she shared how Rand and his grandmother were very close and bonded over coin collecting. She said it was the pain he felt while watching her slowly lose her eyesight that prompted him to become an ophthalmologist.
Name: Ted Cruz, Senator for Texas
Party: Republican
When: Monday, March 23
Starting Off on Social: Cruz tweeted his candidacy hours before he gave a speech at Liberty University, a Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Making the Rounds: His run had been widely expected since he had made some very public visits to the early primary states since 2012, including nine visits to Iowa, five trips to New Hampshire and five trips to South Carolina.
‘Natural Born’ President: Cruz was born in Canada, and while many may expect that it may disqualify him from becoming president, his mother is an American citizen so he technically has been an American since birth. He is not the first person to run for the highest office in the land even though he wasn’t born in America: Sen. John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone and George Romney, Mitt Romney's father, was born in Mexico.
ABC News’ Ben Gittleson, MaryAlice Park and Erin Dooley contributed to this report.
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