It’s Official: More People Are Running for Presidential Nomination Than Ever
It’s Official: More People Are Running for Presidential Nomination Than Ever
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Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore speaks at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit on April 17, 2015, in Nashua, N.H.Darren McCollester—Getty Images
It’s official: More people are running for a major party’s presidential nomination than ever.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore said Tuesday that he plans to announce his campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination during the first week of August, making him the 17th candidate on the GOP side.
Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, noted in a tweet that is a record for the number of presidential candidates for a single political party.
The Democratic field is much narrower, with just five candidates.
Gilmore, 65, told the Richmond Times-Dispatchin an interview that he believes the other GOP candidates have not addressed the nation’s national security and economic concerns. “I bring to the table experience that others don’t have,” he said.
Still, he’ll likely enter the race for the nomination at the bottom of a competitive field that already faces intense fight to get into the top 10 spots to qualify for a series of televised debates that could prove crucial.
Gilmore served as governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002, during which he chaired a panel — nicknamed the Gilmore Commission — that advised Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush about domestic capabilities for terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction. He later entered the 2008 GOP presidential run, but ended his campaign after about three months, citing a lack of funding.
Gilmore is currently the CEO of the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.
Pucker Up: 15 Awkward Political Kisses
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz kisses his wife before walking onstage to speak at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., to announce his presidential candidacy on March 23.Mark Wilson—Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama gives German Chancellor Angela Merkel a kiss on the cheek on arrival for the G8 Summit on May 18, 2012 at Camp David, Md.Charles Dharapak—APDemocratic presidential candidate John Kerry kisses his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry at a victory rally after the U.S. senator from Massachusetts was projected the winner in the Wisconsin primary Feb. 17, 2004 in Madison, Wisc.Chris Hondros—Getty ImagesRepublican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry kisses his wife Anita at the end of a news conference at Hyatt Place, Jan. 19, 2012 in North Charleston, S.C.Allison Joyce—Getty ImagesFormer Vice President Al Gore is kissed by his wife Tipper, after addressing the delegates at the Democratic National Convention on July 26, 2004, in Boston.Ron Edmonds—AP(L-R) Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, kisses his wife, Ann Romney, in front of Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and wife, Janna Ryan, on stage after conceding the presidency during Mitt Romney's campaign election night event at the Boston Convention—Exhibition Center on Nov. 7, 2012 in Boston.Matthew Cavanaugh—Getty ImagesRepublican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush kisses talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Sept. 19, 2000 after appearing on her program in Chicago. Wilfredo Lee—APUS President Barack Obama kisses US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after his speech about health care reform before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 9, 2009. Jason Reed—AFP/Getty ImagesFormer House Speaker Newt Gingrich kisses his wife Callista after a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, N.H. on Jan. 8, 2012.Charles Krupa—APFrench President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, kisses goodbye to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the steps of the Elysee palace after their meeting on Jan. 29, 2010 in Paris.Christophe Ena—APRepublican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gets a kiss from his wife Ann during his election night rally on Nov. 7, 2012, in Boston.David Goldman—APNew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg kisses Muppet Miss Piggy as Kermit the Frog looks on during a news conference on April 13, 2012 in New York City.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesFormer President George W. Bush, right, kisses former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the ground breaking ceremony for the President George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Nov. 16, 2010.LM Otero—APRepublican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum kisses his wife Karen before speaking to supporters at an election-night party in the gymnasium of Steubenville High School in Steubenville, Ohio on March 6, 2012.Gene J. Puskar—APUS President George W. Bush is greeted by one of his dogs after arriving from giving the commencement speech at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, aboard Marine One on the south lawn of the White House in Washington on May, 21, 2005.Andrew Councill—AFP/Getty Images
