The following is a timeline of major events leading up to, during, and after the United States presidential election of 2016. The election was the 58th quadrennial and most recent United States presidential election, held on November 8, 2016. The presidential primaries and caucuses were held between February 1 and June 14, 2016, staggered among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. The U.S. Congress certified the electoral result on January 6, 2017, and the new President and Vice President were inaugurated on January 20, 2017.
November 20 — Jim Webb, former US Senator from Virginia, forms an exploratory committee for a possible run for president
December 16 — Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announces the formation of a political action committee (PAC) for a possible run for president
January 26 — Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, forms a PAC in preparation for a possible run for president
January 27 — Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland, forms a PAC in preparation for a possible run for president
January 29 — Lindsey Graham, United States Senator from South Carolina, forms an exploratory committee in preparation for a possible run for president
January 30 — Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts and 2012 Republican presidential nominee, declines to run in the 2016 election after considering it
February 9 — George Pataki, former Governor of New York, forms a PAC in preparation for a possible run for president
March 2 — Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, forms an exploratory committee in preparation for a possible run for president
March 5 — Mark Everson, former Commissioner of Internal Revenue, formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
March 18 — Donald Trump, CEO of The Trump Organization since 1971, forms an exploratory committee in preparation for a possible run for president on the Republican Party ticket
March 23 — U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, of Texas, formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
April 7 — U.S. Senator Rand Paul, of Kentucky, officially declares his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
April 9
Former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee announces the formation of an exploratory committee for a possible run for president
Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania forms a "testing the waters" account for a possible run for president
April 12 — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally announces her candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party
April 13 — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, officially declares his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
April 30 — U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party
May 4
Former business executive Carly Fiorina, of California officially declares her candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, of Maryland, formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
May 5 — Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee officially declares his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
May 27 — Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, of Pennsylvania, formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
May 28 — Former Governor of New York George Pataki officially declares his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
May 30 — Former Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party
May 31 — US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts confirms she will not be running for president
June 1 — U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, officially declares his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
June 3 — Former Governor of Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party
June 4 — Former Governor of Texas Rick Perry officially declares his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
June 15 — Former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
June 16 — Business magnate Donald Trump, of New York, officially declares his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
June 22 — Massachusetts physician Jill Stein officially declares her candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Green Party
June 24 — Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
June 30 — Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie officially declares his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
July 2 — Former U.S. Senator Jim Webb, of Virginia, formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party
July 13 — Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
July 21 — Governor of Ohio John Kasich officially announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
July 30 — Former Governor of Virginia Jim Gilmore formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
August 3 — First presidential forum, featuring 14 Republican candidates, was broadcast on C-SPAN from the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Goffstown, New Hampshire
August 4 — Fox News announced which 10 candidates were invited to the first official Republican debate
August 6 — First official presidential debate, featuring 10 Republican candidates, is held in Cleveland, Ohio Fox News includes the other seven Republican candidates in a separate debate held earlier on the same day
August 11 — Lawrence Lessig forms an exploratory committee for a possible run for president, stating that if he raised $1 million by Labor Day he would run
August 16 — Andy Martin formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
August 22 — Jimmy McMillan formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party
September 6 — Lawrence Lessig, Harvard University law professor, formally announces his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination
September 8 — John McAfee, antivirus software developer, formally announces his candidacy for president under the banner of the newly formed Cyber Party
September 11 — Rick Perry formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
September 16 — Second Republican debate is held in Simi Valley, California
September 21 — Scott Walker formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
September 30 — South Carolina finalizes ballot for primary; 15 Republican candidates qualify
October 13 — First Democratic debate is held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Wynn Casino
October 16 — Lawrence Lessig announces he is dropping his much-derided promise to resign after passing his signature legislation. He stated he would to serve a full term as president and would flesh out his policy agenda accordingly
October 20 — Jim Webb formally withdraws his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination
October 21 — Vice President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for president in 2016
October 23 — Lincoln Chafee formally withdraws his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination
October 28 — Third Republican debate is held in Boulder, Colorado at the University of Colorado
November 2 — Lawrence Lessig formally withdraws his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination
November 4–20 — Candidate registration for New Hampshire primary
November 5 — Mark Everson formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
November 6
Deadline for filing for the Alabama primary
First in the South Democratic Forum featuring Martin O'Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton is broadcast on MSNBC from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina
November 9 — Deadline for filing for the Arkansas primary
November 10 — Fourth Republican debate is held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
November 13–14 — Republican Party of Florida's Sunshine Summit event is held in Orlando, Florida
November 14 — Second Democratic debate is held in Des Moines, Iowa
November 17 — Bobby Jindal formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
November 20 — The Presidential Family Forum is held in Des Moines, Iowa
November 24 — MoveOn.org Democratic forum featuring Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders
December 3 — The Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Candidates Forum is held in Washington, D.C.
December 9 — Jimmy McMillan formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
December 15 — Fifth Republican debate is held in Las Vegas, Nevada
December 19 — Third Democratic debate is held in Manchester, New Hampshire
December 21 — Lindsey Graham formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
December 24 — John McAfee, antivirus software developer, formally announces his candidacy for the Libertarian presidential nomination
December 29 — George Pataki formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
January 6 — Former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson formally announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party
January 9 — The Republican's Kemp Forum is held in Columbia, South Carolina
January 11 — Third Democratic forum is held in Des Moines, Iowa
January 14 — Sixth Republican debate is held in North Charleston, South Carolina
January 17 — Fourth Democratic debate is held in Charleston, South Carolina
January 25 — A Democratic forum, a Town Hall event, is held in Des Moines, Iowa
January 28 — Seventh Republican debate is held in Des Moines, Iowa
February 1
The Iowa Democratic caucus is won by Hillary Clinton
The Iowa Republican caucus is won by Ted Cruz
Martin O'Malley formally withdraws his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination
Mike Huckabee formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
February 3
Rand Paul formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
Rick Santorum formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
A Democratic Town Hall forum event is held in Derry, New Hampshire
February 4 — Fifth Democratic debate is held in Durham, New Hampshire
February 6 — Eighth Republican debate is held in Manchester, New Hampshire
February 9
The New Hampshire Republican primary is won by Donald Trump
The New Hampshire Democratic primary is won by Bernie Sanders
February 10
Chris Christie formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
Carly Fiorina formally withdraws her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
February 11 — Sixth Democratic debate is held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
February 12 — Jim Gilmore formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
February 13 — Ninth Republican debate is held in Charleston, South Carolina
February 17–18 — CNN Republican town halls are held in Greenville, South Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina
February 18 — Democratic Town Hall forum event is held in Las Vegas, Nevada
February 20
Nevada Democratic caucuses are won by Hillary Clinton
South Carolina Republican primary is won by Donald Trump
Jeb Bush formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
February 23
Nevada Republican caucuses are won by Donald Trump
CNN Democratic town hall is held in Columbia, South Carolina
February 24 — Republican town hall is held in Houston, Texas
February 25 — 10th Republican debate is held in Houston, Texas
February 27 — South Carolina Democratic primary is won by Hillary Clinton
March 1 — Super Tuesday
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Alabama Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Arkansas Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Colorado Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Georgia Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Massachusetts Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Minnesota Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Oklahoma Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders
Tennessee Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Texas Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Vermont Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders
Virginia Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Republican primaries/caucuses:
Alabama Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Alaska Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz
Arkansas Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Georgia Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Massachusetts Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Minnesota Republican caucus won by Marco Rubio
Oklahoma Republican primary won by Ted Cruz
Tennessee Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Texas Republican primary won by Ted Cruz
Vermont Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Virginia Republican primary won by Donald Trump
March 3 — Eleventh Republican debate is held in Detroit, Michigan
March 4 — Ben Carson formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
March 5
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Kansas Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Louisiana Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Nebraska Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Republican primaries/caucuses:
Kansas Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz
Kentucky Republican caucus won by Donald Trump
Louisiana Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Maine Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz
March 6
Maine Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Puerto Rico Republican primary won by Marco Rubio
Seventh Democratic debate is held in Flint, Michigan
March 8
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Democratic Michigan primary won by Bernie Sanders
Democratic Mississippi primary won by Hillary Clinton
Republican primaries/caucuses:
Republican Michigan primary won by Donald Trump
Republican Mississippi primary won by Donald Trump
Hawaii Republican caucus won by Donald Trump
Idaho Republican primary won by Ted Cruz
March 9 — Eighth and final Democratic debate is held in Miami, Florida
March 10
Twelfth Republican debate is held in Miami, Florida
Virgin Islands Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz
March 12
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Northern Marianas Democratic caucus won by Hillary Clinton
Republican primaries/caucuses:
Washington D.C. Republican caucus won by Marco Rubio
Wyoming Republicans' county conventions are won by Ted Cruz
Guam Republican caucus is held. Ted Cruz is awarded one delegate. The remaining eight delegates are uncommitted, pending a future meeting
March 15
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Florida Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Illinois Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Missouri Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
North Carolina Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Ohio Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Republican primaries/caucuses:
Florida Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Illinois Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Missouri Republican primary won by Donald Trump
North Carolina Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Ohio Republican primary won by John Kasich
Northern Marianas Republican caucus won by Donald Trump
Marco Rubio formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
March 21
Democrats Abroad primary won by Bernie Sanders
March 22
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Arizona Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Idaho Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Utah Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Republican primaries/caucuses:
Arizona Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Utah Republican caucus won by Ted Cruz
American Samoa Republican caucus is held; Ted Cruz and Donald Trump respectively secure one delegate each, majority of delegates remain uncommitted.
March 26
Democratic caucuses:
Washington Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Alaska Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
Hawaii Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
March 29 — Republican town hall
April 1 — First ever nationally televised Libertarian presidential debate hosted by John Stossel airs on Fox Business Network (Part 1)
April 2 — Delegate count at the North Dakota Republican State Convention is won by Ted Cruz
April 5
Wisconsin Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders
Wisconsin Republican primary won by Ted Cruz
April 8 — Part 2 of first ever nationally televised Libertarian presidential debate hosted by John Stossel airs on Fox Business Network
April 9 — Delegate count of the Colorado Republican convention is won by Ted Cruz
April 9 — Wyoming Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
April 14 — Ninth Democratic debate is held in Brooklyn, New York
April 19
New York Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
New York Republican primary won by Donald Trump
April 26
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Connecticut Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Delaware Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Maryland Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Pennsylvania Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Rhode Island Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders
Republican primaries/caucuses:
Connecticut Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Delaware Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Maryland Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Pennsylvania Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Rhode Island Republican primary won by Donald Trump
May 3
Indiana Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders
Indiana Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Ted Cruz formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
May 4 — John Kasich formally withdraws his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination
May 7 — Guam Democratic caucuses won by Hillary Clinton
May 10
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
West Virginia Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders
Republican primaries/caucuses:
West Virginia Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Nebraska Republican primary won by Donald Trump
May 12 — Second nationally televised Libertarian presidential debate airs on RT America.
May 17
Democratic primaries/caucuses:
Kentucky Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Oregon Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders
Republican primaries/caucuses:
Oregon Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Gary Johnson announces he has chosen former Massachusetts governor William Weld as his vice presidential running mate
May 20 — Third nationally televised Libertarian presidential debate airs on TheBlaze.
May 24 — Washington Republican primary won by Donald Trump
May 26–30 — The Libertarian National Convention is held in Orlando, Florida. Gary Johnson is chosen as the party's presidential nominee and William Weld is chosen as the party's vice presidential nominee
May 26 — Donald Trump passes 1,237 pledged delegates, the minimum amount of delegates required to secure the Republican presidential nomination
June 4 — Virgin Islands Democratic caucuses won by Hillary Clinton
June 5 — Puerto Rico Democratic caucuses won by Hillary Clinton
June 6 — Hillary Clinton passes 2383 pledged delegates, the minimum amount of delegates required to secure the Democratic presidential nomination.
June 7
Democratic primaries/caucuses
California Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Montana Democratic primary won by Bernie Sanders
New Jersey Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
New Mexico Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
North Dakota Democratic caucus won by Bernie Sanders
South Dakota Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
Republican primaries/caucuses
California Republican primary won by Donald Trump
Montana Republican primary won by Donald Trump
New Jersey Republican primary won by Donald Trump
New Mexico Republican primary won by Donald Trump
South Dakota Republican primary won by Donald Trump
June 9 — President Barack Obama officially endorses Hillary Clinton
June 14 — Washington, D.C. Democratic primary won by Hillary Clinton
June 15 — Jill Stein reaches the necessary number of delegates for the Green nomination and becomes presumptive nominee
June 22 — Libertarian presidential town hall hosted and aired by CNN
July 12 — Bernie Sanders endorses Hillary Clinton
July 15 — Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump announces Indiana governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate
July 18–21 — Republican National Convention is held in Cleveland, Ohio. Donald Trump and Mike Pence are formally nominated for President and Vice President, respectively, by the party's state delegationsJuly 21 — Donald Trump formally accepts the Republican nomination
July 22 — Democratic presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton announces United States Senator and former Virginian governor Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate
July 23 — Wikileaks leaks 20,000 emails from the Democratic National Committee, revealing a systematic bias against Bernie Sanders from the Democratic Party leadership, leading to the resignation of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz
July 25–28 — Democratic National Convention is held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine are formally nominated for President and Vice President, respectively, by the party's state delegationsJuly 28 — Hillary Clinton accepts the nomination from the Democratic Party, becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major party in U.S. history.
August 1 — Green Party presumptive nominee Jill Stein announces Human rights activist Ajamu Baraka as her vice presidential running mate
August 4–7 — Green National Convention is held in Houston, Texas. Jill Stein is chosen as the party's presidential nominee and Ajamu Baraka is chosen as the party's vice presidential nominee
August 8 — Former chief policy director for the House Republican Conference and former CIA operations officer Evan McMullin formally announces his presidential candidacy as an independent
September 7 — Arrest warrants are issued for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and running mate Ajamu Baraka for trespass and vandalism during a North Dakota protest.
September 26 — First presidential general election debate was held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. (The first debate was originally going to be held at Wright State University, but the location was changed due to rising security costs that were being incurred by the school.) Hillary Clinton ends up taking the majority support after the debate.
October 4 — Only vice presidential general election debate was held at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. Mike Pence (Trump's running mate) ends up narrowly winning favor over Tim Kaine (Clinton's running mate).
October 7
Tapes are leaked out from Access Hollywood showing Donald Trump and Billy Bush bragging about sexual exploits in 2005.
WikiLeaks begins publishing thousands of emails from the personal Gmail account of Clinton campaign manager John Podesta, revealing excerpts from Clinton's paid speeches to Wall Street.
October 9 — Second presidential general election debate was held at Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Hillary Clinton ends up narrowly winning over Donald Trump.
October 19 — The third and final presidential debate between the two major candidates was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada Hillary Clinton ends up winning with a very close margin over Donald Trump.
October 25 — The Free & Equal Election Foundation debate was held at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, allowing all candidates with major ballot access to participate. Gary Johnson publicly declined the offer.
October 28 — James Comey announces that the FBI will be investigating newly discovered emails pertinent to its previous investigation of Hillary Clinton's private server. Hillary's lead in the polls drops heavily within days.
October 31 — PBS airs the first part of a presidential forum with major third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, moderated by Tavis Smiley.
November 6 — James Comey tells Congress there is no evidence in the recently discovered emails that Clinton should face charges over handling of classified information
November 8 — US Election Day.A shooting at a residential area near a polling place in Azusa, California leaves one dead and three injured and some polling places in the city locked down.
Pre-6 p.m12:30 a.m: Dixville Notch, New Hampshire are the first polls to close, with a vote 4-2 with Hillary winning.
6 a.m to 12 p.m: Polls open up throughout the country, with the last being Hawaii, which opens up 12 p.m EST (7 a.m AHST).8 a.m: Hillary Clinton votes in Chappaqua, New York.
11 a.m: Donald Trump votes in New York City.
6 p.m
The Eastern Time zone sections of Indiana and Kentucky close their polls.
7 p.m
The Eastern Time zone of Florida close their polls.
The Central Time zone of Indiana and Kentucky close their polls.
Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont, and most places in New Hampshire close their polls.
7:30 p.m
Ohio, West Virginia, and North Carolina close their polls.
8 p.m
The latest time to close the polls in New Hampshire.
The Eastern Time zone of Michigan close their polls.
The Central Time zone of Florida, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota close their polls.
Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine close their polls.
8:30 p.m
Arkansas closes their polls.
9 p.m
The Central Time zone of Michigan close their polls.
The Mountain Time zones of Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota close their polls.
Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin, and Wyoming close their polls.
10 p.m
The Mountain Time zones of Oregon and Idaho close their polls.
Nevada, Utah, Montana, Iowa close their polls.
11 p.m
The Pacific Time zones of Oregon and Idaho close their polls.
California, Hawaii, and Washington close their polls.
November 9
12 a.m
Alaska closes their polls.
2:45 a.m
Donald Trump is the projected winner of the election, becoming President-elect.
November 23 — Jill Stein starts fundraising for a recount effort in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
December 19 — The electors of the Electoral College meet in their respective state capitals (electors for the District of Columbia meet within the District) and formally vote for the President and Vice President, selecting Donald Trump and Mike Pence, respectively. Trump receives 304 electoral votes and Clinton receives 227 electoral votes. Seven faithless electors cast their votes for other candidates.
January 6 — Electoral votes formally counted before a joint session of Congress; the President of the Senate formally announces the electoral result.
January 20 — Inauguration of the 45th President Donald Trump and the 48th Vice President Mike Pence.
Electoral methods
WTA – Winner-takes-all
CD – Congressional district★
★Two states (Maine and Nebraska) allow for their electoral votes to be split between candidates. The winner within each congressional district gets one electoral vote for the district. The winner of the statewide vote gets two additional electoral votes. Results are from the Associated Press.
Election campaign 2016 candidate participation timeline
Candidate announcement and, if applicable, withdrawal dates are as follows:
