the presidential race between donald j. trump and hillary clinton has been one of the most polarizing in modern american history. here<u+2019>s a look at some of the biggest turning points in the campaign. after weighing the risks, clinton embraced obama one of the earliest challenges faced by mrs. clinton: how to run for president as her own person without criticizing president obama, in whose administration she had served as secretary of state. republicans portrayed her campaign as a third term for mr. obama, seeking to tie her to their criticism of his tenure. mrs. clinton decided to embrace the president, who became one of her most important allies. clinton moved left on prison and policing when she ran for the democratic nomination in 2008, mrs. clinton often highlighted the achievements of her husband<u+2019>s presidency. that was harder this time around: the clintons<u+2019> role in the tough-on-crime 1990s was not a political asset amid a national debate over race, police brutality and the criminal justice system . this was one of the many areas in which mrs. clinton moved to the left, calling for the country to <u+201c>end the era of mass incarceration,<u+201d> an implicit rebuke of her husband<u+2019>s 1994 crime bill. trump, the g.o.p. and the white working class mr. trump set off anxiety in many republican leaders that spoke to the party<u+2019>s delicate demographic position . many leaders who privately opposed mr. trump were afraid to criticize him in public because they did not want him to lash out at the party or mount an independent campaign. the g.o.p. hoped trump would go away. he didn<u+2019>t. republican leaders told themselves that mr. trump<u+2019>s dominance in the polls over the summer of 2015 was a fluke and would end because of his statements about race, women, the military and trade. but evidence began to pile up <u+2014> from polls, surveys and interviews with supporters <u+2014> that he had built a broad, demographically and ideologically diverse coalition that could propel him to the republican nomination. democrats fumed as clinton joked about emails mrs. clinton<u+2019>s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state emerged early as a potentially serious problem for her campaign. however, she initially made jokes about the issue, responding dismissively to questions about it. her failure to quickly put the matter to rest was a source of frustration for democratic leaders early on. in the final weeks of the race, her campaign was rocked when law enforcement officials said emails pertinent to the closed investigation were discovered on a computer belonging to anthony weiner, a former congressman from new york and the estranged husband of huma abedin, a top aide for mrs. clinton. two campaigns, two different realities the republican and democratic primary debates in the fall of 2015 highlighted the polarization of the nation<u+2019>s politics. the two parties did not just disagree on how to solve the country<u+2019>s problems; they also had radically different ideas about what those problems even were . on issues like the role of immigrants in american society or the specific steps involved in an abortion, the parties could have been campaigning in alternate realities. wall street ties posed a problem for clinton with the left ascendant in the democratic party , mrs. clinton<u+2019>s relationship with wall street banks and other financial services firms became a major vulnerability in her primary battle against senator bernie sanders of vermont, a self-described democratic socialist. it was an image problem she never seemed to shake. mothers and daughters reacted differently to clinton a generational divide ran through many women<u+2019>s responses to the historic nature of mrs. clinton<u+2019>s presidential bid. older women were her most ardent supporters, while younger ones often looked askance at the idea that gender might play a role in the election. her campaign sought to win them over through social media, and an emphasis on issues like equal pay, college tuition and reproductive rights. clinton began to focus on trump<u+2019>s threat as the primary process neared its end, the clinton campaign devised a strategy for beating mr. trump that hinged on portraying him as a dangerous bigot whose temper posed a threat to the nation and to the world. it reflected a change: the man clinton<u+2019>s team once saw as a joke had become a threat to her presidential ambitions. how the g.o.p. elite lost its base to trump republican leaders struggled to explain the rise of mr. trump and the crisis it set off in the party. many said his candidacy was an aberration stemming from his larger-than-life, tough-guy persona; his mastery of airwaves; or his willingness to appeal to racism and xenophobia. but the party elite played a role, too : while they prospered, the economic fortunes of their most loyal voters <u+2014> blue-collar white americans <u+2014> had never recovered from the financial crisis of 2008. how trump finally settled on mike pence mr. trump chose gov. mike pence of indiana, a conservative christian, as his running mate after a long and fitful series of deliberations , including a last-minute appeal by gov. chris christie of new jersey, who wanted the vice-presidential spot for himself. mr. trump doubted his choice several times, but advisers and family members stressed repeatedly that he was picking a running mate, not a new best friend. trump<u+2019>s <u+2018>locker room<u+2019> talk became a rallying cry the publication of a audio recording of mr. trump lewdly boasting about sexual contact with women against their will dealt a potentially fatal blow to his presidential campaign, and thrust issues of consent and sexual violence into the heart of the campaign. for many women, it also became a rallying cry for survivors of sexual assault , harassment and other forms of abuse, many of whom shared their stories on social media. find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via facebook , twitter and the first draft newsletter .
the biggest turning points in a polarizing campaign
liam stack