Manitou Springs has a very diverse political scene, with many students passionately debating controversial topics, some of which the presidential candidates stand for.  “This election is an unpopularity contest for the ages,” according to The Washington Post, and students have taken to many social media outlets to express their discontent for opposing candidates.  Students in a survey administered by the MSHS Prospector answered “picking a candidate is choosing from the ‘Best of the worst’.”

The 2016 Presidential election started out with an incredibly contested Republican seat, with over 17 initial candidates. 12 of these candidates have participated in major primaries. Many dropped out before the start of 2016, while seven dropped out within the first few weeks of February following the Iowa caucuses. Meanwhile, the Democratic nomination had seven candidates

Although there is bleak outlook for many of the candidates, some found faith in radical propositions their candidates have proposed to implement upon their election. Some people support Bernie Sanders because of his policies of “honesty, anti-hate, and equality” while others find hope in Donald Trump’s “because he represents traditional American values and believes in keeping than United States strong.”

The MSHS Prospector reached out to some of the most avid supporters of each candidate within the school, with Jackson Parker (11) representing Donald Trump Brennan McLaren (11) representing Bernie Sanders, and hosted a debate concerning each candidate’s political views and plans. In this video debate, students explain and elaborate on their candidates views.