Presidential Election Game

Description
In this game, you are running a campaign to become President of the United States. You must decide your strategy in campaigning, including where you spend your time and money, what positions you take on issues, which issues you emphasize, and how you present yourself. The game takes place essentially in 2016, with some minor changes. These changes are mainly that all of the politicians are made up, and some current events changes.

Resources
The goal of the game is to win the election. To do this, you need to win both the primaries and the general election. There are five "resources" which effect your ability to win. These are: Name recognition is how much people knwo your name, and know who you are. This gives you a bigger amount of people to convince to vote for you, and gives you a better chance of doing well early on in the race. Trustworthiness is very important for many independent voters, and is the trust that voters have that you will keep your promises, believe what you say, and are not corrupt. Likeability is the appeal the candidate have as a person, and how much the voters would want to meet the candidate. Fundraising is the ability to raise money, key for being able to stay in the race and spend on commercials. Finally, legitimacy is the voters' view of the candidate as viable, experienced, a good speaker, and in the primary the belief that they could win the general election.
 * Name Recognition
 * Trustworthiness
 * Likeability
 * Fundraising
 * Legitimacy

Groups
There are several groups of people (for example religions, factions within a party, races, economic classes, etc.), and each group has a general position on each issue, different priorities on diferent issues, and they will have different views for each candidate. Each state has a different mix of these groups, and candidates have a different amount of the resources among each group. However, it is important to determine which groups you want to gain support from, and as a result determine where you will campaign. Every category has a group of "other" or "mixed", which will be counted as more of the national average. Below are a list of the groups :

Racial: Religious: Economic Class: Education: Gender/Sexual Orientation
 * White
 * Black
 * Hispanic/Latino
 * Asian/Pacific Islander
 * Mixed Race
 * Unidentified/Atheist/Agnostic
 * Evangelical Protestant
 * Mainline Protestant
 * Catholic
 * Mormon
 * Jewish
 * Muslim
 * Lower Class/Poverty
 * Middle Class
 * Upper Middle Class
 * Very Rich
 * No High School Degree
 * High School Degree
 * College Degree
 * Advanced Degree
 * Current Student
 * Heterosexual Men
 * Heterosexual Women
 * LGBT

Current Political Situation
This is still being constructed, and is not complete yet:

Backstory (Presidential Election Game)

How to Join
Candidates can join until January 15th, when the primary campaigning will begin. Candidates can join after that but will be at a disadvantage. To join, you must fill out the following form in the talk page :
 * Candidate Name:
 * Age:
 * Gender:
 * Religion (include denomination):
 * Race:
 * Party Affiliation:
 * Home State:
 * State of Birth:
 * Current Job:
 * Past Government Positions (if applicable):
 * Job before Politics (usually lawyer, soldier, businessman, etc.):
 * Issue most stressed:
 * Secondary Issue:
 * Campaign Slogan:
 * Other Notes:

Candidates

 * Democrat
 * Senator Robert McCarthy (CT)
 * Senator John Callison (VA)
 * Senator Lelia Afewerek (MN)
 * Abdallah Salem (NY)
 * Republican
 * Senator Morgan Ryder (TX)
 * Senator Ralph Turnip (OR)
 * Representative Richard Thorpe (ID)
 * Libertarian
 * Governor Ron Jones (KY)
 * Senator Luke Recks (NH)

Current Polls
None Yet

Endorsements
None yet

Current Issues
Please comment your responses to the following 13 questions (Domestic issues). Part of your strategy is when you answer these questions, including whether you spread out the answers, answer them immediately, or answer them later. The next set of 13 policy questions (economic issues) will be asked on January 21st. For these questions, you can answer the obvious answers (such as pro-choice and pro-life) or some sort of middle ground (pro-life except in cases of rape).
 * What is your position on gay marriage?
 * Senator Ryder: Civil Union but not Marriage
 * Representative Thorpe: Civil Union only.
 * Senator McCarthy: We should certainly encourage the LGBT community to marry each other as they please.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY): As written in Liberterian doctrine, personal rights shall not be determined by government. LGBT's should be allowed to marry and care for children as they so please.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH): I don't think that, as a politician, I should determine who is allowed to get married or not. The consistent libertarian position is to get government out of the marriage business altogether and eliminate the penalties government thrusts upon American citizens based off personal decisions.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Wholly legal without restriction.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): There should be no difference between a straight marriage and a gay marriage. It should simply be called 'Marriage'. Same-Sex relationships and marriages should not be restricted in any way by the government.
 * What is your position on abortion?
 * Senator Ryder: Ban after 9 weeks
 * Representative Thorpe: I have no issues with abortion. It current statue is enough and good for everyone.
 * Senator McCarthy: I am certainly pro-choice.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH): Abortion has been one of the most divisive issues in American politics since Roe vs. Wade was decided over 40 years ago. While I am personally opposed to abortions, I don't see the government as having a role in forcing its opinion upon all of the American populace.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): The government must end its war on women by providing additional funding and preventing states from placing unconstitutional restrictions on abortion. That said, the standards set out by Roe vs. Wade seem fair guidelines.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Similar to Senator Recks, I myself dislike abortion. Yet my opinion should not influence the choice of women nationwide. While I am totally opposed to abortion being used as a sort of birth control, I have yet to see it implemented in such a fashion. Abortion should be legal as long as a certified doctor says it would be safe for the woman undergoing the procedure.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY): Abortion has been a very broad and contreversial topic for many years. Since prople from different parts of the country cannot decide the national position on abortion, I propose individual states choose their position on this.
 * How much funding should Planned Parenthood receive from the federal government?
 * Senator Ryder: Some
 * Representative Thorpe: Some
 * Senator McCarthy: Not too much as to completely drain our budget, but enough so that it can continue to successfully encourage birth control and proper reproductive health services to all women in this country.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): As much as necessary to ensure that reproductive health services are widely available.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Planned Parenthood is essential to the lives of some women, it offers healthcare, not just abortions, to women that are underprivileged and should definitely be funded by the federal government.
 * What restrictions do you support on the purchase of guns and ammunition?
 * Senator Ryder: If you have been to prison for more than a year or have a mental health issue. Plus no automatic weapons otherwise go nuts.
 * Representative Thorpe: I oppose the restrictions on guns, as every American must be able to access needs to protect himself. We have the right to protect ourselves and our country.
 * Senator McCarthy: We should limit the accessibility of guns to the general public, especially former criminals and the mentally ill. The Constitution says that a "well-organized militia" should have the right to bear arms, not the general public.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): We must end the spate of recent mass shooting by drastically reducing the availability of guns, especially automatic weapons, and implementing background checks on all gun purchasers. The Second Amendment is, like any other right, qualified.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): There must be a background check implemented on the sale of all guns that would not allow those who have been to prison for a major offense or the mentally unstable to buy a gun. Also, automatic weapons must be made illegal, no one needs such a dangerous weapon, it would most definitely not be very helpful for self defense.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH): Here's the problem: the asker presumes us to support restrictions on gun ownership! We ought to be asked whether or not we support restrictions at all - and the clear answer is that any restriction on gun rights is unconstitutional! As Governor of New Hampshire, I supported open carry without licensure, and as a Senator, I've been a vocal supporter of national concealed-carry reciprocity, a fight we will win if I am elected President.
 * Should marijuana be decriminalized?
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY) - Yes, though the public must be informed of it's side effects on the human body and the ingredients in the drug. Liberterian doctrine says that Personal freedoms should not be determined by the government.
 * Senator Ryder: No
 * Representative Thorpe: No
 * Senator McCarthy: Yes. Marijuana has been proven to be less harmful for your long-term health than cigarettes and alcohol, and we could easily put a tax on marijuana in order to increase our income.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Yes, as seen in Colorado or Washington. Several other drugs should be legalized on the Portugese model and drug penalties lowered overall.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Yes, as we have seen in Ireland, were  
 * Should corporations be able to fund campaigns through PACs?
 * Senator Ryder: Yes
 * Representative Thorpe: It is a free country.
 * Senator McCarthy: I believe so. While there is a small risk of corruption, their intentions are almost always for the greater good of us politicians.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): No, corporate money is destroying the political process and making politicians beholden to wealthy interests.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY):
 * Should the NSA be able to collect phone records?
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY) - No. The government has no right to interfere with the right of the people's 4th amendment right to not have their property searched for information. The government has no right to see or hear whatever you say, think, or do.
 * Senator Ryder: If they are of suspect nature or background such as having the name Mohammed, Yes
 * Representative Thorpe: Yes, as this is an important part of the job the NSA does to protect our country against terrorism.
 * Senator McCarthy: If they are suspected terrorists or criminals, yes. Everyone else should be allowed to keep their privacy.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Only under strict judicial oversight, with the same restrictions as are applied to search warrants.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY):
 * Should the government raise the retirement age for social security?
 * Senator Ryder: No
 * Representative Thorpe: It is something we should concider.
 * Senator McCarthy: No. The age of 65 is a good enough age for us to begin providing social security, and raising the retirement age isn't going to be that beneficial to us in the long run.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY) - The government should find a way in the long run to make social security age older. When the program was adopted back in 1935, the average life expectancy was shorter than it is today. So yes, the retirement age should be moved backed one month a year until we reach a more appropriate age for our life expectancies.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): The government should be doing more, not less, to help low-incoem seniors. No.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY):
 * What steps should the government take to make college more affordable?
 * Senator Ryder: All students who wish to apply for college loans must become a reservist to receive a loan for college to be repayed in Federal taxes over their lifetime.
 * Senator McCarthy: We should limit the amount that students have to pay for tuition for college.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Preferably, by making college free as seen in Denmark or Norway, perhaps funded by a capital gains tax. In the immediate term, by subsidizing colleges and helping students pay off loans.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY):
 * Do you support the Common Core?
 * Senator Ryder: Yes
 * Senator McCarthy: As a moderate liberal, I certainly do. The Common Core provides a greater mental challenge for children to face, and in the long run it'll make our youth even smarter and more aware of the current situation our country is facing.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Yes.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY):
 * Should the government allow the Death Penalty?
 * Senator Ryder: Yes
 * Representative Thorpe: Yes
 * Senator McCarthy: I believe not. The death penalty costs us too much yearly, and is an unusually barbaric and cruel thing to do in 2016.
 * Representative Afewerek (D-MN): No. It is cruel and unusual and thus unconstitutional.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY):
 * To what extent do you support affirmative action?
 * Senator Ryder: None
 * Representative Thorpe: I have some support for it, as long as the competences of someone stay the primary focus.
 * Senator McCarthy: I believe that affirmative action is severely flawed. Instead of supporting and encouraging our minorities to engage in activities that would normally be stereotyped as nothing they could achieve, our major corporations purposely look out to employ people of color just to make them seem more racially diverse instead of hiring the most efficient person onto the job. This is an example of reverse discrimination, and it either needs to be outright abolished or significantly reformed.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): The structural obstacles to the success of minorities mean it is essential for an equitable nation.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY):
 * Do you believe global warming exists? If so, what should the government do to stop it?
 * Senator Ryder: It exists but it is the fault of China and India largely and all we can do is make moderate investments in finding green technology to replace our current tech without creating inefficiencies.
 * Representative Thorpe: Global Warming is just something made up to slow down our economy.
 * Senator McCarthy: Global warming is a huge problem in our nation, and we are the ones that primarily cause it. China and India certainly don't help the situation, but we're basically forced to deal with this ourselves as a nation. As such, we must adopt more green and environmentally-friendly energy sources and technology in order to halt global warming.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Yes, and we need to end coal power production, increase subsidies for solar and wind power, and fund sustainable technologies such as electric cars. Stric emission targets should be enforced through a cap-and-trade system.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY): Personally, I not believe that global warming exists. Climate forecasters have been calling for a catestropic increase in global tempratues for decades, but nonetheless their predictions were wrong. Also, if global warming exists, why is there a record amount of artic and antartic ice? This entire global warming idea has also called for regulation if C02 emmissions, which are essential to factories in developing countries and buisnesses. The earth has also naturally warmed and cooled down during it's history, and we are currently in a time period where it is warming up (heck, the last Ice Age was only 20,000 years ago). The public must be informed that countries and busnisesses are being crippled by regulations, and that the earth naturally warms and cools down over periods of time.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY):