General Election Day is getting closer and closer. Soon, Americans will have to decide who they want to lead the country, and as of recent, the choices have slimmed down tremendously.

Earlier this month, we knew that there were three men in the running for the Republican nomination, and one woman and another man running for the Democratic nomination. However, on May 3rd, Ted Cruz abruptly ended his campaign due to Donald Trump’s victory in Indiana. In addition to Cruz’s dropout, Republican candidate John Kasich also discontinued his race to office on the day after Cruz did. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is still debating between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

According to the Washington Post, Ted Cruz, a Texan Senator, successfully gained quite a few supporters since he started his campaign thirteen months ago. He gained his followers by promoting plan that would shape the U.S. into a more conservative country. Unfortunately, the number of supporters he gained wasn’t enough. In the Indiana Primary, Donald Trump managed to receive more than 50% of the votes, while Cruz received only 36.7% (Huffington Post). His loss can be due to the fact that many voters didn’t take him seriously. Since his early days of campaigning, he has been humiliated by internet users as they make fun of his appearance and claim that he is the “Zodiac Killer.” Cruz announced his departure from the race after Trump won by a fairly large margin: “From the beginning I’ve said that I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory…tonight I’m sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed (Politico).”

It’s clear why Republican John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, terminated his campaign: he gained roughly 7% of votes in the Indiana Primary. Cruz and Kasich not only lost the presidential race, but they lost a large accumulation of money along the way. According to the Huffington Post, Ted Cruz spent $141.87 million in his conquest to gain the masses’ support, while Kasich lost around $23 million that he raised for his campaign. As a result of these losses, Donald Trump is the only man running for the Republican nomination. In fact, Trump has already shortlisted around 5-6 candidates for the post of vice-president.

Meanwhile, the Democratic candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, stand strong and continue to fight for the nomination. In the recent West Virginia primary on May 10th, Sanders beat Clinton as he gained 51.4% of the votes, while she only gained 35.8% of the votes. However, despite Sanders’ win, Clinton is still at an advantage in getting the nomination because she has about 767 more delegates than Sanders. However, there is still plenty of time for these numbers to shift.

Although many voters believed Clinton would take over the Democratic nomination quickly, Sanders has managed to stay in the game. There are many reasons Bernie Sanders has been able to last so long in the presidential election. First, voters believe that he is the victor in many of the debates against fellow nominee Hillary Clinton. He also doesn’t agree with the idea of getting a huge donation from one supporter. Clinton thrives on these huge donations from supporters. Instead, Sanders relies on raising millions of dollars with small donations. Also, to many of the young Americans out there, he appears as the only reasonable nominee. For example, his participation in the Civil Rights Movement really appeals to the young generation out there. Many believe he won’t turn into a corrupt leader (unlike his fellow nominees). Finally, Sanders’s cause has been helped because he aims to help the lower and middle classes by raising the  minimum wage and making college more affordable.

Recently, Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan signaled that the Republican Party would be working towards collaboration, courtesy of few areas of common ground. They also discussed holding a discussion for unifying the party and working towards achieving a common goal. Meanwhile, Clinton and Sanders have both tried to persuade President Obama to stop the raid of illegal immigrants.

As of now, there are three politicians in the running for the presidential office: Republican Donald Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton, and Democrat Bernie Sanders. Anything is possible as the June 7th California Primary is rapidly approaching, along with a few other primaries.

As we all take into account what each politician states, we all evaluate them and individually lean towards one candidate. So, if you had the opportunity to vote, who would you vote for?