By Renee Baharaeen, AASCU Civic Engagement Intern and Truman State University Student

With the upcoming 2016 presidential election approaching, several politicians have recently declared their candidacy for President of the United States. Although it is still early, it is important to pay attention to the ideas each candidate holds in regard to their vision for the country.

A pressing issue facing America is economic inequality. ADP and TDC recently launched their joint Economic Inequality initiative, making this a timely issue. Although some argue economic mobility is not of public concern, others say the issue is gaining attention and that Americans believe there is a problem with the wealth gap (Nyhan, 2015; Blake, 2015). In past years, this issue has not received a lot of focus by a majority of candidates; however, current presidential candidates from both major political parties have recently addressed the topic.

The following information is an overview of some of the front runners’ thoughts from each major political party in regard to inequality, which is likely to remain a key topic in the 2016 presidential race.

Republican Candidates:

Jeb Bush has taken a stance on the economic inequality that differs from the usual Republican position. Instead of citing unemployment statistics, Bush’s approach has been discussing the economic advancements in the country and how they have only been working for the more affluent families (Martin, 2015). His website discusses issues of poverty as a concern. He believes if Americans are working harder, then the government leaders need to offer a plan to fix the situation, or step aside. Voters should be aware of the rhetoric in Bush’s approach. When asked about specifics of his policies, he did not offer a clear explanation as to if he would work to develop policies focused on assisting those at the bottom or favor cutting taxes across the board.