White House race: Major Events

2014: December 16

Another Bush-Clinton matchup: political commentators and junkies drool with glee as Jeb Bush, son and brother of former presidents, jumps into the race for the White House.

2015: March 2

The New York Times scores a big scoop with news that Clinton used a private email server while working as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Her team is caught off guard.

2015: April 12

Clinton formally announces her candidacy. At the time, Trump was not even included in polls of hopefuls who might take on the Democrat seeing to become America's first female president. A bevy of Republicans start coming forward to join the race, including Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson. The number would eventually swell to 17.

2015: June 16

In a grandiose appearance at Trump Tower, Trump shows he is not bluffing and announces his candidacy. Calls Mexicans rapists, criminals.

2015: December 7

Trump calls for a total ban on Muslims entering the United States "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." Condemnation of his idea pours in from around the world, but most Republicans welcome it.

2016: February 20

Bush drops out of the race after a poor showing. His bid for the nomination cost $152 million.

2016: May 3-4

Trump's last surviving rivals, Cruz and John Kasich, throw in the towel and Trump emerges victorious.

2016: June 7

Clinton manages to clinch enough primary delegates for the Democratic nomination, defeating Bernie Sanders. At a New York rally buzzing with enthusiasm, she trumpets that it is "the first time in our nation's history that a woman will be a major party's nominee for president of the United States."

2016: July 5

Democrats heave a sigh of relief as the FBI recommends that no charges be filed against Clinton over her private email server.

2016: Late July

Trump accepts the Republican nomination at a convention in Cleveland that is marred by missteps, while the Democratic convention in Philadelphia chooses Clinton as the first women presidential nominee of a major party.

2016: August

Trump has a very bad month: he again reshuffles his campaign staff, and is excoriated for criticizing the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq.

2016: September 11

Under a hot sun, Clinton falls ill at a ceremony honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

2016: September 26

The first presidential debate draws 84 million TV viewers. Trump loses his temper with Clinton, who comes across as well prepared and collected. She boosts her lead in the polls.

2016: October 7

A damning audio from 2005 resurfaces in which Trump boasts he can do anything to women because of his stardom. Americans are outraged. Dozens of Republicans declare themselves fed up with Trump and withdraw their support.

2016: October 28

In a gift to Trump, the FBI director announces a probe into previously undisclosed emails that he says might be pertinent to the probe into Clinton's server.