It is the year of a new presidential election, and both parties are roaring and battling against the odds.

President Barack Obama from the Democratic Party was elected president of the United States on Nov. 4, 2008, and sworn into office Jan. 20, 2009. Mitt Romney, who was the 2003-2007 governor of Michigan, is the presidential candidate of the Republican Party.

Barack Obama

Obama was born in Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961, to Ann Durham and Barack Obama Sr. He attended Harvard Law School, where he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.

He then went on to teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago and led a movement that registered 150,000 voters in Illinois.

In 1996 he was elected to the Illinois State Senate, and in 2004, he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

In 2008, he became the 44th President of the United States.

At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Obama spoke about what he wants to see in the next few years. He said, “When all is said and done–when you pick up that ballot to vote – you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. Over the next few years, big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs and the economy; taxes and deficits; energy and education; war and peace–decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and                                                                                              our children’s lives for decades to come.”

Some of Obama’s key goals are to increase manufacturing jobs by 2016, double trade by the end of 2014 and by the next decade cut the deficit by $4 trillion.

Obama also showed his interest in helping current and future college students and teachers by setting a goal to cut college tuitions in half and increase the number of math and science teachers over the next 10 years.

Obama also said these goals and this change wouldn’t come easy. “You didn’t elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear,” he said. “It will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades. It will require common effort, shared responsibility, and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one.”

Mitt Romney

Romney was born on March 12, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan to Lenore and George. His father, who had no college degree, became the governor of Michigan. Romney graduated from college in 1971 with degrees from both Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.

He was a consultant for Bain and Company and then co founded Bain Capital in 1984. After an unsuccessful senate race, Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002.

Mitt Romney spoke at the 2012 Republican Convention about the struggles and hardships of his family and Americans.

He went on to express his love for America and his belief that Americans are unified by their differences.

Ronmey said that American is a nation of immigrants and all we, as Americans, have wanted is the betterment of our lives and our children’s lives.

Romney stated, “Unlike the President, I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs.”

He also stated that he wants to give Americans a better future, a chance for the hardworking citizen to enjoy their hard-earned money and family.

Romney also wants to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act (often referred to as ObamaCare), which would help curb spending.

Article based on information from www.barackobama.com, www.mittromney.com and www.whitehouse.org