The political horse race known as the presidential election started in earnest this week with the announcements that Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Marco Rubio had entered the track.

Mrs. Clinton, a former U.S. senator and secretary of state, so far is the only Democrat to formally announce for her party’s nomination. A few others may be making their way to the starting gate.

Sen. Rubio of Florida, who announced Monday in a call to donors, is the third Republican candidate to enter the race. 

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was the first to announce, with a midnight tweet March 23, followed by a formal announcement at conservative Liberty University in Lynchburg. Students later complained that they were forced to attend his televised event.

Also running for the GOP nod is Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Nearly a dozen more Republican candidates are expected.

Even this early, the rhetoric is starting, with commentators of all political shades focusing attention more on the candidates’ gender, age and minority status than on experience, records and viewpoints.

So far, Mrs. Clinton has been called a prune, while Sen. Rubio has been called a prune wrapped in tinsel.

Some have questioned whether Mrs. Clinton will get a pass because she’s a woman, or whether the GOP will push Sens. Cruz and Rubio simply because they are Latino. Both are of Cuban extraction.

Several commentators have even questioned whether the two parties have turned to “minority” candidates to try to capture this go-round the energy — and voters — mobilized by the candidacy in 2008 and re-election in 2012 of President Obama.

Will either party — or any of the candidates — consider questions about their backgrounds out of bounds? Or will people be afraid to criticize any of the three for fear of being labeled racist or sexist?

Let’s stop the crazy right here. In nearly eight years in office, President Obama’s race has never prevented him from being criticized by people white and black. While African-Americans may be a little more circumspect in their comments about President Obama, some ultraconservative white people are still in knots about where President Obama was born.

Any man or woman who puts himself or herself forward for public office surely must understand that their lives and records will be put under the political microscope, with both fair and unfair results.

However, some segments of America are eager to exploit race, gender, sexual orientation and other things that divide us. The rhetoric and vitriol are sure to explode.

However, astute voters won’t let the noise keep them from truly understanding who the candidates are, what they stand for or believe in and, most importantly, where they want to take this nation.

We have 571 days until the November 2016 presidential election. That’s enough time to listen and learn about those in the race. Or to draft others to run.

Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, where are you?