What Does the Future Hold for Hillary Clinton? She is out of politics and mostly removed from the public eye, but don’t count her out completely.
So, this raises the question: Does Hillary Clinton have any gas in the tank to challenge President Joe Biden in a Democrat primary or run if he had to pull out for some reason?
While unlikely, Joe Biden could change his mind and not run or suffer a medical issue as he is in his eighties, leaving Clinton as an option.
Would Hillary Clinton ever give it one more shot?
Throwing Shade at Vice President Kamala Harris
This is a low-probability scenario but one in which Clinton should prepare for just in case.
One thing that Clinton tried to do months back was run down Vice President Kamala Harris.
Clinton reportedly told two Democrats in a private conversation that was leaked to the press that Harris doesn’t have “the political instincts to clear a primary field.”
Shock Poll Has Clinton In Second Place
A surprising percentage of Democrat voters in a recent poll backed Clinton if Biden does not run. Months back Clinton scored 19 percent of the vote in a hypothetical race survey conducted by Premise. The poll of 2,194 people, a significant sample, rated Harris as their top choice. But Clinton topped other Democrats often mentioned who could run if Biden decided to drop out such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
What Is Occupying Her Time?
Clinton has tried to keep busy with a few projects that have escaped the public eye. She has created an alumni network called Hillaryland for people who have worked for her during her time as Secretary of State and as a U.S. Senator. The idea is to help these former employees find jobs and new opportunities.
The 2016 presidential candidate also works for a pro-democracy group called Onward Together which encourages progressives to run for office.
She has written a book about the 2016 election called What Happened. She also co-wrote a political thriller novel called State of Terror.
In January, Clinton joined Columbia University as a professor and senior fellow for presidential studies.
With all of these pastimes to keep her busy, Clinton does not appear to be readying for a new election.
You Can’t Make Me Run Again
Clinton told the media in September that she would never run for president again. In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell is she had plans for another bite of the apple, Clinton replied, “No, No.”
She Can’t Help Dinging Trump
Clinton continued the interview with a subtle dig at former President Donald Trump. “But I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that we have a president who respects our democracy and the rule of law and upholds our institutions,” Clinton said.
She Still Has Advantages in Presidential Politics
The former Secretary of State has universal name recognition, an extensive national fundraising database that she could tap for funds, and an ability to spin up a grassroots operation again.
Sore Loser and Clinton Fatigue
Of course, she has many detractors who think she is a sore loser who ran a poor campaign against Trump in 2016. There has been “Clinton fatigue” for a long time, but the polling report that has her with 19 percent backing must be music to her ears.
Pundit Dick Morris, who used to work for Bill Clinton until becoming a Conservative, predicted in September on Newsmax that Hillary would run again as a moderate and that she would lose.
Never say never in politics, but I would say it is a long shot that Clinton would enter the fray. Losing two presidential elections hurts and the scars do not go away. There are also few surrogates submitting her name as a potential candidate.
Thus, it would require a substantial amount of people to help draft her into another run. News outlets have concluded that she won’t run again. She seems to be enjoying life as a private citizen and appears to prefer authoring books to working directly in politics. Clinton may have gas in the tank, but the car is not likely to leave the garage.
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Author Expertise and Experience:
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
