2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for the 2016 US presidential elections on April 12, 2015. This is her second bid for presidency. She had earlier contested in the 2008 presidential elections; however, she lost the nomination to Democratic rival Barack Obama. In the 2016 campaign Clinton has fared well emerging as the presumptive nominee. Clinton has bagged 2,800 delegates surpassing the number required to win the nominations.
Announcement and campaign
On April 2012, 2015, Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for presidential nominations with the message that everyday Americans need a champion and she wants to be that champion. Hillary Clinton was the third candidate to announce her candidacy following Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. Just a week after Clinton made her announcement, she traveled to Iowa and New Hampshire, the two early caucus and primary states.
On June 13, 2015, Hillary Clinton held her first major campaign rally in Roosevelt Island, New York City. Some of the important issues which Clinton touched upon in her speech included income inequality in the United States, equal pay for women, paid family leave, universal pre-kindergarten, and college affordability.
Primaries and caucuses
The Iowa Caucus was held on February 1, 2016. Hillary Clinton defeated rival Bernie Sanders by a narrow margin becoming the first woman in the history of the United States to win the Iowa caucuses. Thereafter, Hillary Clinton scored victories in Nevada, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas and many other states. Hillary Clinton won in 34 states. Though Bernie Sanders gave a tough fight but in the end it was not enough as on June 7, 2016, Clinton bagged the Democratic presidential nomination. With this, she became the first woman in the history of the country to capture the presidential ticket of a major political party. As of June 8, 2016, Clinton had a total of 2,740 delegates in comparison to Bernie Sanders’ 1,824 delegates.
Issues addressed
Hillary Clinton is strongly in favor of raising middle class incomes and expanding Affordable Care Act. She also supports incentives for companies that share profits with employees. She supports same-sex marriages, believes in equal pay for equal work and has strongly focused on family issues. She has also called for an amendment that would limit unaccountable money in politics.
Hillary Clinton is very vocal on the issue of immigrants. She holds the view that undocumented immigrants should have a path to citizenship.
Endorsements
Hillary Clinton has received endorsements from a number of people ranging from politicians and businessmen to entertainers. Some of the prominent personalities who have endorsed Hillary Clinton include Lady Gaga, President Barack Obama, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Comedian Amy Schumer, George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Joe Biden, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo among others.
Funding
A news report published in April 2016 said that Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign raised $217.6 million. The amount raised by allied super PACs and other independent groups stood at $81.4 million. The campaign has spent around 86 per cent of the amount that it has raised so far and currently has $30.2 million in cash on hand.