U.S. presidential election (10): has Hillary Clinton’s campaign seriously faltered already?
Not really. Not yet.
The row over her private e-mail account as Secretary of State is unhelpful, but unlikely to impact on Democratic voters in the primaries; Bernie Sanders may do well in the primaries in the liberal states of New Hampshire and Iowa, but will struggle thereafter; Vice-President Joe Biden does not have the backing or the money to mount a serious challenge.
As Michael Cohen explains in this article:
“The reasons for her dominance are not difficult to figure out. She has raised the most money, she’s secured the most endorsements and quite simply there’s no one else in the party who comes close to rivalling her backing within the party. Her favourability rating among Democrats is well above 80% and she continues to lead Sanders in national polls of party members by 30-plus points.
The key to that support is, perhaps, the most important single constituency within the Democratic party – minority voters. In 2008, African Americans were the key to President Obama’s success in his hard-fought primary win against Clinton. Eight years later, those same voters are solidly in her camp – and neither Sanders, nor Biden, nor any of the other potential challengers for the nomination comes close. Clinton also enjoys a marked advantage among Hispanic voters and among Democratic women.”