The 2016 Democratic Party Primary

Incumbents are more likely to win elections; therefore, the Democratic Party will have a tougher fight in 2016 than they did in 2012 in order to win the White House for at least four more years because there will be no incumbent candidate in the running. With Barack Obama’s second term coming to a close, the Democratic Party will have to nominate a candidate to run against the Republican challenger in the 2016 presidential election. Even though the election is three years away in a volatile political world, I believe that there are really only two potential candidates that have a chance at getting the Democratic nomination.

Hillary Clinton has an extended history in American politics and is the clear cut choice for the Democratic nomination. Clinton was the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, a United States Senator from 2001 to 2009, and the US Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. Even when she was the First Lady she played an active role in US public policy. Her most obvious strength is her political experience; there will be no other candidate in the election, Democrat or Republican, with a résumé like Hillary Clinton’s. Her weakness may be general distrust by Republicans as well as her connection to the attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya in 2012.

Though Hillary is a strong ticket for the Democratic nomination, she should be wary of Elizabeth Warren. Elizabeth Warren is currently a United States Senator from the state of Massachusetts who specializes in economic regulation. Warren was instrumental in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a new federal agency designed to protect consumers in the United States. Warren’s greatest strength is her newfound popularity within the Democratic Party; she is the current face of the Democratic Party with Hillary temporarily out of politics. Her progressive status will be a great asset in the primary, but could be detrimental in the general election, where she risks being seen as a fringe candidate.

Ultimately, the Democratic primary is Hillary’s election to lose. Clinton is extremely popular with the current democratic base and has an extremely strong résumé to boost. Warren is also popular among similar demographics as Hillary but is not as established in the political world; she may make for a better candidate in a future election. Regardless, I believe that either of these two candidates have the potential to give the Republican candidate a run for his/her money in 2016.