Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign

Hillary for America
Campaign	U.S. presidential election, 2016
Candidate	Hillary Clinton Secretary of State (2009–13) U.S. Senator (2001–09) First Lady of the U.S. (1993–2001) First Lady of Arkansas (1983–92)
Affiliation	Democratic Party
Status	Announced: April 12, 2015 Official launch: June 13, 2015
Headquarters	1 Pierrepont Plaza Brooklyn, New York
Key people	John Podesta (chair) Huma Abedin (vice chair) Robby Mook (manager) Joel Benenson (chief strategist) Jim Margolis (media strategist) Jennifer Palmieri (communications director) Stephanie Hannon (technology) Amanda Renteria (national political director) Marc Elias (general counsel) Nick Merrill (spokesperson)
Receipts	US$159,903,967 (2016-02-29)
Slogan
Chant	I'm with Her
Website
hillaryclinton.com

The 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, the 67th United States Secretary of State, was announced in a YouTube video, on April 12, 2015. The wife of former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton was the United States Senator from New York prior to serving as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, an office she held from 2009 until 2013. The runner-up in the 2008 Democratic primaries, her candidacy in the 2016 election is her second bid for the presidency.

Background

2008 presidential run

Main article: Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2008

Clinton after winning the New Hampshire primary during her first presidential run

Clinton announced her decision to run for the 2008 presidential election on January 20, 2007. Early in the race, she was considered the frontrunner for the Democratic Party, and actively sought her party's nomination. Clinton ran ahead in the polls, until Illinois Senator Barack Obama began pulling ahead following the South Carolina primary. In the prolonged primary battle that ensued, during which she received more than 18 million votes, Clinton lost the nomination to Obama. Obama won the general election against Arizona Republican Senator John McCain on November 4, 2008.

Post-2008 election

As soon as Clinton ended her 2008 campaign there was talk of her running again in 2012 or 2016. After she ended her tenure as Secretary of State in 2013, speculation picked up sharply, particularly when she listed her occupation on social media as "TBD". In the meantime, Clinton earned over $11 million giving 51 paid speeches to various organizations. Her paid speeches to Wall Street, and Goldman Sachs in particular, would later draw criticism from campaign opponent Bernie Sanders.

Anticipating a future run, a "campaign-in-waiting" began to take shape in 2014, including a large donor network, experienced operatives, the Ready for Hillary and Priorities USA Action campaign political action committees (PACs), and other campaign infrastructure.

By September 2013, amid continual political and media speculation, Clinton said she was considering a run but was in no hurry to decide. In late 2013, Clinton told ABC's Barbara Walters that she would, "look carefully at what I think I can do and make that decision sometime next year"; and told ABC's Diane Sawyer in June 2014 that she would, "be on the way to making a decision before the end of the year".

Decision-making process

While many political analysts came to assume during this time that Clinton would run, she took a long time to make the decision. While Clinton said she spent much of the two years following her tenure as Secretary of State thinking about the possibility of running for president again, she was also noncommittal about the prospect, and appeared to some as reluctant to experience again the unpleasant aspects of a major political campaign. Those around her were split in their opinions, reportedly, with Bill Clinton said to be the most in favor of her running again, Chelsea Clinton leaning towards it, but several of her closest aides against it. She reportedly studied Obama's 2008 campaign to see what had gone right for Obama as compared to her own campaign. Not until December 2014, around the time of the Clintons' annual winter vacation in the Dominican Republic, did she say she decided for sure that she would indeed run again.

Expectations

According to nationwide opinion polls in early 2015, Clinton was considered the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. She had gained a broader sweep of early endorsements from the Democratic Party establishment in the 2016 race than she did in 2008, although she did face several primary election challengers, and, in August 2015 Vice President Joe Biden was reported to be seriously considering a possible challenge to Clinton.

Clinton has a very high name recognition of an estimated 99% (only 11% of all voters said they did not know enough about her to form an opinion) and according to Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, she has had strong support from African-Americans, and among college-educated women and single women.

In Time magazine's 2015 list of "The 100 Most Influential People", Clinton praised Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who herself was considered as a potential challenger to Clinton, for being a "progressive champion". Warren has repeatedly stated that she is not running for president, despite pressure from some progressives who have expressed concerns about Clinton's ties with Wall Street.

Announcement

Hillary for America committee logo

The Clinton campaign had planned for a delayed announcement, possibly as late as July.

On April 3, 2015, it was reported that Clinton had taken a lease on a small office at 1 Pierrepont Plaza in Brooklyn, New York City. It was widely speculated that the space would serve as her campaign headquarters. Morgan Stanley has a major office in the building, which is also the home of the law office of Loretta E. Lynch, who at the time was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and who in 2015 was sworn in as Attorney General of the United States.

On April 12, 2015, Clinton released a YouTube video formally announcing her candidacy via email. She stated that, "Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion." The week following her announcement, she traveled to early primary states, such as Iowa and New Hampshire. Clinton was the third candidate with support in national polls to announce her candidacy, following Republican Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, while Florida Senator Marco Rubio announced his candidacy on April 13, the day after Clinton. Some Democrats saw the proximity of Clinton's campaign announcement to Rubio's as advantageous, as Clinton's announcement might overshadow Rubio's.

Van tour

Hillary Clinton at an early campaign event in Iowa on April 14, 2015

Clinton began her campaign by making short trips to early primary and caucus states. Immediately following her announcement, she made a two-day road trip in a customized Chevrolet Express van, nicknamed after Scooby-Doo, going from New York to Iowa, and stopping several times along the way, including a much publicized stop at a Chipotle Mexican Grill outside Toledo, Ohio, where Clinton was not recognized by the staff. The trip gained considerable media attention and was, according her campaign, intended as a bit of political theater.

Clinton responded to very few questions from the press during the first month of her campaign. During her visits to early primary and caucus states, she did not hold any formal press conferences, and did not participate in any media interviews. On May 19, 2015, after 28 days, Clinton answered some questions from reporters at an event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Clinton's campaign announced she would make additional stops in Florida, Texas, and Missouri in May and June.

Kickoff rally

Clinton delivers the speech at her kickoff rally. The United Nations, Empire State Building, and Chrysler Building can be seen in the background.

Clinton greets the crowd following her speech.

Clinton held her first major campaign rally June 13, 2015, at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on the southern tip of New York City’s Roosevelt Island.

In her speech, Clinton addressed income inequality in the United States, specifically endorsed universal pre-kindergarten, paid family leave, equal pay for women, college affordability, and incentives for companies that provide profit sharing to employees. She did not address free trade agreements during the kickoff speech, but made statements the next day suggesting that the current negotiations should be abandoned unless improved.

The campaign said more than 5,500 people were in attendance, but estimates of crowd size by the press in attendance were less.

According to John Cassidy, staff writer at The New Yorker, Clinton, up to a point, took a populist tone:

While many of you are working multiple jobs to make ends meet, you see the top twenty-five hedge-fund managers making more than all of America’s kindergarten teachers combined. And often paying a lower tax rate. So, you have to wonder, ‘When does my hard work pay off? When does my family get ahead? When?’

Prosperity can’t be just for C.E.O.s and hedge-fund managers. Democracy can’t be just for billionaires and corporations. Prosperity and democracy are part of your basic bargain, too. You brought our country back. Now it’s time—your time—to secure the gains and move ahead.

Advertising

In August 2015, the Clinton campaign began a $2 million television advertising buy in Iowa and New Hampshire. The ads featured footage of Clinton's late mother, Dorothy Rodham, and of Clinton herself, and featured women, family, and children.

Platform

Main article: Political positions of Hillary Clinton

Clinton has focused her candidacy on several themes, including raising middle class incomes, expanding women's rights, instituting campaign finance reform, and improving the Affordable Care Act.

Given the climate of unlimited campaign contributions following the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, Clinton has called for a constitutional amendment to limit "unaccountable money" in politics.

She believes in equal pay for equal work, to address current shortfalls in how much women are paid to do the same jobs men do.

Clinton has explicitly focused on family issues and supports universal pre-K.

On LGBT rights, she wants to see the right to same-sex marriage enshrined in the constitution.

Clinton holds that allowing undocumented immigrants to have a path to citizenship "[i]s at its heart a family issue."

Clinton has expressed support for Common Core. She says, "The really unfortunate argument that's been going on around Common Core, it’s very painful because the Common Core started off as a bipartisan effort. It was actually nonpartisan. It wasn’t politicized....Iowa has had a testing system based on a core curriculum for a really long time. And [speaking to Iowans] you see the value of it, you understand why that helps you organize your whole education system. And a lot of states unfortunately haven’t had that, and so don’t understand the value of a core, in this sense a Common Core."

On December 7, 2015, in The New York Times, Clinton presented her detailed plans for regulating Wall Street financial activities and related. She proposes reining in the largest institutions to limit risky behavior, appointing strong regulators, and holding executives accountable.

Clinton is in favor of maintaining American influence in the Middle East. She opposes and criticized Trump's call to ban Muslims from the United States. She told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, "America can’t ever be neutral when it comes to Israel’s security and survival."

Strategy and tactics

Percentage of vote received by Clinton by state or territory.

  10.0–19.9%

  20.0–29.9%

  30.0–39.9%

  40.0–49.9%

  50.0–59.9%

  60.0–69.9%

  70.0–79.9%

  80.0%+

Clinton campaign strategists reportedly believed that a strong liberal campaign would mobilize the same voters who swept Barack Obama to victory in 2008 and 2012. Her strategy of embracing Obama's policies proved highly effective with African American Democratic voters in the South Carolina Democratic primary.

By March 2016 Clinton's nomination seemed likely, so efforts turned to structuring a campaign against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, and determining how to generate enthusiasm for Clinton among the Democratic electorate, which had not turned out in large numbers for primaries.

Focus on local issues

When Clinton campaigns in a state such as Mississippi she identifies local issues of interest to the Democratic voters of the state. For example, in Mississippi, she has expressed her concern about lead levels in the water in Jackson, the capital, where it is a hot issue. In other states there are other issues, whatever is the focus of attention.

Marketing

Viewed as a brand, Hillary Clinton is considered to be well-established and well-known, having been First Lady and Secretary of State. Professionals in branding and marketing, such as Wendy Clark of Coca Cola, and Roy Spence of GSD&M, have been brought into the campaign to assist with "re-branding" Clinton.

Press relations

Clinton has had an uneasy, and at times adversarial relationship with the press throughout her life in public service. Weeks before her official entry as a presidential candidate, Clinton attended a political press corps event, pledging to start fresh on what she described as a "complicated" relationship with political reporters. Clinton was initially criticized by the press for avoiding taking their questions, after which she provided more interviews.

Celebrity and security

Due to the presence of a large Secret Service detail protecting her, as well as large numbers of members of the media, there are practical obstacles to Clinton mixing and interacting with the public at events such as the Iowa State Fair; the press of people drawn to her and the size of her entourage interact badly.

Clinton Cash

In anticipation of the release of Clinton Cash by Peter Schweizer on May 5, 2015, an investigative book which suggested impropriety in donations and speaking fees paid to Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the Clinton Foundation, Clinton campaign strategists obtained a copy of the book in late April, and selectively released chapters of the book to the media, forestalling the effect of exclusive arrangements with The New York Times and The Washington Post made by the author. Opposition to the book's allegations were prepared and published on Medium, YouTube, and the candidate's website.

Fundraising

According to an article in The Washington Post, Clinton's presidential campaign is benefiting from a network of donors, whom the Post says: "Bill and Hillary Clinton have methodically cultivated donors over 40 years, from Little Rock to Washington and then across the globe. Their fundraising methods have created a new blueprint for politicians and their donors." According to the Post, by the end of September 2015, the campaign's fundraising effort for "Clinton’s 2016 White House run ... has already drawn $110 million in support".

In response to the article, a campaign spokesman said that "it would be misleading, at best, to conflate donations to a philanthropy with political giving.... And regarding the campaign contributions, the breadth and depth of their support is a testament to the fact that they have both dedicated their lives to public service and fighting to make this country stronger." As the Post article points out, fundraising for the 2016 presidential campaign exists "in a dramatically different environment" than in the past, and the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision and ruling by "the Supreme Court has made it easier for wealthy individuals, corporations and unions to spend huge, unregulated sums on political activity". In the fall of 2015, the Clinton campaign "set up a joint fundraising committee with the Democratic National Committee and 32 state committees that can accept up to $356,100 per year from an individual donor – the first 2016 candidate to pursue such a tactic. Unlike Sanders, [Clinton's campaign] has sanctioned big-money super PACs working on her behalf, including one coordinating directly with her campaign."

In the debate between Sanders and Clinton in New Hampshire prior to the New Hampshire primary Clinton, objecting to the inference that campaign contributions or speaking fees from the financial sector would influence her political decisions, characterized Sanders's references to her Wall Street connections as "'very artful smear' campaign." He responded by saying, "It’s a fact. When in the last reporting period her super PAC received $25 million and $15 million came from Wall Street, what is the smear? That is the fact."

Affiliated Super PACs

The Clinton campaign lags behind opposing Republican campaigns in gaining large donations from wealthy donors to supportive Super PACs. Many potential liberal big-money donors have not yet committed to support Clinton.

• Ready for Hillary, founded by Clinton supporters in January 2013, raised more than $5.75 million for the presumptive candidate and paid Clinton to rent the email list from her unsuccessful 2008 campaign. The Super PAC "received $133,246 from lobbying firms linked to" the GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America.
• Priorities USA Action, focused mainly on high-dollar donors, as of May 2015, had raised about $15 million in support of the Clinton campaign. Top contributors include George Soros, Haim Saban and Thomas Tull. Other major donors include Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Following Clinton's loss in the New Hampshire primary Priorities USA Action committed $500,000 to a radio campaign in South Carolina and $4.5 million to Super Tuesday primaries. As if late January the fund had $45 million.

• Correct the Record, a campaign of Democratic Super PAC American Bridge 21st Century, has a rapid-response team which collaborates with the campaign's own rapid-response team at campaign headquarters in an effort to support positive information about Clinton posted on their website while issuing quick reactions challenging negative statements made about her on their website. Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the super PAC, said "the coordination restriction would not apply because Correct the Record’s defense of Mrs. Clinton would be built around material posted on the group’s own website, not paid media."

Staff

John Podesta, Campaign Chairman

Robby Mook serves as campaign manager, and is the first openly gay person to serve in that role in a major presidential campaign.

Stephanie Hannon serves as chief technology officer, and is the first female to serve in that role in a major presidential campaign.

Other campaign staff include John Podesta as campaign chairman, Joel Benenson as chief strategist and pollster, Jennifer Palmieri as communications director, and Amanda Renteria as policy director. Longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin is the vice chairwoman of the campaign, and continues in the role she has long played for Clinton as traveling chief of staff and "body woman".

Caucuses and primaries

Hillary Clinton at the 2016 Democratic primary in New Hampshire.

Iowa

Clinton won the Iowa Democratic caucuses on February 1, 2016 with 23 delegates of the 44 delegates available. She won an estimated 49.9% of the vote, narrowly beating Bernie Sanders. This win made her the first woman to win the Iowa caucuses.

New Hampshire

Clinton lost the New Hampshire Democratic primary on February 9, 2016, receiving 9 of the 24 delegates available. She won 38.0% of the vote to Sanders's 60.4%.

Nevada

Clinton won the Nevada Democratic caucuses on February 20, 2016, receiving 20 of the 35 available delegates and an estimated 52.6% of the vote.

South Carolina

Clinton won the South Carolina Democratic primary on February 27, 2016, receiving 39 of the available 52 delegates and 73.5% of the vote. Clinton received a larger percentage of the African American vote than Obama, the first black President, did in 2008.

Alabama

Clinton won the Alabama Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 44 of the available 53 delegates and 77.8% of the vote.

American Samoa

Clinton won the American Samoa Democratic caucuses on March 1, 2016, receiving 4 of the available 6 delegates and 68.4% of the vote.

Colorado

With 99% of precincts reporting, Clinton lost the Colorado Democratic caucuses on March 1, 2016, receiving 28 of the available 66 delegates and 40.3% of the vote. A larger-than-expected turnout created delays and problems at a number of precincts, with some caucus-goers turned away. Chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party Rick Palacio said the problems were "further proof that Colorado has probably outgrown the caucus system."

Georgia

Clinton won the Georgia Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 73 of the available 102 delegates and 71.3% of the vote.

Massachusetts

Clinton won the Massachusetts Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 45 of the available 91 delegates and 50.1% of the vote.

Minnesota

Clinton lost the Minnesota Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 29 of the available 77 delegates and 38.4% of the vote.

Oklahoma

Clinton lost the Oklahoma Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 16 of the available 38 delegates and 41.5% of the vote.

Tennessee

Clinton won the Tennessee Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 41 of the available 67 delegates and 66.1% of the vote.

Texas

Clinton won the Texas Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 138 of the available 222 delegates and 65.2% of the vote.

Vermont

Clinton lost the Vermont Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving none of the available 16 delegates and 13.6% of the vote.

Virginia

Clinton won the Virginia Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 61 of the available 95 delegates and 64.3% of the vote.

Kansas

Clinton lost the Kansas Democratic caucuses on March 5, 2016, receiving 10 of the available 37 delegates and 32.3% of the vote.

Louisiana

Clinton won the Louisiana Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, receiving 35 of the available 59 delegates and 71.1% of the vote.

Nebraska

With 99% of precincts reporting, Clinton lost the Nebraska Democratic caucuses on March 5, 2016, receiving 10 of the available 30 delegates and 42.9% of the vote.

Maine

With 95% of precincts reporting, Clinton lost the Maine Democratic caucuses on March 6, 2016, receiving 9 of the available 25 delegates and 35.5% of the vote.

Democrats Abroad

Clinton lost the Democrats Abroad primary held from March 1 to 8, receiving 4 of the available 13 delegates and 31% of the vote.

Michigan

Clinton lost the Michigan Democratic primary on March 8, 2016, receiving 60 of the available 130 delegates and 48.3% of the vote.

Mississippi

Clinton won the Mississippi Democratic primary on March 8, 2016, receiving 32 of the available 36 delegates and 82.6% of the vote.

Northern Mariana Islands

Clinton won the Northern Mariana Islands Democratic caucuses on March 12, 2016, receiving 4 of the available 6 delegates and 54% of the vote.

Florida

Clinton won the Florida Democratic primary on March 15, 2016, receiving 133 of the available 214 delegates and 64.4% of the vote.

Illinois

Clinton won the Illinois Democratic primary on March 15, 2016, receiving 76 of the available 156 delegates and 50.5% of the vote.

Missouri

Clinton narrowly won in the Missouri Democratic primary on March 15, 2016, receiving 32 of the 71 available delegates and 49.6% of the vote.

North Carolina

Clinton won the North Carolina Democratic primary on March 15, 2016, receiving 59 of the available 107 delegates and 54.6% of the vote.

Ohio

Clinton won the Ohio Democratic primary on March 15, 2016, receiving 76 of the available 143 delegates and 56.5% of the vote.

Arizona

With 99% of precincts reporting, Clinton won the Arizona Democratic primary on March 22, 2016, receiving 44 of the available 75 delegates and 57.6% of the vote.

Idaho

Clinton lost the Idaho Democratic caucuses on March 22, 2016, receiving 5 of the available 23 delegates and 21.2% of the vote.

Utah

With 99% reporting, Clinton lost the Utah Democratic caucuses on March 22, 2016, receiving 6 of the available 33 delegates and 20.3% of the vote.

Alaska

Clinton lost the Alaska Democratic caucuses on March 26, 2016, receiving 3 of the available 16 delegates and 18.4% of the vote.

Hawaii

Clinton lost the Hawaii Democratic caucuses on March 26, 2016, receiving 8 of the available 25 delegates and 30.0% of the vote.

Washington

Clinton lost the Washington Democratic caucuses on March 26, 2016, receiving 9 of the available 101 delegates and 27.1% of the vote.

Wisconsin

Clinton lost the Wisconsin Democratic primary on April 5, 2016, receiving 38 of the available 86 delegates and 43.1% of the vote.

Wyoming

Clinton lost the Wyoming Democratic caucuses on April 9, 2016, receiving 7 of the available 14 delegates and 44.3% of the vote.

Delegate count

AP

As of April 14, 2016, according to the AP Delegate count, Clinton had 1,289 pledged delegates, plus the support of 469 super delegates for a total of 1,758 delegates. Sanders had 1,038 pledged delegates plus the support of 31 super delegates for a total of 1,069 delegates. 2,382 delegates are required for the nomination.

Clinton pledged/super delegates

Sanders pledged/super delegates

CNN

As of April 18, 2016, according to the CNN delegate count, Clinton had 1,304 pledged delegates, plus the support of 487 super delegates for a total of 1,791 delegates. Sanders had 1,075 pledged delegates, plus the support of 40 super delegates for a total of 1,115 delegates.

Clinton pledged/super delegates

Sanders pledged/super delegates

Health

In July 2015, Clinton became the first 2016 presidential candidate to publicly release a medical history. The Clinton campaign released a letter from her physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack of Mount Kisco, New York, attesting to her good health based on a full medical evaluation. The letter noted that there has been a "complete resolution" of a brain concussion that Clinton suffered in 2012 and "total dissolution" of prior blood clots. Bardack concluded that Clinton had no serious health issues that would interfere with her fitness to serve as president.

Email controversy

Clinton, before her official announcement, speaking to the media at the United Nations Headquarters regarding her use of a private email server while Secretary of State. Video

Main article: Hillary Clinton email controversy

In March 2015, Clinton's practice of using her own private email address and server during her time as Secretary of State, in lieu of State Department servers, gained widespread public attention. Concerns were raised about security and preservation of emails, and the possibility that laws may have been violated. Nearly 2,100 emails contained in Clinton's server were determined to be classified when the state department had an opportunity to review them. According to Clinton they were not marked classified at the time she handled them. 65 emails were found to contain information classified as "Secret", more than 20 contained "Top-Secret" information, and the rest contained "Confidential" information. Government policy, reiterated in the nondisclosure agreement signed by Clinton as part of gaining her security clearance, is that sensitive information should be considered and handled as classified even if not marked as such. After allegations were raised that some of the emails in question fell into this so-called "born classified" category, an FBI probe was initiated regarding how classified information was handled on the Clinton server.

Benghazi hearings

On October 22, 2015, Clinton testified for a second time before the Benghazi Committee and answered members' questions for more than eight hours in a public hearing. The New York Times reported that "the long day of often-testy exchanges between committee members and their prominent witness revealed little new information about an episode that has been the subject of seven previous investigations...Perhaps stung by recent admissions that the pursuit of Mrs. Clinton's emails was politically motivated, Republican lawmakers on the panel for the most part avoided any mention of her use of a private email server." The email issue did arise shortly before lunch, in a "a shouting match" between Republican committee chair Trey Gowdy and two Democrats, Adam Schiff and Elijah Cummings. Late in the hearing, Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, accused Clinton of changing her accounts of the email service, leading to a "heated exchange" in which Clinton "repeated that she had made a mistake in using a private email account, but maintained that she had never sent or received anything marked classified and had sought to be transparent by publicly releasing her emails."

According to The Hill, the hearings provided a positive momentum for Clinton's 2016 campaign, with her performance generating headlines such as "Marathon Benghazi hearing leaves Hillary Clinton largely unscathed" (CNN), and "GOP lands no solid punches while sparring with Clinton over Benghazi" (The Washington Post). Her campaign received a windfall of donations, mostly coming from new donors.

Demographics and interest groups

Relationship with African-American community

As demonstrated by the results of the South Carolina Democratic primary, where 6 out of 7 African American Democrats voted for her, Clinton has broad support in the African American community. Clinton has advocated criminal justice reform as well as support for African-American youth. She has been criticized by Michelle Alexander, a professor at Ohio State University and the author of The New Jim Crow, for positions she has taken in the past, particularly those taken in support of her husband while he was president. In February 2016 Clinton was confronted at a fundraiser in Charleston, South Carolina by a Black Lives Matter activist who brought up her past statements in support of incarceration of "super predators" which she made in support of the 1994 crime bill signed by her husband. The activist asked for an apology. Clinton later reaffirmed her support for criminal justice reform and stated that she would not use such language today.

Relationship with the LGBT community

Alternate version of Clinton's 2016 campaign logo in rainbow colors, used on Twitter and on Facebook by the campaign, after release of the candidate's April 28, 2015, statement on same-sex marriage

Hillary Clinton has long been popular in the LGBT community. Clinton has made LGBT rights a central issue in her campaign, in part because of her overwhelming support among LGBT voters and financial clout of the LGBT community. In the past few years, her public position on same sex marriage has evolved. In her Youtube announcement video for her 2016 presidential campaign, there was two same-sex couples in the video. Clinton is much more aggressively aligning herself with the LGBT community in her 2016 presidential campaign. According to Lisa Keen, the LGBT community is solidly behind Hillary Clinton in the South Carolina Democratic primary, with all the visible support in the LGBT community appearing to be behind Clinton, a phenomenon similar to that of the African American community.

The Clintons have a long history with the LGBT community. Bill Clinton was the first president to openly court LGBT voters during his first presidential election campaign. In the 1992 United States presidential election, national exit polling showed LGB voters voted for Bill Clinton by 72%. In the 1996 United States presidential election, national exit polling showed LGB voters voted for Bill Clinton by 69%.

Clinton has been supportive of many gay-rights issues over much of her career, but opposed same-sex marriage, "favoring arrangements like civil unions", a position which "largely tracked public opinion". In 2004, she opposed a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, and in 2006 she said she would not oppose an effort by New York State officials to legalize same-sex marriage. In March 2013, she formally stated her support for same-sex marriage after stepping down as Secretary of State, stating she supported it "personally and as a matter of policy and law."

On October 14, 2015, Hillary Clinton criticizes Senator Rand Paul's comments about LGBT rights. On October 23, 2015, during an interview on The Rachel Maddow Show, Hillary Clinton said that she believed her husband's reasoning for enacting the Defense of Marriage Act was a defensive action in order to prevent the political momentum to amend the Constitution of the United States of America to ban same-sex marriage.

Clinton condemned the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Senate Bill 175, the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, and the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act. She supported the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. She also endorsed the Equality Act of 2015 Proposition 1, and Florida’s Competitive Workforce Act. In December 2015, Hillary Clinton revealed a comprehensive plan for LGBT rights. The next month, the Human Rights Campaign endorsed her for president. She criticized Bernie Sanders for calling the Human Rights Campaign "part of the establishment." In a March 2016 interview with MSNBC at Nancy Reagan's funeral service, Clinton credited Reagan with starting the national conversation about AIDS. Clinton's comments drew heavy criticism from LGBT groups and the media, who said that the Reagans had ignored the issue, causing Clinton to apologize and retract her statement.

A February 2016 SCRUFF in-app survey among the 10,510 Democrat-affiliated gay men from the United States and Puerto Rico found that 63.5% supported Hillary Clinton for president, 31% supported Bernie Sanders, 6% of respondents were undecided, and only 0.6% favored other candidates. Worth noting is Hillary Clinton's sizable lead among gay men in the SCRUFF survey (32.5%) and national polls showing a much closer race. A February 2016 Community Marketing & Insights survey from 46 states found that among LGBT Americans found that 48% supported Hillary Clinton, 41% supported Bernie Sanders, 2% supported Donald Trump, 1% supported John Kasich, 1% supported Marco Rubio, 4% were undecided, and all other candidates revived less than 1% support. A February 11, 2016 survey of nearly 700 readers of the Georgia Voice found that Hillary Clinton won 54% of the vote, Bernie Sanders won 40.5% of the vote, 5.5% said they would be voting for one of the remaining Republican candidates. The vast majority of those interviewed sided with Clinton, with many claiming she is stronger on LGBT rights. An April 2016 SCRUFF New York primary survey among gay men and three transgendered people showed Hillary Clinton with 56.99% support among gay registered Democratic men, with Bernie Sanders receiving 31.63% gay registered Democratic men and all three registered Democratic transgendered people. Hillary Clinton’s support with gay Democrat men in New York is stronger than her support among the state’s Democrats overall. Bernie Sanders lead among gay registered Democrats age 18-24, with 73% supporting Bernie Sanders, but this group only comprises 5% of the overall gay registered Democratic respondents in New York. Upstate New York survey respondents are 30% more likely to support Bernie Sanders than in the New York City metro area, but Hillary still leads by double digits both upstate and downstate. Among the rest of respondents, 4.44% of gay registered Democrats were undecided, 3.92% of gay registered Republicans support Donald Trump, 1.7% of gay Republicans support John Kasich, 0.39% of gay registered Republicans support Ted Cruz, 0.52% of gay registered Republicans were undecided, 0.26% of gay registered Republicans supported other candidates, 0.13% of gay registered Democrats supported an other candidate.

Older voters

Clinton is strongly supported by older Democrats, many of whom volunteer to work in her campaign.

Endorsements

Main article: List of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign endorsements, 2016

See also

• Hillary Clinton presidential primary campaign, 2008

External links

• Official website
  • Campaign biography, "Hillary's Story"
  • "Hillary Clinton’s Vision for Renewable Power" (video)
• Official Presidential Launch Speech (45:40) – (June 13, 2015; Roosevelt Island, NYC, NY). on YouTube