10 Women Who Could Be President in 2017
Today (March 8th) is International Women's Day, and the theme for 2014 is "Inspiring Change". In the 2008 Presidential election, Barack Obama campaigned as the candidate of change, but it was Hillary Rodham Clinton who famously said:
“Although we were not able to shatter that highest and hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you it has 18 million cracks in it, and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time, and we are going to keep working to make it so, today keep with me and stand for me, we still have so much to do together, we made history, and lets make some more.”
I'm reluctant to comment in this blog on contemporary politics because it can tend to evoke visceral and angry reactions. (I've been accused of both having a right-wing bias and of being part of a "liberal love-in"), but nevertheless, I've decided to step out on a limb and list 10 women (5 from each of the major parties) who could be president in 2017 (when the next inauguration takes place.) Please comment with anyone that you think I've left out, and feel welcome to weigh in with your own predictions.
1. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Okay, this one is rather obvious. The former first lady served as the Democratic Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009 and as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. (The last Secretary of State to win the Presidency was James Buchanan by the way). She finished a close second for the Democratic nomination in 2008, and the most recent RealClearPolitics polls have her as the leading candidate for the nomination by a whopping first place vote of between 67 and 73%. She would be 69 years old at inauguration, the same age as Ronald Reagan. I'd say she has the best chance of any of the women on this list.
2. Nikki Haley: The Republican Governor of South Carolina was on the short list to be Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012. She is the youngest current governor in the United States and is one of two sitting governors in the United States to be of Indian (i.e. from India) ancestry. She has garnered support from across the spectrum including the Tea Party and moderates like Romney.
3. Elizabeth Warren: The Democratic Senator from Massachusetts defeated Scott Brown in 2012, making her the first female senator from the state. She is currently third on RealClearPolitics' polls for candidates for her party's nomination in 2016 (behind Clinton and Joe Biden). She is a Harvard law professor who is recognized as a leading consumer protection advocate. Now 64, she has recently championed the raising of the minimum wage.
4. Condoleezza Rice: The former Secretary of State and National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush has never held elected political office, but she has show herself capable of delivering political speeches as evidenced in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 campaigns. Now 59 year of age, her extensive foreign policy experience would give her an advantage over many other candidates, and Republicans would hope that as an African-American, she would broaden the party's appeal to a more diverse base. Depending on what happens in the next few years, voters with a distaste for the last Bush administration may view Rice's involvement as being in the distant past.
5. Kathleen Sebelius: The portfolio of Secretary of Health has attracted a higher profile during President Obama's administration, though this might not necessarily be an asset. But Kathleen Sebelius had the political skills to be elected Governor as a Democrat for two terms in that reddest of red states Kansas. As former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, she probably has a Rolodex full of potential supporters. Nobody has really mentioned her as having an interest, but if she decided to run, she would have an impressive resume to back up her bid for the presidency.
6. Kelly Ayotte: This Republican Senator from New Hampshire (an important primary state) was also on the short list of potential Romney running mates in 2012. She is a former state Attorney-General and has been ranked number 1 in an August 2013 cover story by Newsmax magazine about the 25 most influential women in the GOP. She holds a number of positions that would enable her to attract support from the GOP base, though these same positions may be problematic in the general election. Expect her name to be mentioned in some important capacity in the 2016 election campaign.
7. Kirsten Gillibrand: She was chosen to complete Hillary Clinton's term as the junior senator from New York before winning the seat in her own right in 2012, with a whopping 72% of the vote. In her brief time in the senate she has championed such causes as the rights of sexual assault victims in the military, increasing the minimum wage and the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell." She represented New York's 20th congressional district, from 2007 to 2009 and is definitely seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party.
8. Mary Fallin: The Republican Governor of Oklahoma since her election in 2010 has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016. She is the current chairperson of the National Governors Association and a former two-term congresswoman. She has a reputation as being a fiscal conservative and she has also been a supporter of many issues that appeal to the right side of the political spectrum. For example she recently clashed with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on the issue of providing family benefits to members of the national guard who are part of same-sex couples.
9. Janet Napolitano: She is currently the President of the University of California, but has served as the Democratic Governor of Arizona and as the first female Secretary of Homeland Security. In 2012 Forbes magazine ranked her as the 9th most powerful woman in the world. She has served as chair of the National Governors Association. In 1991 she was one of the lawyers representing Anita Hill. Her combined national security experience and state executive experience would give her an advantage over many of her opponents in a potential nomination fight.
10. Susanna Martinez: This current Republican Governor of New Mexico would have a distinct advantage over many of her opponents for the GOP nomination in that she would have appeal to Latino voters who are so desperately needed if the Republican party hopes to expand its bases. The importance of this voting demographic was very apparent in the 2012 election. Martinez was named one of Time Magazine's 100 influential people in the world in 2013. As governor she has signed an executive order rescinding sanctuary status for illegal immigrants who commit crimes in New Mexico and she has pushed for education reform. Martinez has one of the highest approval rating of current governors in the United States. Her approval ratings have not dropped below 60% in her tenure as governor.
Poll Female Presidential Candidates
(*My apologies for misspelling Kirsten Gillibrand's first name in this poll, which unfortunately can't be edited without redoing the entire poll.)
There you have it, these are 10 names that I have come up with, but perhaps you can think of others that I have left out. Please feel welcome to comment, and please vote in the poll behind the cut too.
“Although we were not able to shatter that highest and hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you it has 18 million cracks in it, and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time, and we are going to keep working to make it so, today keep with me and stand for me, we still have so much to do together, we made history, and lets make some more.”
I'm reluctant to comment in this blog on contemporary politics because it can tend to evoke visceral and angry reactions. (I've been accused of both having a right-wing bias and of being part of a "liberal love-in"), but nevertheless, I've decided to step out on a limb and list 10 women (5 from each of the major parties) who could be president in 2017 (when the next inauguration takes place.) Please comment with anyone that you think I've left out, and feel welcome to weigh in with your own predictions.
1. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Okay, this one is rather obvious. The former first lady served as the Democratic Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009 and as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. (The last Secretary of State to win the Presidency was James Buchanan by the way). She finished a close second for the Democratic nomination in 2008, and the most recent RealClearPolitics polls have her as the leading candidate for the nomination by a whopping first place vote of between 67 and 73%. She would be 69 years old at inauguration, the same age as Ronald Reagan. I'd say she has the best chance of any of the women on this list.
2. Nikki Haley: The Republican Governor of South Carolina was on the short list to be Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012. She is the youngest current governor in the United States and is one of two sitting governors in the United States to be of Indian (i.e. from India) ancestry. She has garnered support from across the spectrum including the Tea Party and moderates like Romney.
3. Elizabeth Warren: The Democratic Senator from Massachusetts defeated Scott Brown in 2012, making her the first female senator from the state. She is currently third on RealClearPolitics' polls for candidates for her party's nomination in 2016 (behind Clinton and Joe Biden). She is a Harvard law professor who is recognized as a leading consumer protection advocate. Now 64, she has recently championed the raising of the minimum wage.
4. Condoleezza Rice: The former Secretary of State and National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush has never held elected political office, but she has show herself capable of delivering political speeches as evidenced in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 campaigns. Now 59 year of age, her extensive foreign policy experience would give her an advantage over many other candidates, and Republicans would hope that as an African-American, she would broaden the party's appeal to a more diverse base. Depending on what happens in the next few years, voters with a distaste for the last Bush administration may view Rice's involvement as being in the distant past.
5. Kathleen Sebelius: The portfolio of Secretary of Health has attracted a higher profile during President Obama's administration, though this might not necessarily be an asset. But Kathleen Sebelius had the political skills to be elected Governor as a Democrat for two terms in that reddest of red states Kansas. As former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, she probably has a Rolodex full of potential supporters. Nobody has really mentioned her as having an interest, but if she decided to run, she would have an impressive resume to back up her bid for the presidency.
6. Kelly Ayotte: This Republican Senator from New Hampshire (an important primary state) was also on the short list of potential Romney running mates in 2012. She is a former state Attorney-General and has been ranked number 1 in an August 2013 cover story by Newsmax magazine about the 25 most influential women in the GOP. She holds a number of positions that would enable her to attract support from the GOP base, though these same positions may be problematic in the general election. Expect her name to be mentioned in some important capacity in the 2016 election campaign.
7. Kirsten Gillibrand: She was chosen to complete Hillary Clinton's term as the junior senator from New York before winning the seat in her own right in 2012, with a whopping 72% of the vote. In her brief time in the senate she has championed such causes as the rights of sexual assault victims in the military, increasing the minimum wage and the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell." She represented New York's 20th congressional district, from 2007 to 2009 and is definitely seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party.
8. Mary Fallin: The Republican Governor of Oklahoma since her election in 2010 has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016. She is the current chairperson of the National Governors Association and a former two-term congresswoman. She has a reputation as being a fiscal conservative and she has also been a supporter of many issues that appeal to the right side of the political spectrum. For example she recently clashed with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on the issue of providing family benefits to members of the national guard who are part of same-sex couples.
9. Janet Napolitano: She is currently the President of the University of California, but has served as the Democratic Governor of Arizona and as the first female Secretary of Homeland Security. In 2012 Forbes magazine ranked her as the 9th most powerful woman in the world. She has served as chair of the National Governors Association. In 1991 she was one of the lawyers representing Anita Hill. Her combined national security experience and state executive experience would give her an advantage over many of her opponents in a potential nomination fight.
10. Susanna Martinez: This current Republican Governor of New Mexico would have a distinct advantage over many of her opponents for the GOP nomination in that she would have appeal to Latino voters who are so desperately needed if the Republican party hopes to expand its bases. The importance of this voting demographic was very apparent in the 2012 election. Martinez was named one of Time Magazine's 100 influential people in the world in 2013. As governor she has signed an executive order rescinding sanctuary status for illegal immigrants who commit crimes in New Mexico and she has pushed for education reform. Martinez has one of the highest approval rating of current governors in the United States. Her approval ratings have not dropped below 60% in her tenure as governor.
Poll Female Presidential Candidates
(*My apologies for misspelling Kirsten Gillibrand's first name in this poll, which unfortunately can't be edited without redoing the entire poll.)
There you have it, these are 10 names that I have come up with, but perhaps you can think of others that I have left out. Please feel welcome to comment, and please vote in the poll behind the cut too.