(Chart courtesy NYT)
Mrs. Clinton’s weaknesses may not be enough to derail her primary campaign, but it may help ensure that she will not be a juggernaut in the general election. Her favorability ratings, which soared into the 60s while she was secretary of state, have already returned to the mid-40s. Those figures are far more reminiscent of recent polarizing presidential nominees who faced close elections, like Mr. Obama or Mitt Romney in 2012.
Mrs. Clinton’s chances will depend in no small part on national political conditions. The general election is still 19 months away, and much can change, but today’s political environment is consistent with a close election that might tilt slightly toward the Republicans.
This is going to be a tough fight, waged on the Democrats’ part with nothing but money, sex, and phony “War on…” memes.
But that doesn’t mean the GOP can’t win, it just means the party needs to learn how to fight in exactly the way it didn’t in 2008 and 2012.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member