Hillary Clinton, June 2008
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Hillary Clinton, June 2008 |
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| Hillary Clinton just concluded a historic campaign to be the first woman
candidate of the Democratic party for President of the United States.
It was a grueling, nearly two year journey - every state and
territories votes - and she rallied a coalition of core Democratic
voters to her that is unprecedented.
She received 18 million votes - more than any other candidate in Democratic primary history. No woman had EVER won a primary. She won 20 primaries. She won the big primaries in states crucial for Democratic nominees to carry in the general election. As the primary campaign came to a close, she won three of the final five primaries, two by substantial margins. Her appeal grew over the course of the campaign. No woman has ever accomplished these feats. And she did so in the face of vicious misogyny that her own party chose to ignore. But that sexist treatment angered voters and drew support to her. It was a close race, and when it was over, she delivered a gracious speech on June 7, 2008 to suspend her campaign and pledged her support to the presumptive candidate in the strongest terms - just as she said she would. In that speech, she also acknowledged what her candidacy means for women: "Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 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."
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In 1992, she said: ""Our lives are a mixture of different roles. Most of us are doing the best we can to find whatever the right balance is . . . For me, that balance is family, work, and service." Hillary is a two-term Senator from New York, the first First Lady to be elected to the U.S. Senate and the first women Senator from New York. In the Senate, she serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She served eight years as First Land of the United States (1992-2000). She is a graduate of Wellesley College, and was the first student ever asked to deliver the Commencement Speech. She received her law degree from Yale School of Law. She is a lifelong advocate for children's and women's rights, and for health care for all Americans.
She has been married to Bill Clinton (42nd President of the United States) for 33 years and has a daughter, Chelsea. She is the author of "It Takes a Village" and "Living History". She was born in 1947.