Hillary Clinton 2024? Don't Count on It
The idea that Hillary Clinton could mount another presidential campaign in 2024 has become the subject of debate in recent days following an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.
That op-ed, by pollster Doug Schoen and former New York City Council president Andrew Stein, argued that Clinton could be well placed to run for the Democratic nomination if President Joe Biden declines to seek a second term.
The article has sparked criticism and some mockery since it was published on January 11, while the 2016 candidate herself has expressed no interest in running for a third time.
The former secretary of state appeared to rule out a return to electoral politics the year after she lost to Donald Trump.
"As an active politician, it's over," Clinton told CBS' Sunday Morning in September 2017.
"I am done with being a candidate. But I am not done with politics because I literally believe that our country's future is at stake," she said.
Clinton will also be 77 years old in October 2024 and President Biden's age has been an ongoing source of speculation and comment. He is 79.
Betting odds and polling data—which is limited—also indicate that the former first lady would face a considerable uphill struggle if she were to throw her hat into the ring.
Although there has been some recent polling on voters' preferences for the 2024 Democratic nomination, Clinton's name has rarely appeared as a viable option.
A University of Massachusetts Amherst/YouGov poll conducted from December 14 to 20, 2021, asked 491 respondents who they would prefer as the Democratic Party's 2024 nominee.
Just 6 percent said Clinton was their first choice, compared to 40 percent for Biden, 10 percent for Vice President Kamala Harris and 18 percent for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Clinton also placed behind Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on 10 percent, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on 9 percent and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on 7 percent.
The former secretary of state has not featured in other recent polling about the 2024 nomination. A Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted from December 11 to 13 asked respondents who they would choose if Biden did not run again.
Clinton was not among the seven named candidates, some of whom recorded as little as 3 percent support, though she may have been contained in the "others" category, which accounted for 5 percent. Another 25 percent of respondents opted for "not sure."
She fares little better when it comes to betting odds. Bookmaker Betfair gives Clinton odds of 45-1 on being the next Democratic presidential candidate and 50-1 on winning the 2024 election.
Betfair also gives Kanye West odds of 50-1 on winning the next election. By comparison, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has odds of 40-1 and Fox News host Tucker Carlson's odds stand at 33-1.
