A theory emerged over the weekend suggesting that Clinton’s victories in Tuesday’s primaries were the result of the electorate facing renewed fears of Donald Trump.
The theory suggests that the violence at the Trump rally in Chicago last week drove home the clear and present dangers of his candidacy and his presidency. Thus, Democratic voters rallied behind the mainstream candidate to prevent these dangers from becoming a reality.
There is some merit to this theory. It would be difficult to say that Donald Trump’s overwhelming presence has not at all impacted the way people vote. However, this theory largely, and inadvertently, discredits how strong Hillary Clinton is.
Hillary Clinton has a lot going for her besides being the safe mainstream candidate. This is not her first or even second time on the campaign trail. First, she participated in her husband’s campaigns before launching her own senate campaign. She also has the lessons learned in 2008 from her first presidential campaign.
Whatever her baggage, Clinton knows what she is doing on the campaign trail. That experience is what put her ahead of Bernie Sanders at the beginning of the election process. It will also be what earns her the nomination. So Sanders needs to check out some exercise bike reviews and take up a new hobby.
In this campaign cycle, Democrats have spent more time pointing out what Clinton does wrong versus what she does right. Her Democratic opponent has given voice to her criticisms. But the truth is that Clinton does enough right to earn herself the wide support and respect of the Democratic base. She has earned that with or without Trump.
In 2008, Clinton beat Obama in the Ohio primary. This year, Clinton went into Ohio and presented a proposal for igniting the lost manufacturing jobs in the state. The plan built upon the groundwork she laid in 2008. She had the support of the big unions and she walked out with a huge victory.
Of course, Gov. John Kasich has been having a public battle with the unions for the last few years. These issues undoubtedly lit the fire beneath the unions. But if one believes in the Trump theory then one might also believe that Kasich gave Ohio to Clinton.
But no one is saying Kasich scared unions into campaigning for Clinton. Clinton won Ohio on her own, just like she did in 2008.
The 2016 election is full of polarizing characters. Some voters, particularly young white voters, also find Hillary Clinton polarizing. However, she’s got two things that the other candidates do not. First, she has a long history of planning for this moment in her career. Secondly, she has the support of the Democratic party.
Donald Trump is the product of a specific moment in history. Hillary Clinton is not. Clinton reached this point in the 2016 election all on her own. Thus, her wins in Ohio and Illinois are not influenced by last week’s news cycle or Trump’s twitter feed. She is winning because her campaign is going according to plan. That is why she is still here and that is why she will be the nominee.