Biography of Hillary Clinton

An historic return?

An historic return? Low-profile senator Early supporter of war in Iraq Reelection and a political shift

A champion and love at first sight A sense of self First Lady

Only shades of difference distinguish the platforms of the top contenders for the Democratic Presidential nomination, but Hillary Clinton stands out in one respect: she’s the only candidate seeking a return to the White House.

If Clinton is elected the country’s first woman president in November 2008, she will add another first to her already long list of accomplishments. Indeed, Clinton was the first student to speak at Wellesley College’s commencement, the first female partner at Arkansas’s prestigious Rose Law firm, the first First Lady to hold a post-graduate degree, the first former First Lady to hold a seat in the U.S. Senate, and the first former First Lady to run for president.

In the months leading up to the primaries, Clinton consistently polled ahead of the other Democratic candidates and beat them in the fundraising race. Many Democrats, however, fear that Clinton cannot win a general election. Clinton, once a darling of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, has moved to the center during her tenure in the Senate, but she remains a deeply polarizing figure. It’s fair to assume that with Clinton as the nominee, the general election would be among the most bruising in memory.