*This article does not represent the views of Her Campus FSU
If you spend more than five minutes on campus, you’ll see plenty of support for Bernie Sanders. Bumper stickers on what seems like every other car, t-shirts and of course the endless Facebook posts. If you didn’t know better, you would think that Bernie is the only candidate running for the Democratic nomination.
But there is another candidate. A candidate who is running on a platform of raising the minimum wage, enacting major criminal justice reform, ending the gender pay gap, fighting climate change, making college affordable, gun control and other important progressive goals. A candidate who has served as First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State, and is considered by many to be one of the most qualified candidates to run for president in modern history. So where is the love for Hillary Clinton?
Among college students, support for Clinton is practically eclipsed by the fervor for Sanders. (In some circles, it goes further than lack of support for Clinton and dips into pure vitriol, but that’s a topic for another day.) Despite winning by huge margins with key Democratic voting blocks like minorities and moderates, Clinton has consistently lost the “millennial” vote to Sanders. The split in support from college students is apparent even in states where she won the overall vote, like in Nevada, where Sanders carried a whopping 82% of 18-29 year old Democratic primary voters.
While Hillary Clinton is currently leading Bernie Sanders in delegates, the race for the Democratic nomination is far from over, especially in light of Sanders’ recent upset win in Michigan. On March 15th, Florida – along with Ohio, Illinois and Missouri – will hold a primary with almost 250 delegates at stake. And I, a millennial and a self-described “bleeding heart liberal,” will be casting my vote for Hillary. It’s not because I think Bernie is a bad candidate. It’s because I believe that Hillary Clinton is the better candidate.
Courtesy: Philly Mag
Hillary Clinton has spent her entire life as a public servant. As a young law student, she went undercover to investigate schools in Alabama that were accused of racial discrimination. As First Lady, she fought for health care reform, leading to the creation of the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Hillary also traveled to Beijing for the United Nations World Conference on Women, and delivered an iconic speech on women’s rights.
Courtesy: Hillary Clinton
As a United States Senator representing New York, she fought for health care for 9/11 first responders, helped expand broadband to rural areas, and was involved in a Farm-to-Fork program, which allowed local farmers and producers to get their products in restaurants and urban markets. After failing to win the nomination in 2008, she agreed to serve as her one-time rival Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, where she added jumpstarting the negotiations that led to the treaty with Iran, initiatives to increase women in public service, and fighting for LGTB rights worldwide and to her resume. And that’s just the highlight reel.
Not only is Hillary Clinton extremely, indisputably qualified, but she’s also one tough cookie. She has endured conspiracy theories, obstructionism, and some seriously slimy personal attacks over the course of her political career. Hillary would be able to handle Donald Trump’s (or any other Republican’s) mudslinging with ease.
Courtesy: Hillary Clinton
In terms of the primary race, Hillary has been racking up endorsements left and right. The Congressional Black Caucus, The Human Rights Campaign, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, and the majority of congressional democrats have all endorsed her. More importantly, Hillary has raised $18 million for “down-ticket” races, which will help fellow Democrats get elected, which is something that is majorly important if a Democratic president wants to get anything through congress. Instead of a “political revolution” that hinges on unprecedented voter turnout, Hillary can lead a broad coalition of moderate and liberal Democrats and left-leaning Independents to pass meaningful reform. Instead of banking everything on having a supermajority of not just Democrats, but far-left Democrats, Hillary can reach across the aisle to moderate Republicans to enact bipartisan reform.
Building on the progress we’ve already made is not as exciting as a political revolution, but it is doable, and that’s the main difference between the two candidates. Both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have a vision for a more progressive, inclusive and fair America – they share a 93 percent similar voting record – but Hillary Clinton can make that vision a reality. A lot of pundits have characterized the race for the Democratic nomination as a choice between the head and the heart, but the race for the White House is about more than just policy and sound bites. It’s about a chance to make substantial progress. It’s about nominating up to three Supreme Court judges. It’s about the American people coming together to reject bigotry, false bravado and former reality TV stars potentially having access to our nuclear arsenal.
I firmly believe that you should vote for the most qualified candidate that represents your interests. I believe that you should vote not just for yourself, but also with every other citizen of this country in mind. I believe you should vote with your head and your heart. That’s why I’m voting for Hillary Clinton.