Hillary Clinton 2016: Guess Whose Endorsement She Just Scored?

Impact

Hillary Clinton, has so far received several endorsements for a potential 2016 presidential campaign, including one that came just after the 2012 elections from the Buffalo News. More recently, though, the media has its eye on a new endorsement by Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, who has become the first sitting member in Congress to show support for the potential Clinton 2016 presidential campaign.

Interestingly, McCaskill chose to endorse Barack Obama rather than Hillary in 2008, a decision she backed with the following statement

"I have deep respect for Hillary Clinton. She's a smart woman and a strong leader, but at this moment in history it is very important that we look forward with optimism and hope that we've not been able to gin up in this country for a while."

At this point, McCaskill now considers Clinton fit for the presidency (although one could argue that she was sufficiently qualified in 2008) and claimed that "there is nobody better equipped to be our next president."

Given that she now has a couple more years of experience in the White House under her belt, Hillary is undoubtedly prepared to enter as the top contender for the Democratic Party.

The former secretary of state has not yet confirmed her candidacy but her supporters are eager to get her campaign prepared and running in full swing. 

With McCaskill's support of the Ready For Hillary super PAC, any work done this early in the game will undoubtedly give Hillary a significant boost in the 2016 elections if she decides to run.

However, this boost will not only come from vigorous campaigning and grass-root  support. What makes McCaskill's endorsement special, besides its timing, is the fact that she is senator of Missouri, a state that will likely be considered a battleground state in the 2016 elections. 

In the 2008 elections, Missouri was a major swing state; McCain ultimately won the state by only less than 4,000 votes. Romney did, however, win the electoral votes by 53%, a considerable percentage greater than Obama’s 42.8%. Nevertheless, the Senate election in which McCaskill, a moderate Democrat, won s several typically Republican areas in the state raises the possibility that Missouri will be a particular area of interest for the 2016 presidential candidates. 

If constituents in Missouri continue to vote as they had in the 2008 elections, a top candidate like Hillary Clinton paired with strong support from the state's Senator McCaskill could tip the state in favor of a Democratic president in 2016. Now, it is up to Hillary to declare her candidacy and show constituents that she is fit to assume the position as the Democratic nominee for the presidential race and perhaps thereafter as the POTUS.