Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., aim to make history in 2016: the Democrat as the first woman to be elected president while the Republican hopes to become the first Hispanic one. But that is where the similarities end.
Clinton launched her presidential bid with aides making the announcement on Sunday. Unless something drastic happens, Clinton is well on her way to becoming the Democratic presidential nominee and she is in a far better position now to win the nomination than she was in 2008. Having been on the national political stage since 1992, Clinton is one of the most well-known political figures in the nation.
Jack Reilly, an assistant professor of political science at the New College of Florida, assessed Clintons chances on Monday.
Hillary Clintons command of the resources of the Democratic Party -- from early endorsements to fundraising prowess to popular support to a lack of serious internal competition -- suggest that she is the prohibitive favorite to win the partys nomination, Reilly said. Her apparent strength at this point in the primary race is almost unprecedented in modern American politics, and suggests that she may be able to turn her attention to the general election well before her eventual Republican counterpart.
Rubio has scheduled his kickoff for Monday at an event at the Freedom Tower in Miami, a far bigger production than Clintons launch over the weekend. Having been in the Senate only since 2010, Rubio is far less known but, as his win over then-Gov. Charlie Crist shows, he is a skilled campaigner.
Marco Rubio forms one of the more unknown but promising potential candidates for the Republican Party, Reilly noted. At this early stage, he is one of the few Republicans with net-positive favorability ratings among the general American public, and loose polling of the Republican Party indicates that many think of him as the right mix between conservative and moderate. Much of this, however, is due to his lack of a significant national profile yet, which is both a strength and weakness. Rubio will have to work to define his candidacy in a compelling way to the Republican electorate -- no easy task given current divides in the party -- and hope that the dynamics of the chaotic Republican field and primary race end up favoring him."
Another major difference between the two new candidates is their ages. Rubio turns 44 next month while Clinton is 67: a stark contrast between the Republicans usually naming older candidates like Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain and Mitt Romney while Democrats opt for younger candidates like John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Yet another difference is where they are positioned in their partys primaries. Clinton crushes her Democratic rivals in every poll. Rubio is usually in the middle of the pack though most national pundits have him in at the bottom of the first tier or the top of the second, behind former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., and Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
