Challenges Faced by Hillary Clinton: Obstacles and Turning Points

Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Hillary Clinton. A timeline of obstacles and growth.

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat with a long and impactful career. She served as the 67th United States Secretary of State, a U.S. Senator representing New York, and First Lady of the United States. As a member of the Democratic Party, she secured the party's nomination in the 2016 presidential election, marking her as the first woman to achieve this milestone for a major U.S. party and the only woman to win the presidential popular vote, although she lost the electoral college to Donald Trump. Clinton is also the only First Lady to have sought elected office.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1961: Letter to NASA

Around 1961, Hillary Rodham Clinton sent a letter to NASA asking what she could do to become an astronaut, only to be informed that women were not being accepted into the program.

1978: Cattle futures trading controversy

In 1978, Hillary Clinton was involved in the Hillary Clinton cattle futures controversy, which related to cattle futures trading.

1979: Cattle futures trading controversy

In 1979, Hillary Clinton was involved in the Hillary Clinton cattle futures controversy, which related to cattle futures trading.

1986: Accusation of conflict of interest.

In 1986, Bill Clinton's Republican opponent in his gubernatorial reelection campaign accused the Clintons of conflict of interest because Rose Law did state business.

August 1992: The Lady Macbeth of Little Rock

Beginning with Daniel Wattenberg's August 1992 The American Spectator article "The Lady Macbeth of Little Rock", Hillary's own past ideological and ethical record came under attack from conservatives.

April 1994: Approval ratings fell

In April 1994, Hillary Clinton's approval ratings fell to 44 percent.

September 1994: Health care plan abandoned

In September 1994, the Clinton health care plan was abandoned due to a lack of support in Congress.

1994: Healthcare Plan Failed to Gain Approval

In 1994, Hillary Clinton's health care plan failed to gain approval from Congress.

1994: Clinton health care plan negatively highlighted

In 1994, the Republican Party negatively highlighted the Clinton health care plan in their campaign for the midterm elections.

January 26, 1996: Testified before a federal grand jury

On January 26, 1996, Hillary Clinton became the first spouse of a U.S. president to be subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury as part of the Whitewater controversy investigation.

June 1996: Discovery of improper White House access to FBI background reports

In June 1996, the "Travelgate" investigation led to the discovery of improper White House access to hundreds of FBI background reports on former Republican White House employees, an affair that some called "Filegate".

2000: Fundraising Groups Oppose Clinton's Senate Run

When Hillary Clinton ran for Senate in 2000, several fundraising groups such as Save Our Senate and the Emergency Committee to Stop Hillary Rodham Clinton sprang up to oppose her.

2001: Controversy over White House gifts

In early 2001, a controversy arose over gifts sent to the White House during Bill Clinton's last year in office, questioning whether the furnishings were White House property or the Clintons' personal property, and their subsequent shipment to the Clintons' private residence.

October 2002: Voted for Iraq War Resolution

In October 2002, Hillary Clinton voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution, which authorized President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq.

2005: Expressed concerns with the USA Patriot Act

In 2005, Hillary Clinton expressed concerns with the USA Patriot Act Reauthorization Conference Report regarding civil liberties.

2007: Led in Democratic Presidential Nomination Opinion Polls

Throughout the first half of 2007, Hillary Clinton led candidates competing for the Democratic presidential nomination in opinion polls for the election. Barack Obama and John Edwards were her strongest competitors.

2008: Ran for president

In 2008, Hillary Clinton ran for president, but lost to Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries.

2008: Third place finish in Iowa caucus, surprise win in New Hampshire

In the first vote of 2008, Hillary Clinton placed third in the January 3 Iowa Democratic caucus. On January 8, 2008, Clinton gained a surprise win in the New Hampshire primary, narrowly defeating Obama.

2011: Response to Egyptian Protests

In 2011, the Egyptian protests posed a foreign policy crisis for the Obama administration. Hillary Clinton's response evolved from assessing Mubarak's government as "stable" to supporting an "orderly transition".

September 11, 2012: Attack on U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi

On September 11, 2012, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked, resulting in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

December 2012: Hospitalization for Blood Clot

In December 2012, Hillary Clinton was hospitalized for a few days for treatment of a blood clot in her right transverse venous sinus. Her doctors had discovered the clot during a follow-up examination for a concussion she had sustained when she fainted and fell nearly three weeks earlier, as a result of severe dehydration from a viral intestinal ailment acquired during a trip to Europe.

2012: Benghazi Attack Criticism

In 2012, Hillary Clinton was harshly criticized by Republicans for the failure to prevent or adequately respond to the Benghazi attack.

2012: Attack on U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi

On September 11, 2012, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked, resulting in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

January 23, 2013: Testimony to congressional committees regarding Benghazi attack

On January 23, 2013, Hillary Clinton gave testimony to two congressional foreign affairs committees regarding the Benghazi attack, defending her actions and accepting formal responsibility. She famously questioned "What difference at this point does it make?" regarding the cause of the attack.

May 2014: Creation of House Select Committee on Benghazi

In May 2014, the Republican-led House Select Committee on Benghazi was created to conduct a two-year investigation related to the 2012 attack.

2014: Reversed position on Iraq War Resolution

By 2014 Hillary Clinton had fully reversed herself on the Iraq War Resolution, saying she "got it wrong".

July 15, 2015: Inspector General Review of Emails

On July 15, 2015, the inspector generals of the State Department and the intelligence community found that Hillary Clinton's emails contained information that was classified when sent and should not have been transmitted via an unclassified system, sparking controversy.

September 2015: Clinton's Favorability Ratings Slump

By September 2015, with her 2016 presidential campaign underway and beset by continued reports regarding her private email usage at the State Department, Hillary Clinton's favorability ratings had slumped to some of her lowest levels ever.

October 22, 2015: Testimony before the House Select Committee on Benghazi

On October 22, 2015, Hillary Clinton testified at an all-day and nighttime session before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

2015: Reversed position on Iraq War Resolution

By 2015 Hillary Clinton had fully reversed herself on the Iraq War Resolution, saying the vote in support had been a "mistake".

February 4, 2016: Statement on classified material

During a Democratic debate with Bernie Sanders on February 4, 2016, Hillary Clinton said, "I never sent or received any classified material—they are retroactively classifying it."

February 2016: Retroactive Classification of Emails

In February 2016, The New York Times reported that nearly 2,100 emails stored on Hillary Clinton's server were retroactively marked classified by the State Department, further fueling the email controversy.

May 2016: State Department Inspector General Criticism

In May 2016, the inspector general of the State Department criticized Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, stating that she had not requested permission for this and would not have received it if she had asked.

July 2, 2016: Statement on Classified Information

On July 2, 2016, Hillary Clinton stated: "Let me repeat what I have repeated for many months now, I never received nor sent any material that was marked classified."

July 5, 2016: FBI Concludes Email Investigation

On July 5, 2016, the FBI concluded its investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server.

July 6, 2016: Email probe closed without charges

On July 6, 2016, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch confirmed that the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of private email servers would be closed without criminal charges.

October 28, 2016: FBI Reopens Clinton Email Investigation

On October 28, 2016, FBI Director James Comey notified Congress that the FBI had begun looking into newly discovered emails related to Hillary Clinton.

November 8, 2016: Defeat in Presidential Election

On November 8, 2016, Hillary Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump in the presidential election, despite winning the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes.

December 19, 2016: Faithless Electors

On December 19, 2016, Hillary Clinton lost five electoral votes due to faithless electors when electors formally voted.

2016: Loss of credibility with organized labor

According to the journalist Dan Kaufman, awareness of Hillary Clinton's silence about Wal-Mart's anti-labor union practices became a factor in her loss of credibility with organized labor, helping contribute to her loss in the 2016 election.

2016: Private Email Server Controversy

During her time as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton conducted official business exclusively through her private email server. In 2016 some experts, officials, members of Congress and political opponents contended that her use of private messaging system software and a private server violated State Department protocols and procedures, and federal laws and regulations governing recordkeeping requirements.

2016: Maintained Low Profile

Hillary Clinton maintained a low profile in the months following her defeat in the 2016 presidential election.

2016: Presidential Nominee

In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the Democratic Party's nominee in the presidential election, becoming the first woman to win a presidential nomination by a major U.S. political party and the only woman to win the popular vote for U.S. president. She lost the election to Donald Trump.

2016: Second Presidential Run

In 2016, Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary was the subject of intense scrutiny during her second presidential run. She won the Democratic nomination, but lost the general election to Donald Trump.