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. She served as the 67th U.S. Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, a U.S. Senator representing New York, and First Lady during Bill Clinton's presidency. As a member of the Democratic Party, she secured the party's nomination in the 2016 presidential election, making history as the first woman to win a presidential nomination from a major U.S. party and the only woman to win the popular vote in a U.S. presidential election. Notably, she is the only former First Lady to have run for elected office.

Sections (6)

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

1961: Letter to NASA

Around 1961, inspired by U.S. efforts during the Space Race, Hillary Rodham 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.

1974: Bill Clinton lost Arkansas congressional race

In 1974, Bill Clinton lost an Arkansas congressional race to incumbent Republican John Paul Hammerschmidt.

November 1980: Bill Clinton defeated for re-election

In November 1980, Bill Clinton was defeated in his bid for re-election as governor of Arkansas.

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. The Clintons countered the charge by saying that state fees were walled off by the firm before her profits were calculated.

1990: Considered running for governor

In 1990, Hillary Clinton considered running for governor of Arkansas when Bill Clinton thought about not running again, but private polls were unfavorable.

August 1992: Attack from conservatives

Beginning with Daniel Wattenberg's August 1992 The American Spectator article "The Lady Macbeth of Little Rock", Hillary Clinton'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: Clinton health care plan abandoned

In September 1994, the Clinton health care plan was abandoned after failing to gather enough support in Congress.

1994: Healthcare Plan Failure

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

1994: Republican Party highlighted Clinton health care plan

In 1994, the Republican Party negatively highlighted the Clinton health care plan in their campaign for the midterm elections, contributing to the Democrats' defeat.

January 26, 1996: Testifying 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.

2000: Whitewater Controversy Final Report

In 2000, the final report regarding the Whitewater controversy was issued, stating that there was insufficient evidence that either Bill or Hillary Clinton had engaged in criminal wrongdoing.

March 2007: Clinton Calls for Gonzales' Resignation

In March 2007, Hillary Clinton called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign in response to the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy.

September 2007: Clinton Questions Petraeus's Report to Congress

In September 2007, Hillary Clinton responded to General David Petraeus's Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq, expressing skepticism by stating, "I think that the reports that you provide to us really require a willing suspension of disbelief."

2007: Democratic Presidential Nomination Competition

Throughout the first half of 2007, Hillary Clinton led in opinion polls for the Democratic presidential nomination, competing against Barack Obama and John Edwards. Obama's opposition to the Iraq War posed a significant challenge to her campaign.

2008: Presidential Run

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

August 2011: Call for Assad's Resignation

In August 2011, amidst rising government violence in the Syrian Civil War, Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration called for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to resign from the presidency.

2011: Military Intervention in Libya

In 2011, Hillary Clinton favored military intervention in Libya, aligning with Susan Rice and Samantha Power, overcoming opposition within the administration. She testified that congressional authorization was not needed. Following the intervention, the country became a failed state, leading to considerable debate.

2011: Response to Egyptian Protests

In 2011, the Egyptian protests posed a challenging foreign policy crisis for the Obama administration, with Hillary Clinton playing a key role in the U.S. response, backing some regimes while supporting protesters against others during the Arab Spring.

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 the U.S. Ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. On October 15, Clinton took responsibility for the question of security lapses.

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, which was discovered during a follow-up examination for a concussion she had sustained nearly three weeks earlier. The clot was treated with anticoagulant medication.

2012: Plan to Arm Syrian Rebels Rejected

During mid-2012, Hillary Clinton, along with CIA Director David Petraeus, formed a plan to further strengthen the Syrian opposition by arming and training vetted groups of Syrian rebels. The proposal was rejected by White House officials.

2012: Benghazi Attack

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

2012: Decline in Bilateral Relations

In 2012, bilateral relations between the U.S. and Russia declined considerably after Dmitry Medvedev's presidency ended and Vladimir Putin returned to the Russian presidency.

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. The committee was criticized as partisan.

July 15, 2015: Inspector General's Report on Emails

In a joint statement released on July 15, 2015, the inspector general of the State Department and the inspector general of the intelligence community said their review of Hillary Clinton's emails found classified information that should not have been transmitted via an unclassified personal system or stored outside secure government computer systems.

September 2015: 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 Benghazi Committee

On October 22, 2015, Hillary Clinton testified at an all-day and nighttime session before the House Select Committee on Benghazi and was widely seen as emerging largely unscathed.

February 4, 2016: Claim of No Classified Material Sent or Received

In 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

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

May 2016: State Department Criticism of Email Use

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.

June 2016: Release of Benghazi Committee Reports

In June 2016, the House Select Committee on Benghazi issued competing final reports; the Republican report offered no evidence of culpability by Hillary Clinton regarding the 2012 attack.

July 2, 2016: Repeated Claim of No Classified Material Sent or Received

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 into Hillary Clinton's email practices. In a statement, FBI director James Comey spoke about the findings.

July 6, 2016: Email Probe Closed Without Charges

On July 6, 2016, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch confirmed 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. This event occurred two weeks before the presidential election.

November 8, 2016: Defeated 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, when electors formally voted, Hillary Clinton lost five of her initial 232 votes due to faithless electors.

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.

2016: Loss of Credibility with Organized Labor

In the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton's past silence about Wal-Mart's anti-labor union practices became a factor in her loss of credibility with organized labor, contributing to her loss where slightly less than half of union members voted for Donald Trump.

2016: Email Server Controversy

Throughout her tenure as secretary of state, Clinton conducted official business exclusively through her private email server, as opposed to her government email account. The controversy occurred against the backdrop of Clinton's 2016 presidential election campaign and hearings held by the House Select Committee on Benghazi.