First lady perceived as a “warmer, less calculating” Hillary Clinton
Bush justified her last-minute entry into the Democratic fray by a sudden epiphany she had while thinking about the Democratic frontrunner: Bush perceived a need to offer ordinary Iowan women a female candidate who they can relate to—one who’s stayed home to bake cookies and raise her daughters—but without foregoing the prior government experience that is a must-have for any presidential candidate, a spokesman for the First Lady said.
She hopes to position herself as a fresher, sunnier alternative who can win over many of the wary voters who have felt alienated by the polarizing Clinton and who can appeal to independent and Republican voters in the general election. Most of all, aides said Bush’s campaign will stress her extensive executive experience: she spent two terms in Texas’ governor’s mansion before serving nearly two more in the White House, in both cases as First Lady. But unlike that of Clinton, Bush’s tenure as First Lady steered clear of the legal scandals, policy debacles, and conspiratorial accusations that were the hallmarks of the Clinton years.
With caucuses less than two weeks away, Bush nevertheless faces an uphill battle to win the nomination. Among her top projects for the near future will be making her candidacy known among Iowans and assuaging Democratic voters’ concerns about the Iraq war. To this end the candidate has enlisted the help of her headline-grabbing husband, who told an Iowa City crowd, “And that’s why I opposed the Iraq war from the start.”
Bush told reporters she had considered and dismissed the idea of entering the Republican primary, criticizing that race as “an old boys club”. She said in her announcement speech, “I truly appreciate how Hillary Clinton has paved the way for a woman in the White House, but now’s the time for her to step down and let Democrats elect a woman Americans can trust.”
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