Why did Hillary Clinton lose? That's the million-dollar question on many minds following Donald Trump's surprise upset victory in the presidential election Tuesday that most assumed would be won by the former Secretary of State. Was it one reason, such as Clinton's email debacle, or was it a collection of reasons that worked together to defeat her?
While it may be impossible to know all of the reasons for Clinton's loss, pundits and news outlets have much to say on the matter. Here's what they had to say about why Clinton lost the election.
Politico: Hillary didn’t take Trump seriously as an opponent, and her complacency cost her the election. Clinton didn’t campaign enough in key states like Michigan and Wisconsin, Politico alleged, and she never developed any policy ideas that would animate and excite her campaign.
The Washington Post: Hillary was too unpopular, and Bernie Sanders could have beaten Trump, the Post said. Sanders’ favorability was 10 points higher than Clinton’s, and his unfavorable numbers are 15 points lower. Her unfavorable numbers might have kept millions of voters at home, early analysis showed. The outlet also blames sexism in part for why people didn’t like her.
The Guardian: Arguing the premise that third party candidates cost Clinton the election, The Guardian lays the blame squarely at Clinton’s feet. Third party voters knew their candidates would not win, and so would likely not have voted at all or written someone else in if that option were not available. Third party candidates did get a higher percentage of the vote in this election, just over 5 percent, which showed just how upset some people were with the choices.
The Week: Trump’s outsider status and outspokenness attracted voters, The Week said, coupled with the fact that Clinton was a weak candidate with a "wooden" personality. The outlet also mentioned the hackers who continued releasing harmful information about her throughout the campaign. Finally, The Week blamed some degree of racism while counterarguing that Obama had still been elected in spite of that.
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