What Do The Clintons Think Of Trump Winning Arkansas?
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, were Arkansas's first couple for 12 years. But it's looking like Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is going to take the six electoral votes. But is that a surprise? What do the Clintons think of Trump winning Arkansas?
With only six electoral votes, Arkansas wasn't exactly a huge state to win, but it wasn't a shock either that the points went to Trump. According to The New York Times, Trump won with 57.3 percentage points as Clinton clocked in at 37.4 percent, but the state wasn't expected to be a Democratic win. The New York Times reported that Mitt Romney won by 23.7 percentage points in 2012 and, in NPR predictions, the state was never considered anything except for a solid Republican win.
According to NPR, Clinton's return to Arkansas in July 2015 was actually the first time she had returned since announcing her second presidential bid. While NPR noted that former President Bill Clinton won the state in both of his presidential races, the blue state of Arkansas has been gone for a long time. With Republicans in every official capacity in the state, including governor, state legislature, senate, and congressional seats, it was a long shot for Clinton to bring those six electoral votes to her campaign.
Despite the many namesakes Clinton left behind in Arkansas, The Atlantic noted that the Clinton name isn't really associated with the state anymore. And the Clintons probably recognized that. According to CNN, it's pretty common knowledge that the state has changed. Regardless of the Clintons' history in Arkansas, the state has flipped to red and, currently, remains a solid Republican state.
Not to mention, NBC News reported that a typo on early voting ballots left Clinton's name with the word "liar" in Hillary, prompting plenty of jokes around the country and a lot of finger pointing at Arkansas officials.
Keeping all of that in mind, the Clintons haven't officially said anything about Trump winning Arkansas. But considering every major election predictions gave the red state to Trump anyway, I'm sure they aren't too surprised. The internet is running with it, however, despite the fact that Arkansas has been red for a while now.
With only six electoral votes, it definitely doesn't mean the election is over or that losing Arkansas makes the race any tighter for Clinton. It's a red state and the Clintons most likely see it as such, regardless of their history there.
