Elizabeth Teitz

Georgetown University

Corrections and clarifications: This story was updated to correct who endorsed Hillary Clinton.

Last week was an especially tough and frustrating one for Hillary Clinton. The presumed front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, she’s now facing a fierce challenger in Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who came close to beating the former secretary of State in the Iowa caucuses and then crushed her in the New Hampshire primary last Tuesday.

Clinton's frustrations include fighting against Sanders' promises of a "revolution." His idealism, she says, will not result in change. To get things done, she believes, one must work the system -- a lesson the Obama administration, which has had insurmountable roadblocks thrown up by Republicans every step of the way, knows all too well.

In addition to Sanders, Clinton is also the target of Republican attacks, and this week Ted Cruz outdid the party with an Office Space parody that's both funny and especially vicious.

So, what was her week like? We take a look.

Monday, Feb. 8

On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Clinton’s lengthy political career and life in the public spotlight continued to be a hurdle for some voters.

In speeches on Sunday and Monday, Bill Clinton addressed the Granite State and, reported USA TODAY, told crowds that it's ironic that his wife is being cast as an establishment politician.

When she was first lady in the 1990s, the paper reported he said, Republicans portrayed her as a “liberal” liability, a history young voters are unfamiliar with.

Tuesday, Feb. 9

When the ballots were tallied in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, Clinton had lost the Granite State to Bernie Sanders by 22%. Sanders bested Clinton by 11 points overall, and in all age groups other than 65-plus.

Most notably for a campaign staking a large part of the candidate's appeal on gender, she struggled to attract women voters: Sanders won 82% of the votes of women under 30.

Wednesday, Feb. 10

In 2008, Clinton spent the day after the New Hampshire primaries celebrating an unexpected win. In 2016, she spent the day considering her next moves after a bruising loss.

And she left political pundits an opening to further discuss the hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees from banking firms that had helped bring the U.S. economy to the brink of collapse. That's because in her concession speech she vowed that “Wall Street can never be allowed to once again threaten Main Street, and I will fight to rein in Wall Street.” Confused by that move? So were we.

Thursday, Feb. 11

“I don’t want the world to forget what happened to my dad.”

That’s what Erica Garner, daughter of Eric Garner, choked and killed by New York City police officers on July 7, 2014, said in a video released on Thursday by the Sanders campaign.

The powerful video, which includes clips of Sanders talking about racial injustice and police brutality, as well as Garner talking about her 6-year-old daughter asking questions about her grandfather, aims to make the case that Sanders is the best candidate when it comes to civil rights -- a much-needed endorsement for the senator, who is struggling to reach black voters.

Friday, Feb. 12

Clinton's no stranger to attack ads from Republican challengers, but one released by Ted Cruz ’s campaign on Friday was especially harsh, taking aim at her integrity and referencing the ongoing email server scandal.

A parody of Millennial cult favorite Office Space, it stars a Clinton lookalike and actors playing aides taking turns destroying a computer modem with a baseball bat while a soundtrack plays to the tune of the 1992 song, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta.

Then again, Cruz's campaign team apparently isn't made up of advertising savants. On Friday the campaign had to pull an ad -- one attacking GOP candidate Marco Rubio -- after realizing it starred a former soft-core porn actress.

The good news? There's a bunch of that, too

It wasn’t all bad news for Clinton, of course.

On Thursday, Clinton picked up an important endorsement from the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. The "seal of approval," reports USA TODAY, "will be a huge help to Clinton as many of its members will take their message on the road ahead of the Feb. 27 South Carolina primary and other southern states that follow in March with large black populations." Announcing their support, "several speakers cited Clinton’s record on health care, education and, in particular, drew distinctions between Clinton and Sanders on guns. Others said Sanders is making promises for free college and health care, that he can’t deliver."

The Milwaukee debate on Thursday night also gave Clinton an opportunity to emphasize the differences between the two candidates, including her vast experience in foreign policy. Having been secretary of State could be an important plus on her side for swing voters.

On Friday, she announced a March 2 fundraiser concert with musicians Elton John, Katy Perry, and Grammy-nominated R&B singer Andra Day. Noting like some glitzy talent to help with momentum.

And with the March primaries just around the corner, her campaign is ramping up in those states.

As she said in her concession speech in New Hampshire on Tuesday, “We’re going to fight for every vote in every state. ... I’ve had a blessed life, but I also know what it’s like to stumble and fall, and so many people across America know that feeling. And we’ve learned that it’s not whether you get knocked down that matters, it’s whether you get back up."



Elizabeth Teitz is a Georgetown University student and a USA TODAY College correspondent.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.