Elections Hillary Clinton: 'Likability' discussion around female candidates 'takes me back'

Talk of whether or not the U.S. is prepared to elect women leaders "takes me back," 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton told an audience in New York on Monday, praising the resolve of that state's female elected officials for getting legislation passed to protect women's reproductive rights.

The former secretary of state's comment comes amid fresh discussion of the prospect of a female president after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took initial steps last week to begin running for president in 2020. Warren is the highest-profile Democrat to date to announce 2020 plans, and although her political views lie to left of Clinton's, the two have long been the subject of comparison.


"There’s been a lot of talk recently about whether our country is ready for women leaders. Now that really takes me back," Clinton said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

"But today I want to thank all of you for your persistence," Clinton said of several women officials at the event. "I know many of you and can attest as to how smart, determined, effective and, dare I say, likable you all are."

Warren's entrance into the 2020 field has sparked not only fresh discussions regarding how she is perceived by voters but also talk of the extent to which female candidates are held to a different standard of likability than men. The U.S. has never elected a woman president or vice president and Clinton's 2016 bid made her the first ever female presidential candidate for a major political party.

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MSNBC host Kasie Hunt called out questions over Warren's likability, arguing male candidates did not receive similar scrutiny during past presidential campaigns.

"Did anyone ever ask, oh say, Bernie Sanders that question in 2016?" she said on her Sunday night show.

Clinton delivered her remarks at an event at Barnard College to announce Gov. Andrew Cuomo's agenda to codify Roe v. Wade protections into New York state law. Cuomo, a Democrat whose name has also been floated as a potential 2020 candidate, is pushing to have his Reproductive Health Care Act pass New York's state legislature within the chamber's first 30 days.

During her address, Clinton praised New York for leading the way in women's rights, naming and congratulating several female state officials, including Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

"When it comes to getting all of this done," Clinton said of the governor's initiative, "I believe the vision of the people and groups here today, the commitment of public servants in the Legislature and the courage of candidates who ran on these issues, coupled with the determination of Gov. Cuomo, will prove to be an unstoppable combination."