Many women have aimed to become United States of America’s (US) President, gaining national prominence as trailblazers, potential candidates, or influential figures for minor parties.
Among the women, Hillary Clinton stands solely as the woman who received a major-party presidential nomination, representing the Democratic Party in 2016.
In the realm of Vice-Presidential nominations and victories, Kamala Harris stands out as the first woman to secure the position which she obtained in 2020.
The Kenya Times looks at the women whose names have been featured on the presidential general election ballot.
US Women Who Reached on the Ballot Boxes
Jo Jorgensen (2020) was a Libertarian Party nominee for U.S Presidency in 2020. She became the first female Libertarian nominee for the country’s top post.
She is the only one among women who appeared on general election ballots in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia.
Jorgensen received her Ph.D in Industrial/Organizational Psychology in 2002 and has been a lecturer in Psychology since 2006.
Prior to that, she worked in marketing and business consulting.
Jorgensen was the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential nominee in 1996 and the Libertarian Party’s candidate for South Carolina’s 4th congressional district in 1992.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton (2008, 2016)
Hillary Clinton was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for presidency in 2008, losing to Senator Barack Obama.
President Obama later appointed her to serve as U.S Secretary of State, a position she held from 2009 to 2013.
In April 2015, she announced her candidacy for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination leading to her being the first woman to be a major party’s nominee for presidency in July 2016.
Despite winning the popular vote by almost 3 million, Clinton lost the Electoral College and conceded the general election on November 9, 2016.
A graduate of Wellesley College and Yale Law School, Hillary Clinton served on the staff of the House Judiciary Committee after the impeachment of Richard Nixon.
After moving to Arkansas, she further ran a legal aid clinic for the poor and was appointed by President Carter to the board of the United States Legal Services Corporation.
Furthermore, she led a task force to improve education in Arkansas and served on national boards for the Children’s Defense Fund, the Childcare Action Campaign, and the Children’s Television Workshop.
Continuing her legal career as a partner in a law firm, Hillary led the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession.
She was elected to the U.S Senate from New York in 2000 and re-elected in 2006.
Nonetheless, the wife of former President Bill Clinton, is the only First Lady of the United States to have ever been elected to public office.
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Jill Stein (2012, 2016)
Stein was a Green Party nominee for U.S Presidency in 2012 and in 2016; in both cases she qualified for federal matching funds.
In 2012, Stein received 0.36% of votes in the general election, while in 2016, she garnered 1.1% of votes in the general election.
Stein is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Medical School and was a practicing physician for 25 years.
She previously served as an elected member of Lexington Town Meeting, a local office, and was an unsuccessful candidate for Massachusetts governor in 2002 and 2010 as a member of the Green-Rainbow Party.
In addition, she ran unsuccessfully for Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2004 and for Massachusetts secretary of state in 2006.
Cynthia McKinney (2008)
Cynthia McKinney was the Green Party nominee for U.S Presidency in 2008.
She appeared with running mate Rosa Clemente on the general election ballots in 30 states and the District of Columbia where they won 0.12% of the popular vote.
Prior to her bid for presidency, McKinney served six terms in the U.S House of Representatives representing Georgia (1993-2003, 2005-2007).
Before her tenure in Congress, McKinney worked as a high school teacher and a university professor.
