Could it happen? Article argues Hillary Clinton could run for president again

Former Secretary of State and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Photo / AP file

Could 2020 be a rematch between US Donald Trump and his Democratic rival in 2016, Hillary Clinton?

An opinion article in the Wall Street Journal raises that intriguing possibility.

The article, by former Clinton adviser Mark Penn and former New York Democratic official Andrew Stein, argues that Clinton will run for US president again in 2020.

It claims the former nominee and secretary of state "will fight this out until the last dog dies. She won't let a little thing like two stunning defeats stand in the way of her claim to the White House".

It predicts that Clinton "will not allow this humiliating loss at the hands of an amateur to end the story of her career. You can expect her to run for president once again. Maybe not at first, when the legions of Senate Democrats make their announcements, but definitely by the time the primaries are in full swing".

The article appears as talk of the next US presidential election and possible candidates has erupted in Democratic circles and the media after last week's Midterm elections.

A large field of candidates is expected to compete for the Democratic nomination. Possible candidates include former Vice-President Joe Biden, former candidate Bernie Sanders, senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar and businessman Michael Bloomberg. Losing Texas Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke could also throw his hat in the ring.

Whether the party would want to nominate Clinton after she was unable to to put away Trump - who was seen as a beatable candidate - is a crucial question.

The authors claim that "Clinton has a 75 per cent approval rating among Democrats, an unfinished mission to be the first female president, and a personal grievance against Trump, whose supporters pilloried her with chants of "Lock her up!" This must be avenged".

The article advises not to put too much store on denials. "Don't pay much attention to the "I won't run" declarations. Mrs Clinton knows both Mr Clinton and Mr Obama declared they weren't running, until they ran. She may even skip Iowa and enter the race later, but rest assured that, one way or another, Hillary 4.0 is on the way," it says.

Hillary Will Run Again:
Reinventing herself as a liberal firebrand, Mrs. Clinton will easily capture the 2020 nomination. https://t.co/Ph9X7uNP5d via @WSJ

— 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 (@essenviews) November 11, 2018