After months of nearly blackout coverage of other possible Democratic presidential nominees, the national media is giving renewed attention to potential Hillary Clinton challengers in light of her email controversy.
During her tenure as secretary of state, Clinton, a likely presidential candidate, exclusively used a personal email while conducting government business. The email was registered to a server based out of Clinton’s personal residence. Clinton’s email correspondence practices were in violation of federal rules dictating that electronic communication by government officials must be stored on official servers.
The news led to a spate of stories speculating on whether the controversy would serve as a boon to Clinton’s potential 2016 challengers, including Vice President Joe Biden, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. All three have publicly said they’re considering a run for president.
On Wednesday, the Washington Post published an interview with a prominent supporter of Biden who was critical of Clinton, though the vice president has received scant coverage of his 2016 considerations.
Dick Harpootlian, a former Democratic Party chairman in South Carolina, told the Post that the email controversy means Clinton will “die by 1,000 cuts.”
In a separate story, the Post wrote: “Amid Clinton controversies, Democrats yearn for an alternative.”
On Thursday, CBS ran the headline, “Could Jim Webb pose a threat to Hillary Clinton in 2016?”
“To say that Webb would begin the 2016 race as a longshot might be considered charitable, given Clinton’s early dominance,” the article said. “But it’s clear he can’t be dismissed out of hand.”
And at the New Yorker, John Cassidy questioned whether O’Malley is “a real Democratic challenger for Hillary Clinton.”
“Clinton remains the favorite, of course, but the betting markets suggest that the race isn’t entirely sewn up,” he wrote.
Noting that the email controversy may hinder Clinton ahead her official 2016 announcement, Cassidy wrote, “other potential Democratic challengers, who include Vice President Joe Biden and Jim Webb, the former senator from Virginia, have shied away from criticizing Hillary directly, but this may be about to change.”
