HILLARY CLINTON

AGE: 68 PARTY: Democratic SLOGAN: “Hillary for America.” CLAIM TO FAME: Former First Lady, senator and Secretary of State STRENGTHS: Hillary is more than qualified for the job and you can see she really wants it. She’s negotiated deals on climate change and has also been a key player in trying to broker peace deals around the globe. WEAKNESSES: Voters may be reluctant to vote for a woman. Being the wife of a former president may count against her – many are reluctant to sign up for another two terms of the Clintons in the White House. She lacks the charisma of her husband and doesn’t give great speeches like Trump does. Detractors have accused her of being shrill and aloof. But the thing that could really count against her is that many voters perceive her to be deceitful and untrustworthy. A string of unresolved scandals continue to haunt her. HOW SHE’S LIKELY TO FIGHT TRUMP: By emphasising her political experience and qualifications, and by trying to persuade people that her opponent is a loose cannon. Instead of retaliating to Trump’s insults she may try to win support by turning the other cheek. By avoiding sordid mud-slinging, she may succeed in looking more presidential than Trump, experts say.

KEY POLICIES

ECONOMY: Raise the national minimum wage from $7 (R105) an hour to $12 (R180) an hour, and tighten the tax code to make sure the rich pay more. Invest $275 billion (R4 125 billion) in infrastructure. FOREIGN POLICY: She believes that only by being active beyond its borders can America retain its status as a global superpower and keep its citizens safe. But she says she now regrets voting in favour of the Iraq war in 2002. IMMIGRATION: Wholesale reform to create a “path to full and equal citizenship” for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US. LOW POINTS OF HER CAMPAIGN: For more than a year she’s been dogged by charges that during her time as Secretary of State she exposed state secrets to terrorists and hackers by flouting rules and storing her emails on a private home server. She deleted more than 30 000 of these messages, claiming they were “private”. If found guilty of violating the US Espionage Act she could be looking at 10 years behind bars. WHAT KIND OF PRESIDENT WOULD SHE BE? “Most likely she’d be a lot like Barack Obama has been: an imperfect commander-in-chief who would do a lot to make America a better place,” predicts Washington-based political analyst Rex Nutting. “If you like the job Obama has done, you’d probably approve of what Clinton would do in the White House.” WHAT HILLARY SAYS ABOUT HERSELF: “I’m a progressive. But I’m a progressive who likes to get things done.” ON TRUMP: “Donald Trump’s ideas aren’t just different, they’re dangerously incoherent. They’re not even really ideas, just a series of bizarre rants, personal feuds and outright lies. He’s not just unprepared, he’s temperamentally unfit to hold an office that requires knowledge, stability and immense responsibility.” CAMPAIGN CHEST: A reported $120 million (R1,8 billion) and climbing. Slammed doors, smashed vases . . . Hillary has quite a temper. Go to you.co.za and search “Hillary Clinton” to read the full story.