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Hillary Clinton 2016 Likely Democrat Pick. 5 Women The GOP Could Nominate In 2016

Let’s make the not-unreasonable assumption that the Democrats nominate Hillary Clinton for president in 2016. If this happens, there will be enormous pressure on the GOP to have a woman on its ticket as well, either at the top or as a running mate. But while the Democrats have a pretty deep bench of women — in addition to Hillary, there’s Sens. Kirstin Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and a couple of others — the Republican party isn’t so fortunate. Or is it?

by Seth Millstein

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez

A lot of the fallout from 2012 focused on the Republican Party’s anemic standing with both female and Hispanic voters. This gives Martinez, the nation's first female Hispanic governor, a unique and undeniable appeal. The problem is that by all accounts, Martinez doesn’t seem to be interested in the job. She told National Journal earlier this summer that she won’t “abandon this job and not do it honorably and to the fullest extent possible” in order to run for president, as doing so would disappoint all of the young women in the state who look to her as a role model.

This seems odd, though: If setting an empowering example for women is what you’re going for, ascending to the White House is more or less the Holy Grail, right? So perhaps it's premature to count Martinez out of the race.

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New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte

Mitt Romney reportedly considered tapping the first-term New Hampshire senator as his running mate in 2012, and she’s sometimes mentioned as a prospective GOP recruit in 2016. But it’s unclear what, other than simply being female, Ayotte would bring to the ticket. In many ways, she’s a garden-variety Republican (pro-life, opposes marriage equality, questions global warming, etc) but with several liabilities that others in the GOP lack.

Ayotte's vanquished a Tea Party candidate in her 2010 Senate primary and is buddy buddy with John McCain; both of these facts could hurt her in a Republican primary. She voted against background checks for gun owners, which caused her home state approval to plummet 15 points; this could easily hurt her in a general election. We’re guessing Ayotte passes on a presidential run and focuses on her senate reelection instead.

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South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley

In 2010, Haley became the youngest governor in the country, winning South Carolina’s gubernatorial contest before her 40th birthday. For a party that has trouble attracting young voters, that’s a plus. Haley, who’s also probably a bit more charismatic than Martinez, was born to an Indian family but later converted to Christianity, giving her a dual appeal that would be totally unique if not for a fellow Republican governor a couple of states down who also wants to be president.

She's also a fighter: During her 2010 campaign, a blogger named Will Folks claimed to have had an affair with Haley, and further claimed to have incriminating pictures of her. Haley vociferously denied both the affair and the photos, said she'd resign if proof of either ever came to light, and proceeded to soar into the governor's mansion. Bam.

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Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

“So, Democrats think they’re all visionary and historic for nominating a black presidential candidate? And now they’re on the verge of nominating the first woman, too? Well, let’s beat them to the punch, and nominate the first black female presidential candidate!”

This seems to be most of the GOP thinking behind a Condi 2016 bid. Here’s a reality check: Condoleezza Rice has never held elected office, is closely associated with George W. Bush and the war in Iraq, supports abortion rights and has said she doesn’t want to run. The chances of Rice ending up on the Republican ticket are about as good as John Kerry’s chances of ending up on the Democratic ticket. It ain’t gonna happen.

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Former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin

In 2012, Palin very publicly considered running for president, and did a lot of things to suggest that she was gearing up for a run. But she ultimately didn’t enter the race, and subsequent reporting revealed that she was never really considering it to begin with. Now, the former half-term governor is publicly flirting with a 2014 senate bid. Here’s a prediction: Palin doesn’t run for the Senate in 2014, doesn’t run for presidency in 2016, and instead proceeds to live healthily off of her lucrative Fox News contract.

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