A “Never Chelsea” movement is growing among the liberal left—threatening to squash any hopes of Chelsea Clinton continuing the Clinton political dynasty and building her own political career.
According to the Washington Times, which first reported the story, a number of liberals from the “Bernie Sanders wing” of the Democratic Party would fight back against Chelsea being a candidate for just about any office. Since the election, Chelsea has taken a more bold stance against Trump via Twitter—and she has previously disclosed that she would be “absolutely” interested in running for political office one day.
Since her mother’s surprising loss in the 2016 election, rumors have abounded that the younger Clinton is looking to build a political career of her own—possibly running for a U.S. Congress seat in her home state of New York, or challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in a primary during the 2018 election cycle.
However, if the sources from the Washington Times are to be believe, Chelsea could face a very uphill battle.
“Chelsea needs to go away,” Guinevere Boyd, a 49-year-old Democratic activist, succinctly told the Washington Times. “She has nothing to offer. She has said some horrible clueless things about progressives and progressive issues.”
Boyd was just one of a number of liberal activists interviewed by the Times, who are standing strong against another generation of Clintons.
Chelsea also has the problem of being closely tied to the Clinton Foundation—which is officially named the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation—and its litany of scandals. Despite the Foundation’s recent unraveling, Chelsea still serves as Vice Chairwoman.
She also came under fire in the emails leaked from key Clinton operatives—like Clinton Foundation head, Doug Band, who referred to her as a “spoiled brat” who was living off her parents, and Hillary’s 2016 campaign chairman, John Podesta, who said calling Chelsea “not smart” was an “understatement.”
It’s unclear whether Chelsea Clinton still plans to run for office—but, if she’s anything like her mother, a lack of public support might not be enough to stop her from trying.
