By Deirdre Pedersen

As the head to head battle between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump heats up, along with the lingering presence of rival Bernie Sanders in the democratic primary, one thing remains consistently clear: Hillary Clinton should be our next President.  

Hillary Clinton possesses the qualities that will make her an excellent choice as Commander in Chief of the United States. Firstly, she is by far the most qualified candidate of the entire field of both democratic and republican candidates to have run in the 2016 campaign. She is a lawyer, law professor and activist who has not only served as First Lady for eight years, but even more importantly, has served as a U.S. Senator from New York and as U.S Secretary of State.

As Senator, Clinton had to learn to work across the aisle and  with adversaries in order to get things done. As Secretary of State, Clinton extensively traveled the world (more than any other Secretary of State) and built an impressive resume of working with foreign leaders and allies to resolve issues impeding global peace. So as far as foreign policy goes, there is no one as qualified.

Secondly, Hillary Clinton has spent nearly her entire career fighting for the rights of women, children and families. In fact, one of her main campaign promises is to fight for equal pay for women. She is advocating to enhance women’s reproductive rights and protect a woman’s right to choose as well as to expand on President Obama’s  Affordable Care Act, insuring that all women gain health coverage. From working with the Children’s Defense Fund early in her career to advocating for family paid leave, her longstanding commitment to women’s issues is unparalleled.

Another compelling reason why Clinton should be President is her stand on gun control. With tens of thousands of  people killed every year due to gun violence, it is imperative to have a leader who makes gun control a priority. Clinton continues to be one of the leading advocates for stricter gun control, pushing to strengthen background checks and close dangerous loopholes, hold negligent manufacturers and dealers liable, and to keep guns away from the mentally ill, terrorists, and violent criminals.  

Also, unlike Donald Trump who would like to ban all Muslims from entering the country, Clinton supports Immigration Reform, which would allow the millions of good standing immigrants a path to citizenship.

Along with her intelligence, experience and position on important issues are significant reasons why Hillary Clinton should be President. The fact that she will be the first woman ever in its 227 year history to hold the office and its historic impact on our society should not be underscored.  It is way beyond  time that young girls across the country and world realize that they can truly be whatever they want to be, including President of the United States; that equality can be achieved despite a political process that, up until this point, has been entirely dominated by men. For those Hillary detractors who say they would like to see a woman president just not her, the question remains: who is more qualified and experienced – man or woman- to lead than Hillary Clinton? The answer: No one.