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Clinton's Record Speaks For Itself

by Melissa Cruz

Depending on whether you support the presumptive Democratic or Republican nominee this election, you might have an entirely different outlook on how gender has played a role in the presidential race. However, gender has undoubtedly become a divisive topic in the 2016 election — while Hillary Clinton rightfully declared "history made" after she became the first woman to secure a major-party nomination, Donald Trump has accused his Democratic rival of "playing the woman card." And though Clinton's gender does matter, there are other factors that are even more important.

A new report from FiveThirtyEight reveals that gender may not be as big of a deal to voters as some would expect. (Like Trump, for instance, who has ludicrously asserted throughout his campaign that Clinton's success in the race was solely thanks to her gender.) The report's polls, however, reveal that there are other factors voters consider when forming their opinion on Clinton, saying that the "social pressure to support a woman" likely has little bearing on their overall beliefs.

A whopping 90 percent of Americans say they would support a qualified woman for president, and political scientists have found evidence that support for female politicians is frequently underestimated compared to the number of votes they ultimately draw in.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

So what factors, other than Clinton's gender, should voters take into account when throwing their support behind the candidate? Her record can certainly speak for itself, after all. Just take a look at her resume: She's worked as a successful attorney; as FLOTUS, she tackled health care reform; she served as a New York senator; and of course, Clinton helped the Obama Administration secure some of its largest gains while serving as Secretary of State.

And in terms of the primary race alone, she has, of course, bested all of her opponents — a financial regulation specialist said Clinton even has a better understanding of Wall Street policy details than her opponent Bernie Sanders does, despite the fact that was a staple of his platform.

This attention to detail seems to span all issues. Her experience and proficiency on the issues puts her light years ahead of Trump, who has frequently found himself caught in half-truths as well as outright lies throughout the campaign trail.

The fact that Clinton has done all of this as a woman in a playing field that is dominated entirely by men only makes it that much more impressive.