Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State.
Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2008 . However , due to a close race between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York , the contest remained competitive for longer than expected , and neither candidate received enough pledged delegates from state primaries and caucuses to achieve a majority , without endorsements from unpledged delegates ( superdelegates ) . Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016 . A total of six major candidates entered the race starting April 12 , 2015 , when former Secretary of State and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton formally announced her second bid for the presidency . Hillary Clinton . She received the most votes and primary delegates in the 2016 Democratic primaries , and formally accepted her party 's nomination for President of the United States on July 28 , 2016 with vice presidential running mate Senator Tim Kaine . United States presidential election, 2016 . The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Senator from Virginia Tim Kaine .