With former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expected to run for president next year, we looked through the WFSB archives for stories we have done on Mrs. Clinton to be used in our popular Face the State flashback segments.  One of the first was filed in the fall of 1993, when Clinton took part in a New England town meeting on health care at Brown University in Providence.  Clinton took questions over the air from people across the six states that make up our region, including at least two from Connecticut.

The then-First Lady was the brainchild behind the Clinton health care plan, which did not go over well with the American people.  Clinton and the president campaigned for passage of the plan, a plan which served as somewhat of a  framework for the Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama more than 15 years later, commonly called “Obamacare.”

Due to the publicity the Clinton plan was generating, and the deep concerns of Connecticut residents about how an overhaul of the nation’s health care system would work, we sent then Eyewitness News reporter Mika Brzezinski to Rhode Island to cover the event.

Watch the vintage report that aired this past Sunday on Face the State on WFSB right here: http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10892764

Mika, of course is a best selling author and co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC.

Speaking of Hillary Clinton,  do you think 2016 be the year a woman is elected president? That’s what Clinton supporters are hoping. They were disappointed by her loss to Barack Obama in 2008, and are encouraging her to try again in 2016.

But what if Clinton decides not to run?  It’s possible. The political landscape has certainly changed in recent weeks after the mid-term elections.  The former first lady and U.S. senator will have to distance herself from her former boss, now an unpopular president.  There are other factors as well.   Many liberal Democrats are trying to encourage a fresh face to run, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, whose star seems to be on the upward trajectory.  Also, if elected, Clinton will be a 70 year old president by the end of her first year in office.  I know I’ll be accused of being sexist for mentioning age, but that issue has come up with older candidates in the past, including John McCain, Bob Dole and Ronald Reagan.  Clinton  could decide not to run, instead choosing to defer to a new generation, something Democrats have traditionally done.

The national political pundits spend a great deal time talking about Clinton and all the qualified men who might run for president, but rarely suggest other women.  There are several qualified women in both parties who could run in 2016, perhaps even more would be mentioned if Clinton takes a pass.   Take our poll and let us know which potential candidate you like. If you don’t see your favorite’s name, write her in.