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I always wondered why the very influential, pragmatic and brilliant Secretary of State Antony Blinken wasn’t running for president. Does he not seem to have all the diplomatic assets necessary to accomplish this task?
Theoretically, nothing prevents Antony Blinken from running. Without being in his head, it’s impossible to know exactly why he didn’t do it. But we can theorize, by analyzing what type of person — and politician — he is.
According to all the experts we interviewed, the answer can be summed up in a few words: Antony Blinken did not choose the electoral path in his career. Being Secretary of State, an appointed and not elected role, he has in some way renounced the life of active politics, indicates Karine Prémont, professor of applied politics at the University of Sherbrooke.
Given the “difference” between the two positions, someone who wants to run for active politics will “usually start by running for Senate or governorships,” she explains. “Blinken is someone who has worked in government for a very long time, but who is not necessarily a figure who likes to be at the forefront,” specifies Mme Premont.
Previously, he worked as Deputy Secretary of State and at the National Security Council.
Élisabeth Vallet, director of the Geopolitics Observatory of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair, adds: “We can be an excellent secretary of state, but that will not make us a politician capable of winning an election. »
The past confirms these assertions. In the history of the United States, “there are very few secretaries who have entered the presidential races,” recalls M.me Premont.
Hillary Clinton, for example, served as a senator for eight years in the 2000s before serving as secretary of state during Barack Obama’s first term. And she had previously tasted the White House experience as first lady.
Antony Blinken risks continuing his career as a secretary. “Careers which are generally very fruitful, stimulating and rewarding,” notes the professor from the University of Sherbrooke.
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