Hillary Clinton writes uplifting letter to schoolgirl who lost class president election

‘I am cheering you on for a future of great success’

Sabrina Barr
Monday 17 December 2018 12:00 GMT
Comments
Eight-year-old girl reacts to letter sent from Hillary Clinton after losing election to become class president

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Hillary Clinton has written a motivational letter to an eight-year-old girl who narrowly missed out on becoming class president, urging her to “never stop standing up for what is right”.

A couple of weeks ago, Martha Kennedy Morales from Maryland, USA lost her campaign to become class president at her school.

Martha only lost by one vote, with a male classmate assuming the coveted position.

While she did become vice president, she felt disappointed to have missed out on the role by such a close margin.

Her father, Alberto Morales, wrote about her campaign on Facebook, sparking the interest of an individual with ties to Clinton.

After becoming aware of Martha's unfortunate loss, Clinton decided to personally reach out to the budding political enthusiast by sending her a letter expressing her admiration and congratulating her on becoming vice president.

"While I know you may have been disappointed that you did not win president, I am so proud of you for deciding to run in the first place," the 2016 presidential candidate wrote in her letter, the authenticity of which was verified by Clinton spokesperson Nick Merrill with CNN.

"As I know too well, it’s not easy when you stand up and put yourself in contention for a role that’s only been sought by boys.

"The most important thing is that you fought for what you believed in, and that is always worth it.

"As you continue to learn and grow in the years ahead, never stop standing up for what is right and seeking opportunities to be a leader, and know that I am cheering you on for a future of great success."

Speaking to CNN, Martha said that Clinton "really inspires" her and revealed that she responded to the former presidential candidate with a letter of thanks.

"It was really touching to know that Hillary Clinton herself sent me a letter," the schoolgirl said.

"That doesn't happen every day."

When asked whether she would consider running for class president again, Martha said that she would if another opportunity to do so were to arise.

Her father explained how he and his wife reacted upon hearing the news that Clinton had written their daughter a letter.

"As a father, my wife and I are thrilled because she does look up to the secretary," he said.

"We try to encourage her to learn as much about public figures as possible.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

"It's just been really nice to see someone like the secretary take the time to actually write a little girl who lost an election by one vote, but got back up."

In November 2018, Clinton's former aide Mark Penn stated that it's very likely that she's going to run for the White House again in 2020.

Writing in an article published in the Wall Street Journal, he explained that she had "an unfinished mission to be the first female president".

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in