From politics to professional sports, an endorsement from Hillary Clinton appears to be the kiss of death in 2014.
Last month, for example, former Representative Marjorie Margolis (D., Pa.) was handily defeated in her bid to return to Congress, despite endorsements and fundraising assists from both Hillary and Bill Clinton. Margolis, as it turns out, is the mother of Chelsea Clinton’s husband, Marc Mezvinsky.
Last week, Hillary weighed in on the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, which was tied 1-1 at the time. ABC’s Robin Roberts framed the question in electoral terms: "Texas or Florida?" Hillary didn’t skip a beat: "Florida," she said, laughing like a maniac.
The Heat did not win a single game after that. On Sunday, the Spurs completed their pummeling of the Hillary-backed team, winning 104 to 87 and taking the series four games to one.
Hillary-supported individuals haven’t always fared so poorly. In 1975, for example, she helped a client facing 30 years to life in prison—for child rape—plead down to a lesser charge, for which he received a mere one-year prison sentence.