Following Hillary Clinton’s departure from her role as US Secretary of State in 2013 her continued ambitions for the Presidency remained at best a badly kept secret.

As a female candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2008 she certainly broke new ground, but ultimately she lost out to Barack Obama because he pledged a more genuine break from the status quo.

Now, in 2016 Democrats still view her candidacy as offering little in the way of substantial change. According to opinion polls, even her gender is becoming less of an issue.

Hillary’s own issue is that voters still do not believe that they know the real Hillary, or feel that they can relate to her.

With the sudden emergence of Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, and following his resounding victory over Clinton in the New Hampshire primary, some pundits suggest history might repeat itself.

Such predictions, however, particularly at this point are premature; especially considering Sanders’ campaign is nowhere near as organised or dispersed throughout the country as Clinton’s is.

When this author published Part 1 of his “Hillary had her chance” blog after Clinton entered the race, he questioned whether she offered a true break from the status quo.

Attempting to learn from her New Hampshire setback Clinton is already beginning to sound a bit more like Sanders with rhetoric about taking on Wall Street and breaking up the banks.

Although apparently not a positive attribute to have in this immediate campaign for the party nomination, should Hillary go to the national poll for President, being a part of the political establishment might actually stand her in good stead against any of the realistic potential Republican rivals.

Love or hate Hillary, her candidacy comes closest to offering America’s middle ground a safe pair of hands.

The Republican Party nomination race is becoming increasingly bizarre with candidates becoming ever more unpredictable and, arguably, unappealing.

Traditional Republican supporters may not like the prospect of another Clinton occupying the White House, but with Ted Cruz and Donald Trump disrupting the GOP pack it’s a case of ‘better the devil you know’.

After an energetic start Clinton’s campaign has fallen into the same traps as last time. Still, a quick look at Jeb Bush’s enduring campaign demonstrates the political stamina to be gained from a strong family brand and financial backing in US politics.

Of all candidates Clinton is the most associated with the establishment, but in a presidential race packed with disruptions this might, remarkably, work to her advantage.

Should she stand in the general election she can claim herself capable of reaching out to voters rather than insulting and alienating those open to persuasion. How many of the Republican’s current front runners can say that?

Still, let’s not write off Bernie’s chances just yet.