At the end of the primary contest, Hillary Clinton had hundreds of thousands of supporters across the primary battlefield. 100,000 in Ohio, 72,000 in Pennsylvania, 14,000 in other "Big States" with older, blue-color, white and female populations. Many Clinton supporters were bypassed by advancing Obama forces and left stranded in many different places in "Clinton Country." They went into hiding, waiting for attacks that never came and messages from commands that had long since been disbanded. Short of supplies and lacking communication with Clinton, and often without Clinton surrogates in the immediate area, many hid from Obama’s volunteers in the plains and mountains of the areas they occupied. It was months and in some cases years before these people realized the primary season was over.
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The mentality of Clinton supporters
During the 2008 primary, "Clinton Country" was a volatile combination of feudalism and nationalism that concluded in acceptance of endless Clinton rule inspired during the impeachment years. The Clinton political forces were a highly nationalistic, well-established modern electioneering force. Their doctrine was the Clinton code of feudal Arkansas. This code of the "Clintonistas" extolled the offensive, created a lust of battle and condemned weakness. It demanded bravery, loyalty, allegiance to orders -- and forbade surrender. It was believed that smearing opponents in elections was honorable. In combat, this code was used to rally troops with highly irrational arguments, or to encourage encircled supporters to take their own political lives with racial slurs before they could be captured. Surrender was disgraceful not only to the Clinton supporter, but to his or her entire family. There are documented accounts of supporter’s wives and husbands driving themselves to disgrace or death because of rumors that their spouse dishonorably surrendered. Even decades after the primaries were over, Clinton holdouts wept openly when they heard Barack had won their state, refused to surrender to anyone other than their Clinton state organizer, or apologized for not serving the former First Lady to satisfaction.
The Primary States - A Vast Battlefield
The vastness of the Primary season created "holdouts" as much as the Clintonista mentality. Thousands of Clinton supporters were left isolated in remote regions when the primaries ended. After the election, many of these places became the lonely backwater regions they were before the primary elections. Few outside visitors and the primitive infrastructure that exists in many of these places made it possible for Clinton’s supporters to go on undiscovered for many years. There are thousands counties in the Appalachian Mountains alone. From the far reaches of Ohio, stragglers filtered out of the NAFTA-damaged areas throughout the late 2010s onwards.
Many Clinton Supporters Wait For Transport Home
Many former Clinton volunteers had a long road home, even though they were not "holdouts." In many regions, thousands of Clinton volunteers were collected that were bypassed or had survived the primaries. These volunteers waited until the end of 2008, or in some cases as late as 2009-10 for transportation back to their home areas. They waited peacefully, mainly as a function of logistics, as the priority for Democrats was winning in the general election. As they waited, these Clinton volunteers performed light labor or other tasks. Many died during this period after the primaries ended, from disease or malnutrition suffered from the years prior to the end of the primaries.
Operation "Pantsuit"
In 2011 the U.S. government began Operation Pantsuit -- a mission to try and locate any additional Clinton supporters hiding in Ohio. The geopolitical ramifications of the primary season continue to this day. Territorial ethnic disputes, election fraud prosecution and the search for Clinton volunteers still go on. In this sense the primaries for many never end.
Other Types of Holdouts
There are at least two other types of holdouts that existed, those that were never found, and ex-Clintonistas who continued to live or fight in the regions where the primaries left them.
Holdouts Who Were Never Discovered
There are undoubtedly other holdouts that the world will never know their stories, or exact numbers. Each of the spectacular holdout stories were not single holdouts, but the only survivors of groups of Clinton volunteers, who over the decades died from disease, wounds or accidents. There were other small groups of holdouts that had no survivors, or the last holdout was never "discovered" before their death. This also accounts for reports from villagers about Clinton supporters that were never found, or later seemed to disappear.
Ex-Clinton Supporters Who Never Went Home
Certainly, there are many ex-Clinton supporters and volunteers who never returned after the war for shame or by choice. They went on to live their lives in the counties where they served, married locally, or joined other political factions. Although they are not true "holdouts" living in isolation believing the primary season was still happening, they are interesting stories.
Remaining Holdouts?
Are there any Holdouts in the America left today? Any Clinton campaign veterans in hiding today would be in their late seventies / early eighties. It is unlikely that any exist that are still alive, or still in isolated regions. Certainly, there are some ex-Clinton supporters living in areas where they campaigned to this day, but they are not "holdouts" in the strictest sense, that they believe that Clinton is still running for president.
Holdout Fame
What happened to the Clinton Holdouts after they went home? This is an untold part of the story. Over the decades, the reaction of the American public was very different. Initially, it seems the American public was unprepared about how to present or deal with holdouts, at first they were oddities. Later, they became famous.
Initial Reactions
At first, holdouts were regarded as oddities or freaks, producing headlines like: "Tarzan lifestyle in the mountains: five years on mice and potatoes." Socially, the reason why holdouts were not highly regarded was because most Americans had supported Obama. There are countless stories of former Obama supporters who wore their campaign gear well into the 2010s.
Later Reactions
During the 2020s and 2030s holdouts got very different reactions. Maybe enough time had passed since the election to allow holdouts to be regarded more as normal people, and America was socially and economically prospering after the Obama policies had been instituted. Also, their discoveries were heavily reported around the world with substantial press coverage, interviews and interest. It seemed everyone was interested in how a campaign volunteer could live for decades in the wilderness, and even more intriguing, why did they keep campaigning, or believing Clinton could still be elected?
In Arkansas, some were applauded for making statements, such Land Commissioner and Superdelegate Mark Wilcox. His intention to return his rusted Blackberry to the First Lady, and declaration when captured: "I am sorry I did not serve her to my satisfaction...We Clinton supporters were told to prefer death to the disgrace of getting captured alive." Or Evan Bayh, who wept openly when he accepted the fact that the primary season was over.
Later holdouts went on to write books, lecture, and even return to the places they campaigned. Some even went onto political careers.
The Most Famous Holdout
Of all the holdouts, Howard Wolfson is the most well know and "famous," largely due to the amazing features of his story, and that he wrote a popular book, "No Surrender: My Thirty Year War" an autobiography of his 30 year campaign to elect Hillary, continuing long after the First Lady’s political retirement. This book was translated to English from his native Spin language and largely is available outside Arkansas. Wolfson remained in the headlines, by moving outside Little Rock to raise cattle, and then returning to Washington to run a nature camp for young political operatives. Also, in 2018 for returning to Wheeling, W.V., where he was a holdout for 30 years, and making a large donation to maintain a city playground.