Clinton sees tough challenge from Sanders in Wisconsin primary contest

U.S. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is expected to see a tough challenge from rival Senator Bernie Sanders in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary, highlighting the difficulty she has had in recent weeks and months from Sanders.

Just last summer Clinton was considered an uncontested shoo-in for the nomination, but the firebrand Sanders has surprised analysts, pundits and others who had previously written him off as a flash in the pan.

While Clinton is still expected to clinch her party's nomination, she will continue to be dogged by Sanders, who recently won landslide victories in primary contests in the states of Alaska, Hawaii and Washington.

"She has not managed to force Sanders from the race because many progressives have not warmed up to her," Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

Indeed, Clinton continues to be a candidate who fails to fire up the Democratic base, as many see her as stiff and unapproachable in public, and Americans want their leaders to be able to understand the struggles of ordinary members of the population.

In addition, she is seen by many as too much of a political insider, at a time when Americans harbor negative views of establishment politicians on both sides of the political divide.

Many also see Clinton as part of the "business-as-usual" politics that the disenfranchised on both the left and right are tired of, Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua.

Indeed, Clinton has recently been criticized for giving a speech to Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs in 2013 and collecting 225,000 U.S. dollars for the appearance, at a time when millions of Americans continue to struggle financially even years after the 2008 economic crash.

While the remarks were given in a private forum, U.S. media has reported that people attending the event said she had not once criticized the investment bank or Wall Street more broadly for its role in the 2008 economic nose dive.

Clinton also has a high unfavorable rating. While much has been made in the media of Republican Party front-runner Donald Trump's high negative ratings, Clinton's negative ratings are nearly as high.

Those come from the perception that Clinton is part of the establishment system and that electing her would not bring about significant change for the country, experts said.

That and other Clinton stumbling blocks could cause trouble for her in Wisconsin, and she could take a loss there. In turn, that would put more pressure on her to do well in the upcoming contests in the states of New York and Pennsylvania, analysts said.

Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, told Xinhua that the combination of anti-establishment, grass roots politics and economic focus has a very powerful hold on many Democrats.

Still, even if Clinton loses Wisconsin, it will not mean the end of her campaign, he added.

"It would be hurtful but not devastating," he said. Enditem