{{Short description|American baking competition (1992–2016)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
'''The First Lady Bake-Off''', also called the '''Presidential Cookie Bake-Off''' or '''Presidential Cookie Poll''', was a baking competition between the spouses of leading United States presidential candidates. It was held by American women's magazine ''Family Circle'' from its founding in 1992 until the final competition in 2016. ''Family Circle'' proposed the competition in 1992 after Hillary Clinton made a political gaffe about baking that was interpreted by some as disparaging housewives.
During the competition, ''Family Circle'' published cookie recipes from the spouses of presidential candidates, who stood to become First Lady or First Gentleman of the United States. The public voted to decide the winning recipe. The competition became known for frequently mirroring the results of presidential elections. It resulted Hillary Clinton's victories over Barbara Bush in 1992 and Elizabeth Dole in 1996, Laura Bush's victories over Tipper Gore in 2000 and Teresa Kerry in 2004, Cindy McCain's victory over Michelle Obama in 2008, Obama's victory over Ann Romney in 2012, and Bill Clinton's victory over Melania Trump in 2016.
The competition was popular but received some criticism for allegedly reinforcing sexist gender roles. It was canceled after ''Family Circle'' went out of business in 2019.
== Background == thumb|Hillary Clinton in 1992, the year of the first bake-off. The competition was inspired by a political gaffe made by Hillary Clinton in 1992 during her husband Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. In response to questions about her career and the Whitewater controversy,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pitts |date=2000-11-13 |title=LOVE HER OR HATE HER, HILLARY IS ONE TOUGH COOKIE |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2000-11-13-0011130127-story.html/ |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en-US|first=Leonard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720183344/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2000-11-13-0011130127-story.html/|archive-date=2021-07-20}}</ref> she stated that "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession, which I entered before my husband was in public life".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Working Moms, First Ladies and Recalling Hillary Clinton's 'Baking Cookies' Comment |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/working-moms-first-ladies-and-recalling-hillary-clintons-cookies |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=ABC News |language=en|date=April 12, 2012|last=Walter|first=Amy}}</ref> These remarks were controversial and were perceived by some as a slight on housewives.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2008-06-20 |title=How the cookie crumbles: the great first lady bake-off |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/how-the-cookie-crumbles-the-great-first-lady-bakeoff-851694.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=The Independent |language=en|last=Doyle|first=Leonard}}</ref> ''Time'' received numerous letters from women who were offended by Clinton's comments.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=The TIME Vault: April 20, 1992 |url=https://time.com/vault/issue/1992-04-20/page/14/ |access-date=2023-06-20 |magazine=Time |archive-date=May 1, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250501001035/https://time.com/vault/issue/1992-04-20/page/14/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Hillary Clinton's role in her husband's presidential campaign differed from that of Barbara Bush, wife of Republican candidate George H. W. Bush. While Bush played a more traditional role as First Lady, Clinton emphasized the fact that she would play a major role in policy and political decision-making in her husband's administration if he were elected. Clinton's remarks surrounding her career and attitude towards traditional gender roles were the subject of sustained controversy. At the time, publications like ''The New York Times and'' ''Los Angeles Times'' suggested that the public debate over Clinton's remarks stemmed from anxiety over the impact of feminism in American society.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Elder |first=Laurel |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/American_Presidential_Candidate_Spouses/IIBSDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22First+Lady+Bake-Off%22&pg=PA55&printsec=frontcover |title=American Presidential Candidate Spouses: The Public’s Perspective |last2=Frederick |first2=Brian |last3=Burrell |first3=Barbara |date=2018-03-20 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-73879-6 |language=en}}</ref>
Seeking to capitalize on the controversy, the magazine ''Family Circle'' came up with the idea of a cooking contest between the wives of presidential candidates.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Keith |first=Tamara |date=August 18, 2016 |title=Cooked Up After A Hillary Clinton Gaffe, The First Spouse Cookie Battle Is Back |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/08/18/490478924/cooked-up-after-a-hillary-clinton-gaffe-the-first-spouse-cookie-battle-is-back}}</ref> The competition gave them the opportunity to publish cookie recipes in the magazine, so that its subscribers could try them at home and vote for their favorites.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |title=Courting the cookie vote: Obama vs. Romney in the presidential bake-off |work=Christian Science Monitor |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2012/0626/Courting-the-cookie-vote-Obama-vs.-Romney-in-the-presidential-bake-off |access-date=2023-06-20 |issn=0882-7729|last=Eckel|first=Mike|date=June 26, 2012}}</ref>
== History ==
=== 1992 competition === Clinton and Bush both took part in the competition, but Margot Perot, wife of independent candidate Ross Perot, declined to participate.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Vigil |first=Tammy R. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Moms_in_Chief/WezDEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22First+Lady+Bake-Off%22&pg=PA256&printsec=frontcover |title=Moms in Chief: The Rhetoric of Republican Motherhood and the Spouses of Presidential Nominees, 1992–2016 |date=2019-01-23 |publisher=University Press of Kansas |isbn=978-0-7006-2748-6 |pages=49 |language=en}}</ref> In response, ''Family Circle''<nowiki/>'s editor-in-chief Jacqueline Leo commented that "My feeling was that [Margot Perot] orders in".<ref name=":13">{{Cite news |last=Burros |first=Marian |date=1992-07-15 |title=Now Is the Time to Come to the Aid of Your Favorite Cookies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/15/garden/now-is-the-time-to-come-to-the-aid-of-your-favorite-cookies.html |access-date=2026-02-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Clinton reportedly took the competition seriously and enlisted friends to help her with baking,<ref name=":13" /> as a way to recover from the gaffe and make herself appear more traditional.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last1=Chait |first1=Jonathan |date=2012-06-27 |title=Michelle Obama, Ann Romney Forced to Share Recipes |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2012/06/candidate-wives-forced-to-share-recipes.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Intelligencer |language=en-us}}</ref> Clinton had thousands of cookies baked by friends and professional bakeries for distribution at campaign events and in Madison Square Garden.<ref name=":13" />
The winning recipes were announced in October, ahead of the presidential election.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-03 |title=The First Lady Cookie Contest has been canceled indefinitely |url=https://www.today.com/food/first-lady-cookie-contest-has-been-canceled-indefinitely-t190809 |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=TODAY.com |language=en|last=Chayes Wida|first=Erica}}</ref> Clinton won the competition against her opponent Barbara Bush. In 1993, ''Consumer Reports'' ranked Clinton's recipe as being equal to Nestle Tollhouse's recipe and superior to Mrs. Fields' and Duncan Hines' recipes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1993-09-23 |title=MAGAZINE: FIRST LADY SHOULD STAY HOME, BAKE COOKIES |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1993/09/23/magazine-first-lady-should-stay-home-bake-cookies/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> Bush later wrote that her own recipe had been borrowed from a housemate.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |last=Heil |first=Emily |date=2021-10-28 |title=The traditional presidential cookie contest is off — but many 'first lady recipes' have long been bogus |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/09/01/the-traditional-presidential-cookie-contest-is-off-but-first-lady-recipes-have-long-been-lies/ |access-date=2023-06-20 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
According to media science professor Tammy R. Vigil, media coverage of the bake-off portrayed the women participating as adhering to traditional gender roles, publishing anecdotes about their domestic lives that contributed to this image. This coverage focused on stories about Clinton and Bush developing recipes and baking with their families, and accounts of other people testing the recipes at home.<ref name=":7" />
=== 1996 competition === Clinton competed against Elizabeth Dole, the wife of presidential candidate Bob Dole, during 1996 US presidential election.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Curley |first=Rob |date=1996-08-28 |title=And Now For Important Political Issues...Cookies |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/aug/28/and-now-for-important-political-issuescookies/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Spokesman.com |language=en}}</ref> During the competition, some publications noted that Clinton's chocolate chip cookie recipe had several advantages over Dole's pecan roll cookie recipe, including a shorter preparation time and healthier ingredients.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mrs. Dole challenges first lady's cookies |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/08/02/mrs-dole-challenges-first-lady-s-cookies/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en|date=August 2, 1996}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Grimes |first=David |date=1996-08-08 |title=COOKIE BAKE-OFF IS RECIPE FOR GETTING ELECTED |url=https://www.deseret.com/1996/8/8/19258835/cookie-bake-off-is-recipe-for-getting-elected/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}</ref> Clinton ultimately won the competition.<ref name=":10" />
=== 2000 competition === During the 2000 US presidential election, Laura Bush, wife of George W. Bush, competed in the bake-off Tipper Gore, wife of Al Gore. Bush submitted a recipe for cowboy cookies, while Gore submitted a recipe for ginger snaps.<ref name=":11">{{Cite news |last=Burros |first=Marian |date=2000-07-02 |title=It's Ginger vs. Chocolate in the Presidential Cookie Race |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/02/style/it-s-ginger-vs-chocolate-in-the-presidential-cookie-race.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Bush won the competition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cowboy Cookies Recipe |url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4997-cowboy-cookies |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=NYT Cooking |language=en-US|date=February 3, 2025|last=Burros|first=Marian}}</ref>
=== 2004 competition === During the 2004 US Presidential election, the bake-off was held between Laura Bush and Teresa Heinz, wife of John Kerry. Bush's cowboy cookies beat Kerry's pumpkin spice cookies. Kerry told NPR and ''The New York Times'' that she disapproved of the pumpkin spice recipe and suspected one of her staff of purposely sabotaging her by submitting an unappealing recipe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2004 |title=Cookie confession: Nasty recipe not hers |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2004/07/28/cookie-confession-nasty-recipe-not-hers/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> She further stated that she did not like pumpkin cookies and had never made them before.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Burros |first=Marian |date=2004-07-28 |title=UNIFYING THE PARTY: THE CANDIDATE'S WIFE; Mystery Ingredients: Heinz Kerry Disavows Cookie Recipe |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/28/us/unifying-party-candidate-s-wife-mystery-ingredients-heinz-kerry-disavows-cookie.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Kerry's office claimed that they had originally submitted a recipe called "Yummy Wonders" which was rejected by ''Family Circle'', and one of her staffers submitted pumpkin spice cookies as a replacement without consulting her. Kerry's press secretary, Marla Romash, corroborated her statements, saying that "If you tasted those [pumpkin] cookies, you'd think someone was trying to do you harm, too."<ref name=":4" />
=== 2008 competition === {{multiple image | align = right | total_width = 350 | image1 = Cindy McCain by Gage Skidmore.jpg | alt1 = Cindy McCain | caption1 = Cindy McCain in 2015 | image2 = Michelle Obama with Bo official portrait (cropped).jpg | alt2 = Michelle Obama | caption2 = Michelle Obama in 2011 | footer = McCain's victory over Obama in 2008 was the first time that the bakeoff's results differed from the presidential election }} During the 2008 US presidential election, Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain, competed in the bake-off against Michelle Obama, wife of Barack Obama. McCain's Oatmeal-Butterscotch cookies beat Obama's shortbread cookies.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine |date=2008-11-03 |title=Election Prognosticators – TIME |language=en-US |magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1856094_1856096_1856112,00.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |issn=0040-781X}}</ref> However, McCain was accused of plagiarizing her recipe from a packaging for Hershey's.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aleksander |first=Irina |date=2008-06-16 |title=Cooking up Scandal: Cindy McCain Allegedly Lifts Another Recipe |url=https://observer.com/2008/06/cooking-up-scandal-cindy-mccain-allegedly-lifts-another-recipe/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Observer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> This marked the first time in the contest's history that the results differed from the presidential election, as John McCain lost to Barack Obama.<ref name=":6" />
=== 2012 competition === The 2012 bake-off was named the Presidential Cookie Bake-Off.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mcdevitt |first=Caitlin |date=2012-10-01 |title=Michelle Obama wins cookie contest |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2012/10/michelle-obama-wins-cookie-contest-137162 |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref> During the 2012 US presidential election, Michelle Obama competed in the bake-off against Ann Romney, wife of presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Obama's white and dark chocolate chip cookies beat the M&M cookies submitted by Romney.<ref name=":8">{{Cite magazine |last=Locker |first=Melissa |date=2012-10-02 |title=Michelle Obama Wins Critical First Lady Cookie Contest |language=en-US |magazine=Time |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/02/michelle-obama-wins-critical-first-lady-cookie-contest/ |access-date=2023-06-20 |issn=0040-781X}}</ref> Obama's recipe contained white chocolate, dark chocolate, mint chocolate, and walnuts, and was described by Obama as a "splurge" dessert.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Torrisi |first=Lauren |title=Presidential Cookie Bake-Off: Obama vs. Romney |url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/06/presidential-cookie-bake-off-obama-vs-romney |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=ABC News |language=en|date=June 26, 2012}}</ref> USA Today observed that the recipe included significant amounts of chocolate, butter, and Crisco, which it described as being a departure from her overall focus on healthy eating.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michelle Obama's chocolate chip wins cookie prize |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2012/10/02/michelle-obama-cookies-family-circle-ann-romney/1607961/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US|date=October 2, 2012}}</ref>
=== 2016 competition === In 2016, the competition was renamed the Presidential Cookie Poll. Hillary Clinton was the Democratic presidential nominee against Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election, which placed her husband Bill in the running for First Gentleman.<ref name=":3" /> Bill Clinton competed against Trump's wife, Melania Trump, in the bake-off. ''Family Circle'' reportedly had difficulty organizing the competition and receiving recipes from the candidates in 2016, and considered cancelling it.<ref name=":12" />
Trump submitted a star-shaped sugar cookie recipe that was noted to have Eastern European influences like the inclusion of sour cream. These influences were attributed to the fact that her country of birth is Slovenia.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |date=2016-08-17 |title=The 2016 first lady cookie contest is just as weird as the rest of the election |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-2016-first-lady-cookie-contest-is-just-as-weird-as-the-rest-of-the-election/2016/08/17/2c0fb4fa-63c9-11e6-8b27-bb8ba39497a2_story.html |access-date=2026-02-25 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286|last=Judkis|first=Maura}}</ref> Clinton submitted the same chocolate chip cookie recipe as Hillary had in previous years,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Cooked Up After A Hillary Clinton Gaffe, The First Spouse Cookie Battle Is Back |url=https://www.wbur.org/npr/490478924/cooked-up-after-a-hillary-clinton-gaffe-the-first-spouse-cookie-battle-is-back |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=www.wbur.org |date=August 18, 2016 |language=en|last=Keith|first=Tamara}}</ref> under the name "The Clinton Family's Chocolate Chip Cookies".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gronnerud |first=Kathleen |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Hillary_Clinton/BEvEEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22presidential+cookie+poll%22&pg=PA76&printsec=frontcover |title=Hillary Clinton: A Life in American History |date=2021-09-01 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-4408-7418-5 |pages=76 |language=en}}</ref> His decision to repeat his wife's recipe was criticized by ''The Atlantic'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=David A. |date=2016-08-18 |title=Bill Clinton's Half-Baked Entry in the Presidential Cookie Contest |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/bill-clintons-half-baked-presidential-cookie-contest/496472/ |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> although he won the competition.<ref name=":3" />
=== 2020 cancelation === The bake-off was canceled in 2020, after ''Family Circle'' went out of business in 2019,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Settembre |first=Jeanette |date=2020-09-02 |title=First lady cookie contest comes to an end after 7 election cycles |url=https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/first-lady-presidential-cookie-competition-ends |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref> meaning that Jill Biden and Melania Trump did not compete against each other during the 2020 US presidential election.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Kate |date=2020-09-01 |title=Political tradition crumbles as the first lady cookie competition ends {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/politics/cookies-first-lady-competition/index.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>
== Results == Various publications identified key ingredients whose inclusion made it more likely that a cookie would win the competition, such as chocolate<ref name=":11" /> and oatmeal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Marcelle |date=2012-07-02 |title=Why Michelle Obama's Cookie Recipe Will Lose Her Husband the Election |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/07/presidential-bake-off-oat-cookies-always-win.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |issn=1091-2339}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" !Election year !Winner !Other contestants !Matched electoral results !Refs. |- |2016 election |Bill Clinton – chocolate chip cookies |Melania Trump – star sugar cookies |{{no}} |<ref name=":3" /> |- |2012 election |Michelle Obama – white and dark chocolate chip cookies |Ann Romney – M&M cookies |{{yes}} |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Patriot-News |first=The |date=2012-10-08 |title=Michelle Obama wins Presidential Cookie Bake-Off by 287 votes |url=https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2012/10/presidential_cookie_bake-off.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=pennlive |language=en}}</ref> |- |2008 election |Cindy McCain – oatmeal-butterscotch cookies |Michelle Obama – shortbread cookies |{{no}} |<ref name=":1" /> |- |2004 election |Laura Bush – cowboy cookies |Teresa Kerry – pumpkin spice cookies |{{yes}} |<ref>{{Cite book |last=Young |first=Bev |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DA3rBiGpPKcC&dq=presidential+bake+off&pg=PA150 |title=Presidential Cookies: Cookie Recipes of the Presidents of the United States |date=2005 |publisher=Presidential Publishing |isbn=978-0-9729095-5-6 |pages=150 |language=en}}</ref> |- |2000 election |Laura Bush - cowboy cookies |Tipper Gore - ginger snap cookies |{{yes}} |<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies |url=https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/cowboy-cookies-recipe |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Southern Living |language=en}}</ref> |- |1996 election |Hillary Clinton – chocolate chip cookies |Elizabeth Dole – pecan roll cookies |{{yes}} |<ref name=":0" /> |- |1992 election |Hillary Clinton – chocolate chip cookies |Barbara Bush – chocolate chip cookies |{{yes}} |<ref name=":5" /> |}
== Reception == The competition was a popular event during United States presidential elections.<ref name=":9" /> Historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony suggested that the competition began as a humorous event and gradually became a serious campaign tool.<ref name=":10" />
It was criticized by some commentators for being "demeaning"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michelle Obama vs. Ann Romney: The 'demeaning' cookie bake-off |url=https://theweek.com/articles/474229/michelle-obama-vs-ann-romney-demeaning-cookie-bakeoff |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=The Week |date=June 28, 2012 |language=en}}</ref> and promoting sexist stereotypes about women's roles.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-22 |title=Sexist "First Lady Bake-Off" still occurs since cookies can allegedly predict the election |url=https://www.mic.com/articles/152235/sexist-first-lady-bake-off-still-occurs-since-cookies-can-allegedly-predict-the-election |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Mic |language=en|last=Orlov|first=Alex}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Purdy |first=Chase |date=2016-08-21 |title=The blatantly sexist cookie bake-off that has haunted Hillary Clinton for two decades is back |url=https://qz.com/762881/the-blatantly-sexist-cookie-bake-off-that-has-haunted-hillary-clinton-for-two-decades-is-back |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Quartz |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-05 |title=Enough With the First Lady Bake-Offs |url=https://forward.com/food/163864/enough-with-the-first-lady-bake-offs/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=The Forward |language=en|last=Seltzer|first=Sarah}}</ref> Journalist Faith Salie of CBS called it "retrograde tradition that began either with sexism or irony".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-10-16 |title=Faith Salie on the Presidential Cookie Bake-off |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/faith-salie-on-the-presidential-cookie-bake-off/ |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=CBS New |language=en-US|last=Salie|first=Faith}}</ref> Erin Gloria Ryan, writing for ''Jezebel'' during the 2012 election, questioned whether the competition would still be held once a female candidate won a presidential primary, suggesting that it might be seen as "offensive" for a prospective First Gentleman to take on a traditionally feminine role like baking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-03 |title=Why the Hell Are We Still Holding First Lady Bake-Offs? Stop It. Stop It Right Now. |url=https://jezebel.com/why-the-hell-are-we-still-holding-first-lady-bake-offs-5948563 |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Jezebel |language=en|last=Ryan|first=Erin Gloria}}</ref> Political commentator Jonathan Chait of ''Intelligencer'' wrote that "There may be candidates whose wives do not bake cookies from scratch, or even candidates who do the cookie-baking themselves rather than delegate the task to the little woman. But they could never admit as much because it would now be held as a slap against millions of American women."<ref name=":14" />
Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, said that Clinton's remarks "stepped outside the bounds of what was seen as the traditional role of first lady, potential first lady [...] the price she paid was being placed in the midst of a cookie bake-off."<ref name=":2" /> In a retrospective article about the competition's end, Kelly Faircloth of ''Jezebel'' attributed the backlash towards Clinton's comments and the success of the contest to contemporary anxieties about the increasing number of career women.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-04 |title=The Serendipitous Death of the First Lady Cookie Bakeoff |url=https://jezebel.com/the-serendipitous-death-of-the-first-lady-cookie-bakeof-1844954726 |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Jezebel |language=en|last=Faircloth|first=Kelly}}</ref> In a 2020 article, Kate Bennett of CNN suggested that Clinton's remarks in 1992 had "a ripple-effect across the country, pitting stay-at-home spouses against those who work."<ref name=":3" />
Journalist Anna Quindlen considered the competition to exemplify the pressure for First Ladies of the United States to fit outdated gender expectations that had become less fashionable in broader society. Quindlen wrote that, "It's particularly noticeable that Hillary Clinton, who has already changed her name, her hair, her clothes, and her comments, is reduced to hawking her chocolate-chip-cookie entry in the First Lady bake-off."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Quindlen |first=Anna |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Thinking_Out_Loud/fe7NA-b_URIC?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=%22First%20Lady%20Bake-Off%22 |title=Thinking Out Loud: On the Personal, the Political, the Public and the Private |date=2010-08-25 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-307-76355-6 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Comparison to electoral results === The competition became known for often predicting the results of the presidential election,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-10-04 |title=A cookie bake-off among US First Lady contenders is a bellwether indicator |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-editorial/a-cookie-bake-off-among-us-first-lady-contenders-is-a-bellwether-indicator/articleshow/16663196.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2023-06-20 |issn=0013-0389}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-26 |title=Ann Romney, Michelle Obama face off in cookie contest |url=http://www.today.com/food/ann-romney-michelle-obama-face-cookie-contest-flna847011 |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=TODAY.com |language=en|last=Eugenios|first=Jillian}}</ref><ref name=":5"/> with its results matching the outcome of five out of seven elections.<ref name=":3" /> The streak was first broken in 2008, when McCain's cookies beat Obama's.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Testa |first=Jessica |date=2012-10-02 |title=Can A Cookie Contest Predict The Election? |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jtes/can-a-cookie-contest-predict-the-election |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=BuzzFeed News |language=en}}</ref>
== See also ==
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Recurring events established in 1992 Category:Hillary Clinton Category:1992 establishments in the United States Category:Cooking competitions in the United States Category:Ceremonies in the United States Category:Presidential elections in the United States Category:First ladies of the United States Category:Cookies in popular culture Category:Tipper Gore Category:Bill Clinton Category:Barbara Bush Category:Laura Bush Category:Michelle Obama Category:Melania Trump Category:2020 disestablishments in the United States Category:Recurring events disestablished in 2020