Janjivan Bureau
New York: Hillary Clinton is expected to finally announce her candidacy for the US presidency today, ending prolonged speculation that will once again seek to become the first woman elected to the White House.
Seven years after her bitter nomination defeat to Barack Obama, the former secretary of state and one-time first lady would enter the race as the Democratic Party’s overwhelming favourite, as Mrs Clinton and her rivals gird for an 18-month campaign slog.
Her announcement is expected to be delivered via social media — perhaps in a tweet — and accompanied by a campaign kick-off video highlighting her economy-focused political philosophy.
It is likely to trigger a donor deluge from a vast network of supporters who have long waited for her to officially enter the race, a move that would allow them to contribute directly to her 2016 election effort.
Mrs Clinton’s campaign-in-waiting has organised for months behind the scenes, bringing on key staffers and advisers, plotting outreach operations and strategising.
Yesterday, the campaign team hunkered down in Clinton headquarters in Brooklyn where campaign manager Robby Mook delivered a memo to staff urging teamwork in the months ahead.
“We are a diverse and talented family … and have each other’s backs,” says the memo obtained by Politico, perhaps in an effort to avoid the infighting among top aides that marred Mrs Clinton’s 2008 run.
The 2016 campaign goal, the memo adds, is “to give every family, every small business, and every American a path to lasting prosperity by electing Hillary Clinton the next president of the US.”
Yesterday she earned high praise from Mr Obama, although experts warn she will have to tread a fine line in how closely she aligns herself with the incumbent.
“She was a formidable candidate in 2008. She was a great supporter of mine in the general election. She was an outstanding secretary of state. She is my friend,” he said at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.
“I think she would be an excellent president.”
Her announcement today is expected to be followed by campaign swings through Iowa and New Hampshire, states that hold the first votes early next year to determine the parties’ nominees.
Mrs Clinton, 67, already has a team of organisers in Iowa, a fertile political proving ground ahead of national elections.
After the campaign launch, Mrs Clinton should “jump on a bus and barnstorm through Iowa touching all 99 counties and meet with people in cafes and other small venues” as she reintroduces herself to Americans, Iowa State University professor Steffen Schmidt said yesterday.
A humble approach may help dispel doubts about Mrs Clinton raised in recent weeks, after it was revealed she used a private email account while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. She could face questions about the issue from voters, including why she deleted thousands of emails that she described as personal, then wiped her server clean.
