Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign will center on boosting economic security for the middle class and expanding opportunities for working families, while casting the former senator and secretary of state as a “tenacious fighter” able to get results, two senior advisers said ahead of her planned campaign launch yesterday.
They provided the first preview of the message that Clinton planned to convey when she launches her long-anticipated campaign with an online video. Until now, the former first lady has offered only hints of what would drive her if she were to make a second bid to become the first female president.
Clinton, who lost the 2008 nomination to President Barack Obama, will skip a flashy kickoff rally in favor of conversations with voters about the economic needs of middle class families and the next generation.
Clinton appears unlikely to face a formidable primary opponent, though a handful of lower-profile Democrats such as former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley have said they are considering campaigns.
Should she win the nomination, Clinton would face the winner of a crowded Republican primary field that could feature as many as two dozen candidates. Conservative Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have already entered the race. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is expected to announce his candidacy in Miami today, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother and son of former presidents, is also likely to run.
The strategy described by Clinton’s advisers has echoes of Obama’s successful 2012 re-election campaign. He framed the choice for voters as between Democrats focused on the middle class and Republicans wanting to protect the wealthy and return to policies that led to the 2008 economic collapse.
The advisers said Clinton will argue that voters have a similar choice in 2016. Clinton also intends to sell herself as being able to work with Congress, businesses and world leaders.
That approach could be perceived as a critique of Obama. He has largely been unable to fulfill his pledge to end Washington’s intense partisanship and found much of his presidency stymied by gridlock within Congress.
The Clinton advisers spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss her plans ahead of yesterday’s announcement. People familiar with the plans say Clinton will travel to Iowa and other key states to hold small events with residents in the days after the video’s release.
Obama, speaking at a news conference Saturday in Panama City, said he thinks Clinton “would be an excellent president.” Julie Pace, White House Correspondent, AP
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