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Confirming news that had been inevitable for months, Hillary Clinton announced Sunday that she’s launching a campaign for president in 2016. The news came in an email to supporters from longtime lobbyist John Podesta, who will chair Clinton’s White House bid.
It’s the second presidential campaign for Clinton, who lost a long, bruising campaign against Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2008, when Clinton entered as the frontrunner.
Clinton, seeking to become the first woman to serve in the Oval Office, enters the race as the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic nomination and the favorite to win the presidency.
Here’s what you need to know about her campaign:
1. She’s Kicking Off Her Campaign in Iowa
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According to the New York Times, Clinton will travel through Iowa next week, a key primary state. According to the Times, Clinton will be holding small events to take questions and address voters’ concerns from what her campaign is calling “everyday Americans.”
Clinton also published a new epilogue to her book, Hard Choices, in the Huffington Post, as part of the lead up to her campaign announcement. Clinton’s writing gives an idea of her campaign’s message, speaking about equality and her how her views were changed by her new granddaughter Charlotte:
I have always believed that every child should have the chance to live up to his or her God-given potential. That principle has animated my entire career, from my earliest days as a young attorney with the Children’s Defense Fund straight through to my service in the Senate and as Secretary of State. Now that I’m a grandmother, I believe it even more passionately. Unfortunately, too few of the children born in the United States and around the world today will grow up with the same opportunities as Charlotte. You shouldn’t have to be the granddaughter of a President or a Secretary of State to receive excellent health care, education, enrichment, and all the support and advantages that will one day lead to a good job and a successful life. That’s what we want for all our kids. And this isn’t just idealism. … I’m more convinced than ever that our future in the 21st century depends on our ability to ensure that a child born in the hills of Appalachia or the Mississippi Delta or the Rio Grande Valley grows up with the same shot at success that Charlotte will.
The first confirmation of the campaign’s launch came Sunday, when Podesta — who served as chief of staff under Bill Clinton and as counselor to Obama — emailed supporters.
“It’s official,” Podesta wrote in the email. “Hillary’s running for president.”
Clinton campaign chair Podesta announces campaign in email: “We need to make the middle class mean something again” http://t.co/V1l99dq3rV
Clinton chimed in later in the afternoon with a tweet and a link to her campaign website.
I’m running for president. Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion. –H
2. The Campaign Is Expected to Begin Slowly
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Unlike the other candidates to enter the race so far — Republicans Ted Cruz and Rand Paul — Clinton does not need to have a major show to start her campaign, since she already has name recognition.
According to the Times, Clinton’s campaign will start slowly, with the small question and answer sessions with “everyday Americans” in key primary states, starting in Iowa and then in New Hampshire and elsewhere. Her campaign staff will also grow slowly.
The campaign will be based in Brooklyn Heights, New York, according to Politico. A campaign memo, calling for a drama-free campaign this time around, was obtained by Politico. The memo states:
We are a team: we are committed to helping each other succeed to deliver on our core purpose. We are a diverse, talented family: we work together, empower and respect each other, and have each other’s backs, especially our volunteers.
3. She Has No Serious Challengers for the Democratic Nomination
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Clinton is the only Democrat to enter the race so far and she is not expected to face a major primary challenge. Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chaffee have both expressed interest in running.
O’Malley, who has been campaigning in Iowa, told the Associated Press a day before Clinton’s announcement, “the great thing about Iowa and New Hampshire is that people insist on meeting all of the candidates before they make a decision.”
4. President Obama Said She Would be an ‘Excellent’ President
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President Obama said Saturday Clinton would be “an excellent president” and “would have a strong message to deliver,” according to NBC News.
Obama told reporters:
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. I think she would be an excellent president. If she decides to run and she makes an announcement, she’s going to have some strong messages to deliver
5. She Needs to Overcome Recent Scandals
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Clinton’s image was hurt recently, including among Democrats, by the recent scandal involving her use of a private email address while working as Secretary of State in Obama’s administration. Clinton exclusively used a private email system instead of a government account while at the State Department and may have violated federal rules in doing so, according to ABC News.
Questions have arisen about whether Clinton provided all her emails to the State Department for archival purposes after leaving office. She said about her email usage that it “would have been better,” to use a government account, but used the private email as a convenience, according to Fox News.
Clinton will also likely face questions during her campaign about her handling of the Benghazi terror attack.