After her unsuccessful campaign in 2008, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is once again running for the office of the President of the United States. Her announcement came this Sunday, April 12, featuring a video with testimony from several families and individuals about new things they want to accomplish in the next year. Mrs. Clinton then appears and states, “I’m getting ready to do something too. I’m running for President.” Watch the video here.
The announcement comes at a very strategic time. Tuesday, April 14th is National Equal Pay Day, and equal wages for men and women are expected to be an important issue in Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, along with other issues important to many women, such as paid family leave and affordable child care. The issue of income inequality among all Americans is one of the major themes of her campaign, along with strong support for the middle class, which was so crucial in her previous bid for the office.
One of the several couples presented in the announcement video was gay, hinting at campaign support for gay rights.
Unlike in 2008, when she faced stiff opposition from Barack Obama for the Democratic Party’s nomination, there is no incumbent and little competition, making her nomination as the party’s candidate a very strong possibility. This would be the first time that a woman has ever received the presidential nomination from a major party. But, being a woman is not the only way that Mrs. Clinton’s bid is significant. Her campaign is expected to be one the most expensive presidential bids yet, as well as one of the most social media oriented. The former Secretary of State already has a massive online presence (she has 3.27 million followers on Twitter). The campaign announcement comes in the form of a YouTube video, the website hillaryclinton.com advertises ways to donate and share online, and links to social media accounts abound. This presence can only be expected to increase as her campaign gains more ground.
Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign logo
Hillary Rodham Clinton has been at the forefront of American politics for quite some time. Her political fame and experience lends her a massive amount of supporters; a recent poll conducted by CBS News reports that 81 percent of Democrats would consider voting for her. However, she is not without controversy. Her use of a private email address at the State Department, and donations from foreign countries to her family’s own philanthropic organization are certain to be brought up by her competitors in their attempt to prove themselves the better option for America. Amongst great discontent for President Barack Obama and strong Republican contenders, Mrs. Clinton is in for a tough race; her future opponent will most certainly have the support, the money and the political savvy to put up a fight.
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